Let’s face it: We live in a toxic world. Eating well and organic when possible helps, but it is not enough. The key is to make small changes in your daily routine that help to lessen the toxic load you are facing or help your body effectively deal with it.

Here are five simple, effective daily changes that make a big difference.

1. Add plants to your home or workplace. Spider plants, aloe, Gerber daisies and chrysanthemum plants filter toxins from the air and add oxygen to indoor air.

2. Ladies, stop wearing bras that are too tight. Apart from being uncomfortable, bras that are too tight restrict lymphatic drainage (an elimination channel) in the chest and under the arms, which can lead to toxin accumulation.

3. Saunas, Epsom salt baths and exercise are great for sweating out unwanted toxins. The skin is the largest organ of your body because of its size and area. In fact, the skin eliminates more cellular waste than the colon and kidneys combined. Getting your daily sweat on is one of the best things you can do to detoxify.

4. Now that we know that the skin is your largest organ of elimination, perhaps it is time to consider what you put on it. The shampoo, conditioner, hair-spray, body lotion, make-up and other beauty products that you may use every single day are one of the largest sources of toxic exposure. Check out the Skin Deep database which shows you what is hidden in your beauty products and their risk factor.

5. It may not be sexy but one of the best things you can for your health is up your fibre intake. While it is recommended to consume 30 to 40 grams of fibre per day for optimal health, the average person in Canada gets less than 15 grams! Over time, a diet low in fibre can lead to a build-up of undigested food in the intestinal tract and colon; the build-up ferments, putrefies and becomes toxic. These toxins seep into the bloodstream and lead to poor health and chronic disease. Think of fibre like a sponge that scrubs the intestinal tract clean and absorbs the toxins within.

Some toxic facts

• There are between 300 and 500 chemicals in the average person’s body that were not present before 1920.

• There are more than 75,000 synthetic chemicals on the market today and each year thousands more are introduced.

• Every second 310 kg of toxic chemicals are released into our air, land, and water by industrial facilities around the world. This amounts to approximately 10 million tons each year. Of these, over 2 million tons are recognized carcinogens.