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Why Detoxes Don't Work!
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New Year New DETOX!!
It can be tempting to try a detox or cleanse this time of year. After the excesses of Christmas and New Year celebrations. with so much food and alcohol, you might be feeling tired and bloated, and you may be carrying a few extra pounds. Flushing out toxins and feeling renewed and refreshed sounds so appealing. But science says your body is perfectly able to rid itself of toxins—your liver, kidneys, and digestive tract can do the job!
Toxin is a strong term, and if you really needed to detoxify, you should probably be in a hospital! The better concept is hitting the reset button and cleaning up your diet, without going to extremes.
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Here’s what you need to know before you start starving yourself. Plus, the healthier way to help your body bounce back after the festive season.
Why Detoxes Don’t Work
At the extreme, detox diets tell you to drink liquids only for days or even weeks. That might mean copious amounts of apple cider vinegar, green smoothies, a rainbow of juices, or special weight loss coffees and teas” (which may hide laxatives). Some programs also tell you to buy pricey supplements too!
Technically, toxins are always hanging out in your body. You’re exposed to chemicals and bacteria from the food you eat, but also the air and environment, all of the time and your body naturally defends itself. After Christmas & New Year, you may have more alcohol and sugar, and if you’ve been flying or skiing, you may simply be dehydrated. So it’s great to drink plenty of fluids to rehydrate!
If you exclusively drink liquid for a series of days, you’re just going to lose water and muscle. The second you start eating food again, you’ll gain the weight back. You’re putting stress on your body and it thinks you’re starving in the desert! And it will hold onto every morsel.
Another misconception is “sweating out” toxins. You only lose a trace amount of toxins through your skin, meaning a tiny bit. But if you’re doing a juice cleanse, the sauna or treadmill might actually be unsafe. I tell my patients “You’re starving in the desert, and now you’re being chased by a lion! That’s hard on your body,” when it comes to silly detoxes!
How to Recover the Healthy Way
Rather than worrying about toxins, there are better ways to help your body recover in the new year. “Hit the reset button and don’t call it a detox. Let’s just call it clean eating.”
It’s not about starvation. Don’t deprive yourself! Even if you cut calories, continue to eat real food and have high protein snacks or fruit if you really are physically hungry. Sometimes we’re not hungry but thirsty so try a glass of water before you head for the snacks.
Two days is enough. There’s nothing wrong with eating light for a couple of days, but a weekend is all you need. Reset, reflect, and practice healthy habits you can maintain all year.
Just eat clean.
- Take a break from alcohol.
- Cut out processed foods—anything in a package, with a long list of ingredients you can’t pronounce.
- Cut back on sugar, salt, and saturated fat, which aren’t toxins, but aren’t supporting your health either.
- Eat more plants. Aim to have a third to half a plate of colourful vegetables with your meals. This will help you feel satisfied on fewer calories providing lots of different vitamins and minerals.
- Drink lots of water. It’s one of only things liquid diets get right. Hydrate to help your body to function efficiently, particularly your digestive system and kidneys—the cleansing champions.
Rather than starving and making yourself miserable, the real point is to spend a couple of days being kinder to your body. Get back to basics, drinking water and eating veggies, to give your organs the nutrients they need to do the job. Get back into your workout routine, and give your mind a break, as well! Lay low this weekend and think about planning your meals in advance. Choose healthier habits and self-care with you through the rest of the year—clean eating isn’t only for the month of January.
Why don't you book in Van, The Dietologist so she can help you make the RIGHT changes.
