You’ve all heard the saying “you are what you eat”. But have you thought about what it means? Basically the cells in your body are constantly renewing themselves and they can only do this effectively if you feed them the right nutrients.
Food is simply the vessel that transports the nutrients to the body.
Nutrient poor food = poor cell regeneration which means deterioration of health in later life.
Some of your body parts are just a few weeks, even days, old.
LIVER AGE: 5 MONTHS
The liver has such a rich blood supply that It can actually regrow itself so it can continue with its main job of flushing toxins out of the body.
Heavy drinkers can sometimes improve the state of their liver because liver cells only have a life span of around 150 days. However once cirrhosis sets in this is no longer possible and can be fatal.
‘I can take 70 per cent of a person’s liver away in an operation and around 90 per cent of it will grow back within two months,’ explains David Lloyd, consultant liver surgeon at Leicester Royal Infirmary.
TASTE BUDS AGE: 10 DAYS
A lot of my clients tell me they can taste a big difference in their food after the first few weeks of changing their eating habits. Smoking, coffee and alcohol can contribute to dulling of the taste buds, as well as just not eating the proper nutrients to grow ones that work properly!
Anything that causes inflammation can also deaden the cells on the tongue (and elsewhere in the body) so gluten, sugar, fatty foods and dairy will all contribute to substandard cell renewal.
HEART AGE: 20 YEARS
Until recently it was thought the heart couldn’t renew itself. However, a study at New York Medical College found it is actually dotted with stem cells that constantly rejuvenate it – at least three or four times over a lifetime.
This is great because you can change your eating habits now, and regrow healthy heart cells! You’re body strives to be in optimum health, it gives you chance after chance….but don’t leave it too long. It won’t wait forever.
LUNGS AGE: 2-3 WEEKS
The cells in the lungs constantly renew themselves.
However, the lungs contain different cells that renew at different rates. The alveoli or air sac cells – needed for the exchange of oxygen and gases – deep in the lungs have a steady progress of regeneration that takes about a year.
Meanwhile, the cells on the lung’s surface have to renew every two or three weeks.
I client of mine started her detox 2 weeks ago. She’d been suffering with severe, painful chest congestion for a long time, even having to resort to antibiotics. Within 2 weeks she’s noticed that her chest is much clearer. This is because we’ve removed elements which cause chest problems and replaced them with tonnes of nutrients so her cells are growing back and repairing themselves, as well as clearing out mucus.
SKIN AGE: 2-4 WEEKS
The epidermis or surface layer of the skin is renewed every two to four weeks.
This rapid turnover occurs because skin is the body’s outer protection and is exposed to injury as well as pollution.
Another common observation by my clients is how great their skin looks after a few weeks. Skin needs certain vitamins and minerals to renew looking dewy, smooth and blemish free. Feed well and look fabulous, daaahhhling! 😘
BONES AGED: 10 YEARS
The skeleton is constantly replacing itself, this takes around 10 years.
Old bone is broken down by cells called osteoclasts and replaced by bone-building cells known as osteoblasts.
At any one time we have a mixture of old and new bone as the turnover rates differ throughout the body.
But when we hit middle age this renewal process slows down, so if you’ve had a diet full of inflammatory foods like sugar, processed foods, preservatives, colourings, lots of meat, dairy and gluten you’re at greater risk of osteoporosis. This is because inflammatory foods leach calcium and other minerals from your bones in order to maintain an alkaline balance.
INTESTINES AGE: 2-3 DAYS
OUR intestines are lined with cells known as villi – these are tiny, finger-like branches that increase the surface area and help the intestine to absorb nutrients.
They have a very high turnover rate and can be replaced every two to three days.
This is because they are constantly exposed to chemicals such as highly corrosive stomach acid that breaks down food, so they’re constantly under attack.
The intestine is protected by a layer of mucus so regenerates over a couple of weeks. This is why my clients on detox for IBS notice an 80 – 100% decrease in their symptoms by day 14.
How awesome is your body? The great thing is that your body will repair itself from the very second you give it the opportunity.
