Fat Cells 300: Washing Fat Cells

Our bodies lose and replace about 8% of our fat cells each year. Our fat cells also shrink when we lose weight and use up the stored lipids inside of them. One way of helping our fat cells shrink is to get rid of the toxins that build up in our fat cells. Toxins are easily absorbed into our body, they are found in the air, our water, chemicals we work with, the food we eat and more. We absorb them when there are forest fires or people burn trash or other combustibles, when factories make herbicides or bleach paper pulp and many other situations. In the 1980’s the EPA conducted a program called National Human Adipose Tissue Survey and they found that all human fat samples they took contained traces of industrial solvents, dioxins and chemicals. The goal of this article is teach you about washing fat cells.

There are 2 kinds of toxins:

• Water-soluble toxins dissolve quickly in water, like salt.
• Fat-soluble toxins can include preservatives, pesticides, heavy metals, additives in food, plastics, pollution and chemicals in our environment, for instance.

Water-soluble toxins are quickly cleaned out of our bodies through our blood and kidneys. Fat-soluble toxins are converted into water-soluble toxins when they are passed through our liver.

Signs of an Overloaded Lymphatic System

When our bodies are overloaded with toxins our lymphatic system can get all gunked up and that is when we can experience the following symptoms:

• Acid reflux
• Allergies
• Back pain
• Bloating
• Blurred vision
• Central nervous system disorders
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Extra weight around our tummies
• Headaches
• Hypersentivities
• Joint pain and stiffness
• Low energy
• Low testosterone in men
• Memory loss
• Rashes, irritations and itchy skin
• Stiff joints
• Swelling in our hands and feet

Keeping Your Liver Healthy

Our liver makes bile. Bile is a green-yellowish fluid that is stored in our gallbladder. Bile is used to eliminate certain toxins, old red blood cells and digest fats. When our liver accepts food from the lymphatic system it decides which fats are good or bad. Good fats are converted into cell membranes, cholesterol, skins cells, brain cells and hormones. Bad fats or toxins are eliminated along with the bile and insoluble fiber when we have a bowel movement. This is why it is so important to eat your vegetables and other high in fiber foods.

When we have too many toxins in our bodies and the lymphatic system is not working right the unhealthy fats and toxins may return to the liver again. This makes the liver create a thicker bile and dump the fat-soluble toxins into our blood stream which stores them into our fat cells. This process is called a toxicity cycle and can lead to cell damage, cancer, premature aging and diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

One way to protect our liver is to eat foods high in antioxidants. Our bodies cannot create certain micronutrients that are found in antioxidants so we must make sure we are getting them through diet, and if needed, supplementation.

• Vitamin E
  found in nuts, seeds, vegetables, fish, whole grains, fortified cereals and apricots
• Vitamin C
  found in citrus fruits and juice, green peppers, cabbage, spinach, broccoli, kale, cantaloupe, kiwi, and strawberries
• Beta-carotene
  found in liver, egg yolk, milk, butter, spinach, carrots, squash, broccoli, yams, tomatoes, cantaloupe, peaches and grains

Exercise is important to keep our muscles working at optimum and to burn off excess fat and energy but it can also cause our bodies to use up more of the micronutrients we need to be healthy. This is why what we eat, how much we eat and how much we move all work together to either knock us off or keep us on our path toward wellness.

Cleaning Our Fat Cells

Flushing the toxins out of our bodies will help us live a live of wellness. Here are ways to help you clean your fat cells:

