Toxins are an unfortunate part of our daily reality. We absorb them, ingest them, breathe them and sometimes create them ourselves. Pollutants in our air and water, along with contaminants and chemicals in our foods, are continually being absorbed by our bodies.

In addition to the toxins that we don’t choose, are the ones we do choose: Chemical-laden cosmetic and beauty products, toxic cleaning products and fragrances are a few that many of us have come to accept as necessary evils.

Compounding the problem, our bodies produce toxins all on their own, as natural by-products of metabolic processes and healing processes like fighting infections.

All of this creates a toxic “load” or “burden” that our bodies carry, day in and day out. It’s impossible to say how many common ailments like headaches are related to that toxic load. Maintaining good habits that help our bodies to continually process and move toxins out is a smart choice for all of us. At times, our bodies may need a little extra help.

Dramatic detox regimens—often supported by expensive supplements, prescription diets and more—have been popular (even trendy) in recent years. Such regimens may be a good idea, but my personal bias is to build easy detox strategies into my normal routines, in addition to making choices to limit the toxic burden my body faces.

Detox Strategies

Luckily, our bodies have the capacity to rid themselves of toxins under normal circumstances and optimum health conditions. Sometimes, the burden is too great. Most of us can benefit from a little detox help. Here are a few simple detox strategies to incorporate into your regular routines.

Eat plenty of fiber.  Fiber carries toxins out of the body, acting like little brooms sweeping the gut clean. This is a good thing. Eat most of your fruits and vegetables raw. Include ground flax daily in smoothies, on salads or stirred into cooked oatmeal. While you’re chewing on those fiber-rich foods (the more chewing, the better), visualize those happy little brooms dancing through your digestive system.

Take an Epsom salts bath, or even a foot soak. Twenty minutes in a hot bath with two or three cups of Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) is all it takes to draw toxins out of your body. Magnesium soothes aching muscles, has a relaxing effect and your skin will appreciate it, too. If you don’t have Epsom salts, use sea salt. Add a few drops of lavender essential oil for a relaxing escape.

Add a squeeze of fresh, organic lemon to your water. Lemons are a gentle diuretic and will help flush toxins out of the body. Although they’re an acidic fruit, lemon juice contributes to an alkaline pH in the body

Drink a lot of water, and make sure it’s pure. Drinking two quarts of water a day should be your goal, and this means water–not tea, juice or other beverages. If you’re on a municipal water system, be aware that your water probably contains fluoride and other toxins. Filter it before drinking or cooking, using a good faucet-mounted filter, or a simple filtration pitcher.

Get plenty of sleep. Getting eight hours is a wonderful gift to your body and spirit. If you have trouble sleeping, make sure you avoid caffeine, sugar and chocolate. Try a cup of chamomile tea a couple of hours before bedtime; chamomile’s relaxing, calming properties will help you unwind and be ready for sleep.

Eat a diet rich in antioxidants. Green tea, garlic, and foods rich in vitamin C are among the best antioxidant foods to choose from. When the liver breaks down toxins in the blood, it creates free radicals, leading to cellular damage related to cancer, aging and many diseases. Antioxidants interact with free radicals, stopping them before cellular damage is done. Vitamin C detoxifies the liver by contributing to the production of glutathione, a liver compound that helps to rid the body of toxins.

Exercise, ideally at a level that builds up a sweat. Exercise improves circulation, which moves toxins through your tissues and into the liver and kidneys. Sweat carries toxins right out of the body. If you’re feeling crummy and exercising at that level isn’t possible, sweating in a sauna or even a hot bath will help. Remember, when you’re feeling crummy is exactly the time you should be thinking about ridding your body of toxins.

Breathe deeply. Conscious, deep breathing is one of the most powerful ways we can influence our health. Breathing deeply brings more oxygen into our bodies and carries toxins out. Taking a break now and then for a few minutes of slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing is not only deeply relaxing, but healing, too.

Drink detox tea. Herbs like nettle, dandelion, burdock, red raspberry and rosehips are naturally detoxifying in the body. I’ve been enjoying a beautiful detox tea blend from White Lily Botanicals, prepared by herbalist Rebecca Ross in Exeter, New Hampshire.

Brush your skin. With a soft, natural bristle brush, gently brush your dry skin with sweeping strokes moving toward the heart. Brushing promotes circulation and lymphatic drainage. This is one that I haven’t tried yet, but will be trying soon.

Lighten Your Toxic Load

Don’t underestimate the power of making healthy choices in the first place. Many of the chemicals in our bodies could have been avoided. Here are a few changes to lighten your toxic load.

Use natural, organic beauty products. Who would knowingly rub petrochemicals into her skin, or slather on toxic chemicals? One reference calculated that, throughout our lives, we rub on some 84,000 ounces of chemical-loaded lotions, shampoos and beauty treatments. If you wouldn’t eat it, don’t feed it to your skin; either way, your liver will have to deal with the toxins. Remember, your skin is your largest organ.

Protect yourself from stress. Cultivate positive emotions by making conscious choices. Of course, we can’t control all the factors that cause stress in our lives, but we can choose our response to each situation.

Eat fresh, whole organic food. Why consciously ingest toxic chemicals? If eating an all-organic diet isn’t possible for you, check out the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list of the fruits and vegetables most likely to carry pesticide residues and prioritize your shopping choices.

Don’t color your hair. Dark colored hair dyes are the most toxic, but all are harmful. More than 5,000 chemicals are used in hair dyes, many of which are carcinogenic in animal studies. Hair dyes have been associated with asthma and a variety of allergic responses. Consider natural options, like henna. Or, better still, learn to love your hair, whatever its natural color.

Use non-toxic cleaning products in your home. The ingredients in common household cleaning products, including laundry detergents, glass cleaners, bathroom cleaners, furniture polish and carpet shampoo are potent carcinogens, neurotoxins, mutagens and endocrine disrupters. Natural alternatives work. Do your health a favor and use them. Marketing ploys abound, disguising toxic products as healthy, so buyer beware.

Help me add to this list. How do you lighten your body’s toxic load? Do you have a favorite detox strategy of your own?