Mold is a common fungus that can be found almost anywhere, both indoors and outdoors. It thrives in moist or humid environments, such as basements and garages.
When mold builds up in homes and other buildings, it can become a significant problem. Molds can produce allergens and toxins, potentially causing health problems like allergic reactions and more serious respiratory illnesses.
A person can become sick with mold-related illnesses after exposure to molds and mycotoxins by breathing them in, ingesting them, or through skin contact. Prolonged exposure to molds and mycotoxins can cause Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS). CIRS is a multi-system, multi-symptom illness caused by exposure and build-up of mold toxins.
The liver, kidneys, and gut microbiome are the body’s main detox pathways for handling toxins like mold and mycotoxins. When exposure to toxins is continuous or prolonged, these detox pathways can become overburdened.
A healthy diet can support these organs. Antifungal and detox-supporting foods help strengthen the immune system and promote the body’s natural ability to detoxify and heal.
Certain foods have naturally-occurring antifungal properties which help neutralize and restore the balance of healthy microbes in the gut. Antifungal foods like garlic, onion, and cruciferous vegetables are rich in sulfur compounds, which support the liver process and eliminate toxins.
Sulfur-rich foods like garlic and onions, support the liver’s production of glutathione to help flush out toxins. Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant produced in the liver that is crucial to detoxification and immune health. Studies show that mold and mycotoxins can cause a deficiency in glutathione, so consuming high-sulfur foods can help restore this important antioxidant.
Try to include 1 or more servings of garlic and onion a day when detoxing from mold. If you feel worse eating sulfur-rich foods you may have a mycotoxin that causes the body to react to sulfur. In this case, it is best to get help from a mold-certified doctor.
Cruciferous veggies contain sulforaphane. Sulforaphane is a powerful phytochemical that is rich in sulfur and has various protective benefits. It is known for its detoxifying effects and its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties.
Sulforaphane stimulates the anti-inflammatory signaling pathway, NrF2. The NrF2 pathway signals the DNA to produce more antioxidants, including glutathione, which is crucial for detox.
Consuming cruciferous vegetables activates sulforaphane and other antioxidants that support the liver and kidneys to enhance detoxification.
Consuming cruciferous vegetables regularly can support your body’s natural detox systems and offer protective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Strive for 3 to 4 servings of cruciferous a day, such as:
If you have hypothyroidism make sure to cook your cruciferous vegetables as they are known as goitrogens and may impede thyroid function if eaten raw.
Consuming coconut oil and its derivative, MCT oil (Medium-Chain Triglyceride) can be beneficial when dealing with mold toxicity due to their natural antifungal properties that can inhibit mold growth.
One of the main fatty acids in coconut oil is caprylic acid, which is highly anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal. Studies show caprylic acid is highly effective at destroying various fungi including molds and yeasts.
Caprylic acid kills molds and yeasts by penetrating their cell walls, disrupting the cell membrane, and inhibiting its growth.
Consuming coconut oil may also help combat the effects of mold exposure by supporting a healthy gut microbiome. The caprylic acid in coconut oils helps prevent the overgrowth of fungi from living and growing in your intestines while keeping beneficial bacteria intact and thriving.
Try consuming 1 to 2 servings a day to help combat mold toxicity.
Dark, leafy greens, like spinach, kale, and arugula have antifungal and alkaline properties that can aid in mold detoxification by neutralizing and inhibiting mold growth. They also contain vital nutrients that support immune health.
A key compound in leafy greens is chlorophyll. Chlorophyll gives plants their green color, but it also has a high alkaline content that helps keep the pH level of the body balanced. This makes it inhospitable for fungi to thrive.
Chlorophyll also protects DNA from damage from mold.
Leafy greens are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, like vitamin A, B vitamins, especially folate, and vitamin C. They’re rich in minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, all of which support the liver, help strengthen the immune system and protect against mold toxicity.
You can naturally flush out mold toxins and inhibit mold growth by incorporating 2 or more servings of leafy greens into your daily diet.