• Detox
  There are many philosophies of how to do this properly and this article is not going to be long enough for all of them, however the best lifestyle rule is to choose healthy products. Whether you are choosing personal care products, cleaning products, what you are wearing on your body, cooking and eating utensils and most importantly your food, try to always get the best you can afford. When you can, strive to surround and nourish yourself with organic and chemical free items.
• Move
  Find a workout regime that works for you. Park your car farther away from where you are going and get a few extra steps in. Work in your garden. Give your housekeeper an extra day off. Play! Sweating helps your body get rid of toxins through your skin and movement also stimulates your lymphatic and cardiovascular systems; healthy lymphatic and cardiovascular systems will help you have regular bowel movements.
• Relax
  Get enough sleep. Try yoga or massage. Listen to music. Daily exercise is a great way to burn off the built up toxins in our bodies because it helps our bodies get rid of extra cortisol in our muscles that is caused by high anxiety moments. Stress causes inflammation and stops our bodies from working correctly so make time to release the built up tension in your body everyday.
• Drink Water
  Drinking plenty of good water, like natural spring water or at least filtered drinking water helps flush our system of toxins, it also keeps our skin moist and lubricates our joints. My personal rule regarding water is to try as hard as you can to drink 1 liter of water for every 100 lbs you weigh.If you drink a lot of coffee or soda, try to swap one for water to make up for the dehydration they cause in our bodies. I limit myself to one coffee per day or less (lately I have about 2 a week). My favorite is a 16 oz Iced Cubano Americano with Hemp Milk at ZoJo Coffee Roasters. Basically it is 1 tsp of raw sugar infused with two shots of espresso and water with a little hemp milk added…low in sugar and added fats I don’t need.I gave up soda years ago because it upsets my stomach. Karen used to drink a couple 6 packs of Coke per day but through great dedication she usually only has a 20 oz bottle when the Seattle Seahawks play…she also drinks more water than ever.If it is the only thing you do, drink your water, but if you can’t live without your caffeine try adding green tea to your diet. Green tea has compounds in it that stimulate your metabolism and promote healthy cells.
• Eat Well
  EAT YOUR VEGGIES and other foods high in dietary fiber.
  Avoid junk food, fast food, potato chips and candy bars. Karen and I have found that if we commit to having a “treat” only on the weekend we don’t feel deprived and we tend to crave less when we are “allowed” to have it.

  Foods that will help you detox: chia seeds, pumpkin or squash seeds, daikon (a member of the radish family), quinoa and oatmeal.

  Pay attention to the foods that cause you to feel less than your best and avoid them. This used to be a frustrating problem, but now our grocery stores are full of so many kinds of foods. I try to look at it as how many different foods I CAN eat to feel healthy and not at foods I can’t eat.

  In the last 5 years I have found that Nightshades cause acid reflux and inflammation in my stomach so I have learned to use other spices, fruits and vegetables in my cooking. My body does not respond well to canola oil so I use avocado oil, coconut oil and olive oil instead. Legumes are not my body’s favorite either, but I have found that certain beans don’t bother me as much. We eat black beans in our house because they seem to not bother me as much as kidney beans…which I try to avoid at all cost. I drink almond milk instead of cow’s milk because I don’t want to give up yogurt, cheese, butter and occasional ice cream, but I do know that dairy causes our bodies to create more mucus and my allergies don’t need any encouragement. I also limit my citrus fruit because it causes inflammation in my esophagus but Karen loves her oranges and tomatoes which doesn’t bother me because I could eat cabbage salad everyday and she doesn’t prefer that at all!

Sum it Up

I know I have given you a lot of information in this article. Keep in mind that living a life of wellness is a journey. No one is expecting perfection. I just want to encourage you to incorporate good information into your lifestyle change. It is impossible to cut out all food types and be successful; it is ok to spurge occasionally but let your food journal help you evaluate how often you are eating foods that should be a treat. Don’t beat yourself up if you lose your mind and eat too much but use the truth about it help you to start again tomorrow. If you can revel in the fact that eating a diet that is rich in vegetable and fruits helps you feel better, move better and be more positive it is not a chore. You might not like running to the bathroom more often when you increase your water intake, but give it a week or so and your bladder will learn to accommodate you better and your joints and skin will feel better and you will have peace of mind in knowing that you are flushing those fat cells!

…I know in the last article I told you that I was writing a 3 part series but when Karen saw how positively people were responding to the topic that she requested one more…So I hope you look forward to 4 part of our series on Fat Cells.

I hope this article helps Fuel Your Wellness. Please leave your comments below.

Read all articles in the series:

• Fat Cells 101: The Basics
• Fat Cells 200: How Our Bodies Use Fat
• Fat Cells 300: Washing Fat Cells
• Fat Cells 405: Fat Cells and Eating Disorders
• Related Article: Knowing When To Detox or Not To Detox…

Resources & Start Learning More at:

Summer D Clemenson co-owns Clemenson Enterprises and Wellness Works NW with her wife, Karen G Clemenson. Their personal motto is Creativity, Honesty & Positivity are a must! This mantra helps them stay community and wellness minded in all they do. Summer also writes poetry and inspirational blogs @ ClemensonEnterprises.com. Her crochet art can be viewed and purchased @ KnottyWares.com & she loves special orders!

Please leave your comments below!