Why I don't believe in "detoxes"
And you shouldn't either...
- Written by Shani Kaplan
It’s begun. An influx of yet another year of new blog/ Facebook or Instagram posts with the same old detox plan and ‘best ways to detox’. I can’t help but shudder. The content is just riddled with guilt to try and catch you at your most vulnerable point. And the new year is particularly filled with these. 'Work off the calories', 'cleanse out the naughty foods'. Don’t get me wrong, I have been sucked into the marketing ploys over the years. I have partaken in a couple of juice cleanses (the last one put me off juice for about a year) and other styles of cleanses a handful of times. But in the past 5 years I have had a major shift in how I look at this sort of content.
Whilst there is absolutely nothing wrong with altering your diet to ensure you are getting the most nutritious foods in and limiting the number of chocolates and biscuits you munch on throughout the day, the idea of drinking my way through 5 bottles of “health” equalling to only around 800-1200 calories a day makes me feel physically ill.
A common misconception is that detoxes mean weight loss, but in actuality, it is the extreme limit of energy intake that causes this. Skipping out on solid foods or ingesting an overload of the good stuff won’t have any detoxifying effects on the body. Instead, there is a much more achievable and maintainable way by making lifestyle choices with a wholefood-based diet and portion control. And isn’t this a better approach than being taught to work off, or starve off your 'sins'?
Most importantly, science says we don’t need to detox. There is absolutely no evidence that a detox has any benefits or ‘works’. Our bodies are very smart and very capable of doing that themselves. Our body defends against toxins and substances through our skin, gastrointestinal and lymphatic systems, our kidneys and liver. So, if you have had a string of social events (who hasn’t?) this Christmas period, don’t stress, your body can handle it.
That is not to say that in some circumstances, such as a long bout of medication, or in some medical instances, we may need stronger medical intervention (mind you- not meaning a quick fix home detox). But if you are in a typical post-Christmas slump, your body will react quickly to all the quality, nutritious foods you choose to feed it from now and will bounce back. Focus on aiming for a diet that is high in fresh whole foods, water, not too many processed foods, alcohol, and cigarettes.
Most importantly, science says we don’t need to detox. There is absolutely no evidence that a detox has any benefits or ‘works’. Our bodies are very smart and very capable of doing that themselves. Our body defends against toxins and substances through our skin, gastrointestinal and lymphatic systems, our kidneys and liver. So, if you have had a string of social events (who hasn’t?) this Christmas period, don’t stress, your body can handle it.
That is not to say that in some circumstances, such as a long bout of medication, or in some medical instances, we may need stronger medical intervention (mind you- not meaning a quick fix home detox). But if you are in a typical post-Christmas slump, your body will react quickly to all the quality, nutritious foods you choose to feed it from now and will bounce back. Focus on aiming for a diet that is high in fresh whole foods, water, not too many processed foods, alcohol, and cigarettes.
Living in a developed country, we are already so lucky with the abundance of healthy, fresh foods at our fingertips. Why not utilise these? Most of the time a cleanse or detox is associated with regret or shame. “I can eat whatever I want this week because next week I am going starting my juice detox”. In my opinion, this only exacerbates the urge to binge and sets you up for a disastrous relationship with food. Why not treat yourself (mindfully) by eating the foods you enjoy in moderate amounts and balance that with eating an abundance of the good stuff! And if you overindulge, stop overthinking it and move on with lots of water, sleep, colourful vegetables, protein, good fats and herbal teas. Keep it simple!
Interesting to note- there are some widely studied foods that can improve the functioning of your liver. Milk thistle [2], and turmeric [3] are two notable ones that have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that can reduce inflammation.
Don’t get confused though, these do not detox, but instead assist the liver if it is already under stress.
Why not treat yourself (mindfully) by eating the foods you enjoy in moderate amounts and balance that with eating an abundance of the good stuff! And if you overindulge, stop overthinking it and move on with lots of water, sleep, colourful vegetables, protein, good fats and herbal teas. Keep it simple!
Shani Kaplan
Shani Kaplan is a contributing writer for Truth Origins. She combines her knowledge gained from working within the fitness/wellness industry in Sydney and London for the last seven years as a Personal Trainer, and class instructor, with her addiction to research due to her BA in Business Marketing. Shani loves martial arts, resistance training, dance and yoga, nutrition, travel, design, photography, and art.
References
[1] Federico, A.; Dallio, M.; Loguercio, C. (2017) Silymarin/Silybin and Chronic Liver Disease: A Marriage of Many Years. Molecules , Available at; https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/22/2/191 . Accessed: 06 January 2020
[2] Gupta, S.C., Sung, B., Kim, J.H., Prasad, S., Li, S. and Aggarwal, B.B. (2013), Multitargeting by turmeric, the golden spice: From kitchen to clinic. Mol. Nutr. Food Res., 57: 1510-1528. doi:10.1002/mnfr.201100741. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/mnfr.201100741 Accessed: 06 January 2020
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