The phrase “toxins in food” has been thrown around a lot but what does it mean exactly?

Toxins are anything that gets in the way of our body’s ability to function properly. When there are too many toxins in our body, our liver that is one of the main organs which is in charge of the detoxification process will become weighed down, which increases the risk of diseases such as inflammatory disease or cancer.

While we cannot totally eliminate toxins from our food, we can take active tips to lower the amount of toxins in our food. Here are a few tips to avoid unnecessary toxins and for a healthier living and eating:

Food products you can choose:

• Organically grown 
• Non-GMO
• No synthetic dyes or additives 
• Grass-fed, lean meats 
• Wild-caught fish 
• Expeller-pressed, unrefined oils 
• Filtered water which removes heavy metals, insecticides, antibiotics, from water 

Food packaging, look out for:

• Whole foods without any packaging 
• No plastic casing 
• No Aluminium or metal cans (BPA)
• No cellophane or aluminium foil 
• Glass preferred 

Food preparation, opt for:

• Slow, low-heat cooking 
• No deep frying 
• No significant browning 
• Use intact cookware without scuffs
• Choose non-toxic pans, pots, skillets 
• No high heat cooking

With these things to look out for, it goes to show how easy it is to minimise exposure to harmful chemicals and ingredients. One golden rule is to stick to whole foods (single ingredient, i.e. fruit, vegetables, grains, meat) when you can.