Environmental Toxins Increase Our Needs for Vitamins and Minerals

Some foods increase our need for vitamins and minerals in order to process them. Sugars, processed and refined foods are examples of these. There are also occasions when we don't eat the right things - we only have to think about what we ate over festive seasons and holidays to realize that even the best of us will sometimes 'overindulge'. However, foods aren't the only substances that increase our body's needs for vitamins and mineral. There many toxic chemicals in our environment and these toxins place added stress on the body's need for vitamins and minerals.

Many things that you may take for granted and consider to be harmless can actually turn out to be very harmful indeed. The fact that many substances are permitted, in our food, in the home, in the atmosphere and on our skin, does not mean that they are harmless. There are many permitted food colors and additives, permitted medical drugs, permitted social and industrial practices that are not completely safe.

Toxins are any substances that are harmful to the body. The body sees toxins as poisons and that they need to be eliminated. To carry out the breakdown of the toxins and their elimination the body has to use energy and vitamin and mineral resources. The body finds some toxins more easily eliminated than others - some toxins stay in the body for very long periods of time and the body finds them difficult to get rid of. Heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium are examples of toxins that the body find difficult to eliminate. This means that they are stored in the body and particular the liver - where they cause damage and impair function.

Below is a list of toxins that the body encounters regularly - this list is by no means comprehensive. It is just a guide.

• Cigarette smoke - in rooms, elevators, cars or closed in spaces.
• Car, truck or plane exhaust fumes.
• Any high pollution areas, such as in factories.
• Dusty or dirty rooms or rooms where pets, that are likely to have fleas or worms, occupy.
• Air sprays and fresheners, hair spray, unnatural or spray deodorants.
• Pesticide sprays, garden and soil chemicals and fertilizers.
• Paint fumes or fumes from building materials such as, formaldehyde or creosote.
• Plastic household fixtures and appliances and storage containers. Plastic can be used for freezing but the food needs to be cooled before filling the containers. (Plastic molecules are able to transfer to the food if plastic is used for general storage.)
• Fumes from household cleansers, glues, marking pens and products like white-out used for paper mistakes.
• Chlorine is added to drinking water to control the bacterial levels. However chlorine is a toxin and causes many problems for the body.
• Lead can leach into our water from the underground pipes.
• Nitrates that usually originate from pesticides are also in the water supply.
• Household chemicals and cleaners.
• Pesticides used in and around the home.
• Chemical gases released from synthetic floor coverings, furnishings and building materials.
• Gas appliances, insulation materials, dust, home and office equipment.
• The newer your home and its furnishings the more likely it is that your pollution levels will be higher. The potential problem areas include:
• o Roofing timbers - these have been treated with toxic fluids or insulated with unhealthy material.
• o Cavity walls could have been injected with insulating foam which emits formaldehyde.
• o Paints release solvents like toluene, xylene and benzene which are all potentially toxic. The paint could also contain mercury (which can cause brain damage) as well as a fungicide.
• o Wall to wall synthetic carpeting, as well as its backing and padding can also emit toxins such as benzene, formaldehyde, toluene, zylene and styrene.
• o Furniture coverings and curtains made from synthetic fibres can emit chemicals such as vinyl chloride, styrene and formaldehyde.

All of these are before we consider the problems associated with any drugs or medications that we take or cosmetics and personal hygiene products that we use - I hope that you are not too overwhelmed! From the list you can see that our world is in need of a good clean up. All of these toxins add to our need for vitamins and minerals. Medications also greatly deplete many vitamins and minerals. If you take any medications then you will need multivitamin and mineral supplementation. Some medications can have a drastic impact on the body's nutrients. If you do take medications you need to talk to your health professional about using vitamins - because there are interactions with medications.

It is no wonder that we are in need of cleansing. If you are like most people you will have been exposed to many toxins all your life. You body will have been doing battle with them for a long time and it may not be winning the battle - especially if you are not getting sufficient vitamins and minerals.

The body also has increased needs for vitamin and mineral demands because of pregnancy, child birth or nursing a baby. Athletes who want to be sure that the body is performing at its most efficient level will also require addition nutrition.

If you live in the modern toxic world you need to have additional multivitamin and mineral support.

Discover more about toxins, their affect on your body and how to how to properly cleanse internally to gain and maintain your health. Get your copy of Safe Colon Cleansing: Your Good Health Guide and begin now. Then get on with really enjoying life.

Dr Jenny Tylee is an experienced health professional who is passionate about health and wellbeing. She believes that health is not just absence of disease and seeks to actively promote vitality and wellness through empowering others. She encourages people to improve their health by quit smoking, cleansing their body, taking essential vitamin and mineral supplement and many other methods, including herbal remedies.

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