My nutrition professor once made a joke- “there’s three things you shouldn’t bring up at a dinner party- religion, politics and diets”. Turns out she was right! Through my research I couldn’t believe just how passionately people stood in their opinions about detoxes. Detox is a hot topic that gets thrown around quite a bit. But what does a detox actually mean?
According to the dictionary it is: “a process or period of time in which one abstains from or rids the body of toxic or unhealthy substances.”
So where do these “toxins” come from? Unfortunately, every day, we are surrounded by all different types of toxins and pollutants: driving our car to work during rush hour, getting our nails done, drinking out of a plastic water bottle or eating food from plastic containers, eating non-organic produce, eating processed food and so on and so forth.
While we can do our best to reduce our exposure, many of these are unavoidable. The upside is, there is a lot that is in our control. Namely, what we eat. Detoxes are designed to give your body a break from the influx a toxins and give it a chance to catch up. As discussed in my last blog, your liver is the main filter of your body and when you are able to give it a break, it is able to work more efficiently.
Keep in mind, these types of detoxes could all be a post within themselves, however this is a brief overview of some of the detoxes or “cleanses” out there that you may have heard about.
Water fasting– This type of fasting requires only drinking water and is often recommended to be under the close supervision of a medical practitioner due to the monitoring that it requires. Often, this is a procedure done at an in-patient water fasting facility. This is a much more extreme type of diet than what most people think of for detoxification purposes, however, articles have been published showing improvement in certain disease processes such as high blood pressure.
Juice Cleanse/Smoothie Cleanse– This is a type of detoxification process that focuses on juicing fruits and vegetables (or putting them into a blender). This type of cleanse focuses on packing in a dense amount of nutrients from vegetables and fruits and, due to calorie restriction, will often cause weight loss. Many studies have outlined the potential benefit of this type of cleanse on cardiovascular disease risk factors and overall inflammation in the body. Critics have pointed out some of the flaws of juice cleanses such as removing the insoluble fiber from the fruits or vegetables (this is why some people opt to blend their fruits and vegetables instead of juice). Also, many of the pre-bought juices have high sugar contents due to the excess amount of fruit.
Programs– Many companies sell programs outlining the food you can eat while providing you with protein powders, supplements, etc. to guide you through your detox. There are a lot of great products out there, but keep in mind, many companies use detox products as gimmicks, so it is important to consult your healthcare practitioner if you have questions about getting a good quality product.
Clean eating– For anyone who followed the detox I did for 2 weeks at the beginning of this month, this was my detox plan. This consisted of an organic, plant-based diet focusing primarily on vegetables and fruits, while supplementing some whole grains, legumes, nuts and occasionally lean meats. For this part, I focused on intuition and listening to my body to determine how much and what types of food I needed. I eliminated alcohol, processed foods or sugars, and only drank minimal caffeine. This is just one example of how a clean eating diet can be applied and while it is not the most strict form of a detox, I still felt amazing results and was thrilled to be able to give my body a little extra boost.
I had a few reasons for choosing this plan: (1) It was inexpensive compared to some of the juicing plans or programs that you can buy (2) It was more time efficient and I did not have to spend time finding recipes or making elaborate meals- I could simply sauté a bunch of veggies or blend a smoothie with some greens and protein powder and was ready to go (3) It did not require the same amount of rest that other fasting or detoxing plans do. My life is often way busier that it should be, but with being in medical school, that busy schedule is mostly out of my control. Therefore, I wanted a plan that was still able to provide me with the energy and stamina that I needed to get through my day.
This is by no means a comprehensive list and the internet can easily turn into a big black hole of information regarding detoxes. However, I hope it gives you a brief understanding as to the theory behind certain types of detoxes you may see out there. Moral of the story- it’s important to do your research and chat with your doctor before diving into a detox program. However, there are fantastic results available once you find the one right for you!
Goldhamer, A., Lisle D., Parpia B., Anderson S.V., Campbell, T.C. (2001). Medically supervised water-only fasting in the treatment of hypertension.
Henning, S. M., Yang, J., Shao, P., Lee, R. P., Huang, J., Ly, A., … Li, Z. (2017). Health benefit of vegetable/fruit juice-based diet: Role of microbiome. Scientific reports, 7(1), 2167. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-02200-6
Hu, C. (2015). Juicing: Body Cleansing or Nutrient Depleting? Retrieved from https://exploreim.ucla.edu/wellness/juicing-body-cleansing-or-nutrient-depleting/
Sohrab, G., Nasrollahzadeh, J., Zand, H., Amiri, Z., Tohidi, M., & Kimiagar, M. (2014). Effects of pomegranate juice consumption on inflammatory markers in patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Journal of research in medical sciences : the official journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, 19(3), 215–220.