Tune Out Toxins and Toxicants

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Toxins is another key culprit in wreaking havoc on gut health. If ingested or inhaled, toxins can result in dysbiosis leading to leaky gut or intestinal permeability. The truth is that toxins are everywhere. We cannot completely avoid them.  However, there are a few areas where we can at least escape some of them.

First of all, let's look at the difference between the two words toxins and toxicants.  Toxins are poisonous substances that are naturally produced by plants,animals and insects. Toxicants are potentially poisonous and are either naturally produced or synthetically made.

The major areas we can decrease our ingestion, inhalation or application of toxins and toxicants are the following:

1. Food
2. Cooking ware
3. Beauty products
4. Household cleaning products
5. Dental care products

The following are a few companies that have certified determination of ingredients that are toxic and safe:


A good starting place is purchasing organic produce when you are able to.  The pesticides can really affect the gut lining.

While it is a great idea to swap out the current products you are using with toxic-free ingredients, it can be overwhelming.  Just change one product at a time and you will eventually have all the products that you can possibly exchange for toxic free before you know it.  Just have patience with this crucial area to help with enhancing your gut health.

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Reference: Assefa, S. & Kohler, G. (2020). Intestinal microbiome and metal toxicity. Current Opinion in Toxicology. 19, 21-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cotox.2019.09.009

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