Do Detox Diets and Cleanses Really Work?
It sounds like a good idea to detox your body doesn’t it? But do detox diets and cleanses really work?
It’s easy to feel sluggish, bloated, and in need of a little detox after a winter cooped up in the house. If we can discard all toxins from our bodies, we will feel much better and lose those unwanted pounds. At least, that’s what the marketers of detox products want us to believe.
The fact is, our bodies have a complete and efficient detox system in place to keep us healthy. You don’t have to do harsh cleanses to help your body detox efficiently, but you can optimize your body’s natural detoxification systems. The simple choices we make every day make a big difference in how our body cleanses itself.
Misconceptions of Whether Detox Diets and Cleanses Work
Poor eating and drinking over time can cause a broken metabolism. This shows up as weight gain, increased blood pressure, and high cholesterol. You may have less energy, feel sluggish, and have food cravings. These symptoms can be reduced or alleviated by simply changing some lifestyle habits.
While detox diets have a seductive appeal, your body is fully equipped to eliminate toxins and unwanted substances. Our body rids toxins with our kidneys, liver, digestive system, skin, and lungs, so it is important to keep these organs healthy. There are many ways you can enhance your natural detox system to get the results you desire.
What Does it Mean to Detox?
There are two kinds of toxins that our bodies deal with:
*exotoxins- these are toxins that come from outside your body. They can come from cleaning products, make-up, or pesticides on food. They can also come from pollutants in the air or water.
*endotoxins- these are toxins that your body makes. Examples are lactic acid, urea, and feces.
Detox means to cleanse the blood and remove impurities through our liver, kidneys, digestive system, skin, and lungs. When these systems are compromised, impurities aren’t properly filtered, allowing us to feel the negative side effects. With continued overindulgence, you may damage the liver over time, and no amount of detoxing can repair.
Fried foods, excessive sugar, and alcohol are difficult for the liver to process. When you consume too much of these things, it becomes fat in the liver. You can stop adding more fat and aiding your liver by eating a healthy diet and limiting alcohol.
Simple Changes You Can Do Now to Aid in Detox
Sleep
Getting enough sleep is one of the best ways to detox. Sleeping gives your body time to heal itself and rid of toxins. By getting some shuteye, you allow your brain to reorganize and recharge itself and remove the toxins that have accumulated throughout the day.
Sleep is also connected to weight loss and reduced stress levels, along with improved overall health. If you struggle to get enough sleep, you may want to read Simple Tips to Sleep Better During Menopause.
Drink Water
Water does more than just quench your thirst. Hydration contributes to regulating your body temperature, lubricating your joints, and aids in digestion and nutrient absorption.
In addition to its many roles in your body, water allows your detoxification system to flush out waste products through urination, breathing, and sweating.
Start by drinking a glass of water when you wake up. Your body has just gone 7-8 hours without any hydration. Throwing back a glass of water refreshes and energizes our cells. If you have difficulty drinking straight-up water, you can also combat dehydration by drinking bloat-busting drinks like herbal tea or mineral water. Try dandelion, ginger, or red clover tea, as these are naturally detoxifying herbs.
Limit Your Alcohol Intake
Alcohol is a toxin that can severely damage your liver by causing fat buildup. When your liver is inflamed or is scarred, then it can’t do its job, and since your liver plays a major role in your body’s detox process, you will want to keep it healthy!
When you have alcohol in your system, your body will work on processing the alcohol, and the other calories in your food or drink will be stored. More than 90% of alcohol is metabolized by your liver, sending it into overdrive.
Health authorities recommend limiting your alcohol consumption to one drink per day. Consuming too much alcohol reduces your liver’s ability to detoxify.
Exercise
To feel your best throughout the day, stretch and move for 5-10 minutes every hour. This doesn’t mean you have to do a full workout each hour, push away from your desk, stand up, stretch, and walk to get a glass of water. By doing this, you will get the blood moving and banish that midday sluggish feeling.
Follow up with a burst of daily cardio. Moving your body daily improves blood circulation, which brings nutrients and oxygen to all of your organs and tissues and helps them function well. And as we have mentioned, having your organs in peak condition allows your body to rid itself of harmful toxins.
Eat a Healthy Diet
We have all heard before about the importance of eating a healthy diet. Avoiding processed foods and added sugar gives our detox systems a jump start since they can concentrate on processing the nutrients found in healthy foods.
Eating clean doesn’t need to be complicated or cost a lot of money. Shop the store’s perimeter to find your healthy fresh food such as produce, meat, and dairy. When shopping for meat, look for healthy meats like salmon, chicken, and grass-fed beef. Purchase organic produce which hasn’t been sprayed with pesticides or fertilizer to avoid toxins.
You may also benefit from taking supplements to aid in our bodies detoxification process:
- Vitamin D and zinc are difficult to get from your food
- Milk thistle supports your liver
- Cilantro helps rid the excretion of heavy metals, lead, chemicals, and pesticides in our system.
- Eating sulfur-containing foods such as onions, garlic, and broccoli, aids in the excretion of heavy metals like cadmium
Support Your Lymphatic System
Your lymphatic system is the sewage system of your body. Your lymphatic system transports the toxins to the parts of the body where they can be excreted out.
Some ways to support your lymphatic system include stepping into an infrared sauna, a lymphatic massage, and using a dry brush.
Dry brushing is a simple and inexpensive technique that you can do at home. Follow the techniques in the video below before your shower to improve your lymphatic system’s circulation and exfoliate your skin.
Switch to Natural Cleaning Products
Harsh chemicals in today’s cleaning products can do a lot of harm to your body. They produce those exotoxins, toxins from outside the body, that we discussed earlier.
By switching to natural cleaning products such as vinegar and baking soda, you will eliminate the potential risk of chemicals and have a clean home and environment.
Final Thoughts If Detox Diets and Cleanses Really Work
There is very little evidence that a short lived detox or cleanse has long term effects on your health.
The most important way to detoxify your body is to support the systems already in place. By choosing certain dietary and lifestyle changes, you will enhance your body’s system and reduce the toxin load.
What will you start doing today to optimize your system?
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