Many herbs and spices are well-known for having potent anti-fungal and immune-boosting properties. Herbs and spices enhance detoxification by supporting liver function through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, aiding in digestion, and promoting the elimination of toxins through mechanisms like increased bile production and diuretic effects.
Herbs and spices that are effective for eliminating mold include:
Incorporating herbs and spices into your cooking regularly is a good way to naturally fight off mold, reduce inflammation, and support the immune system.
Proper hydration is foundational to detoxification and elimination of toxins and other waste. Hydrating through water, other liquids, and hydrating foods plays an important role in supporting the body’s detox system by:
Detoxifying foods that support the liver and kidneys include:
Stay hydrated by drinking water throughout the day and including hydrating foods in your daily food intake.
Foods high in fiber play an important role in removing toxins from the body. Fiber prevents toxins from being reabsorbed into the body by acting as a binder. It traps toxins and carries them through the digestive system to be eliminated through waste.
Fiber supports detoxification and gut health by promoting regular bowel movements. It is also an important food source for the microbes that make up the gut microbiome, helping with the overall health of the digestive system.
Fiber-rich foods that support detoxification include:
Strive for 35 grams of fiber per day, especially if you are detoxing from mold.
Fermented and probiotic foods support a healthy gut by supplying the gut with beneficial microbes and increasing the diversity and balance of microbes. These microbes support the gut in various ways:
A healthy microbiome is crucial to proper mold detox. If the gut microbiome is healthy, certain microbes possess enzymes that can break down mold toxins to be less harmful. Other gut microbes bind to mold toxins, trapping them and eliminating them through waste.
Fermented and probiotic foods that enhance gut health and support detoxification include:
Sugar and processed junk foods are highly inflammatory and should be avoided during mold detox.
Sugar also feeds harmful mold and yeasts, like candida in the body. Sugar can fuel the growth of problematic fungi, worsening toxicity and causing more inflammation.
There is no room for sugar and processed foods when supporting a healthy immune response.
Certain foods are prone to mold contamination, especially mycotoxins, which are poisonous. Symptoms of mold toxicity can become exacerbated if mold-prone foods are regularly consumed.
If you are detoxing from mold, avoid the following mold-prone foods:
Gluten and dairy are known to be inflammatory foods that can worsen an inflammatory mold condition.
Gluten can trigger an inflammatory response, causing an erosion of the gut lining and disrupting the balance of healthy microbes in the gut. Gluten can worsen symptoms in an individual with mold toxicity.
In addition to gluten being inflammatory, the grains used to make gluten products, like bread and cereals, are also prone to mold contamination, which can heighten the inflammatory response from consuming such products.
Dairy has been shown to trigger a histamine response and an increase in inflammation, especially in those who are already inflamed because of mold exposure. In some people, dairy also causes a deterioration of the gut lining, leaving the immune system vulnerable.
Grain-fed animals that produce dairy can become contaminated with mold and mycotoxins through contaminated grain feed. They then pass the toxins via dairy products to consumers.
It is advisable to avoid both gluten and dairy to mitigate gut health issues during mold detox and to reduce the risk of adding to the inflammatory burden.
Supplements like binders, glutathione, and probiotics are natural ways to support your natural detox pathways like the liver, kidneys, and digestive system to help you in your mold detox.
As with any supplement, be sure to work with your practitioner to ensure you are using the supplements that will support your individual needs the best.
Activated Charcoal & Bentonite Clay are used as binders to absorb and trap mold toxins, including mycotoxins, in the body. These supplements can facilitate the elimination of toxins through the digestive process. With that being said, you must take these items at the proper time in your mold protocol, as sometimes it can actually make you feel worse especially if you are constipated, or lean toward constipation. This is what our doctors would guide you through.
Glutathione and NAC are 2 potent antioxidants that can play a crucial role in eliminating toxins from the body. Glutathione is an antioxidant naturally produced by the liver, while NAC is a precursor to glutathione, produced from the amino acid cysteine. Both are naturally produced in the body and also available in supplement form.
Glutathione is considered “the master detoxifier”. If glutathione is deficient, the body cannot properly detoxify toxins. Glutathione and NAC bind to toxins and neutralize them for elimination.
Supplementing with these antioxidants has the following liver-supporting benefits when it comes to mold detox:
Probiotics and prebiotics support the microbiome’s role in mold detoxification. They help restore gut imbalances, reduce inflammation, and improve immunity.
Probiotics are beneficial microbes that support digestive health. They are a natural part of our digestive system. We can replenish them through food or supplements.
Prebiotics are food sources that feed the gut bacteria and promote a healthy gut microbiome by keeping microbes healthy and thriving. Prebiotics can be obtained through eating fibrous foods, like vegetables, fruits, and seeds, and also through supplementation.
Mold toxins can destroy beneficial microbes and disrupt the balance of gut bacteria, leading to a weakened immune system and a variety of health complications. Probiotic supplementation has been shown to increase the population of healthy bacteria and restore the balance of microbes to the gut microbiome.
A healthy gut is crucial to a strong immune system and proper digestion. Probiotics and prebiotics are proven useful tools for repopulating gut microbes and restoring gut health after mold exposure.
The focus of a mold detox diet is on cutting out foods that are prone to mold growth or contain mycotoxins, and bringing in foods that bind to and eliminate mold, reduce inflammation, and boost immunity. Adopting a low-mold diet can help support your body’s natural detox pathways and alleviate symptoms.
When transitioning to a low-mold diet, it can help to think about crowding out the foods contributing to your toxic burden and replacing them with immune-boosting foods. Look at your current food intake and identify foods to eliminate, such as:
Assess your intake of healing foods, such as:
How can you adjust your current dietary intake to replace the mold-prone foods with the mold-detox foods?
When creating a meal plan for mold detox, consider the dietary guidelines to follow:
Your grocery list should include a rainbow of foods, including:
Avoid the following:
Proper hydration is a cornerstone for supporting detoxification from mold. Dehydration can worsen symptoms and cause health complications from detoxification. Hydration helps support detox pathways by:
You can stay hydrated by drinking water, herbal teas, and eating fresh fruits and vegetables.
Herbal teas offer extra support to the detox process through their high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. Herbal teas support liver and kidney function through the detoxification process. You should also tell your doctor what herbal teas you drink as they can interact with medications and supplements.
The time it takes to detox from mold depends on an individual’s health and the severity of exposure. Some people may see improved symptoms within a few days of starting natural treatments. For others, it could take a few weeks to months if exposure was severe or prolonged. Naturopathic treatments for mold exposure are effective and long-lasting. 
Signs that mold organisms are being properly detoxed from the body may include what is known as a die-off reaction. Die-off symptoms can feel like a worsening of symptoms, and often feel flu-like in nature, such as body aches and fatigue. These symptoms can indicate that treatment is effective and getting to the root cause. The doctors will do their best to go slow and have a strategic approach to reduce these reactions as much as possible.
Probiotics aid in the removal of mold from the body by taking hold of the mold and neutralizing its toxic structure. They create an inhospitable environment for mold so the mold cannot grow. The use of probiotics supports gut health, which can help remove mold from the body.
The types of foods we consume can have a huge impact on our ability to successfully detox from mold-related illness.
A diet that is diverse, clean, and nutrient-dense can help alleviate symptoms of mold illness and detox the body of harmful mold fungi. A variety of healthy nutrients will help support the body’s natural detox pathways, strengthen the immune system and promote detoxification to overcome the effects of mold-related illness.
The doctors at Naturally Sue Wellness are mold-literate professionals with expertise in mold detoxification. With our guidance, patients experience long-term recovery from toxic mold illness. Our patients benefit from our years of experience and recommendations of top-notch mold professionals.
Contact us for your personalized plan and start healing now.
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