Detox: Fact or Fiction?
Detox diets have been a hot topic for years. But do you really need one?
Celebrities promoting Teatox cleanses, podcast hosts saying they know the best detox diets, and influencers professing they lost 15lbs on some intense “detox” regime.
On the other hand, I’ve also been seeing a lot of people in the wellness space saying that detox diets aren’t real and that your body naturally detoxes itself. So what is it? With all the conflicting information on the internet, what are we supposed to believe? Are detoxes a thing?
Well, the truth lies somewhere in between. Before I get into that, there are a few things that I want to clear up. The whole process of a “detox” is removing toxins from your body. Hence “de” meaning to remove and “tox” being short for toxin. But what even is a toxin and why would you want to remove them from your body?
What is a toxin?
There are many different types of toxins. Technically, toxins are naturally occurring poisons produced by living organisms such as bacteria, fungi, plants and animals. They can cause harm to other living organisms by disrupting normal biological functions, such as cellular function or enzyme activity. These toxins include things like snake venom or bacterial toxins.
But the types of toxins that most people are talking about when it comes to detox cleanses are actually what are called toxicants. These are toxic substances made by humans that are introduced into the environment. So things like pesticides, pollution, chemicals in cleaning and self care products, and other compounds created by industrial processes would be considered toxicants. These compounds can have a wide range of harmful effects on the body. They disrupt hormones, interrupted biological functions, cause inflammation and can have immediate and long term effects on your health. For the purpose of this article and to limit confusion, I am going to use the term toxin interchangeably.
Summary
A toxin is a compound that is naturally occuring (toxin) or created by humans (toxicants) that has harmful effects on the body.
What is a detox?
So now that you know what a toxin is and some of the harmful effects that it can have on the body, let's chat about what a detox is.
Detoxing is the process of removing toxins from the body. Your body has natural detox processes which I’ll talk about a little later on but typically detoxes involve dietary changes or supplements. The idea behind detoxing is that we are exposed to a lot of toxins in our environment, such as pollution, pesticides, and chemicals in our food and personal care products. These toxins can build up in the body over time and cause a range of health problems.
Reasonable detox diets typically involve eliminating certain foods from your diet, such as sugar, processed foods, and alcohol, while increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables, and water. Some detox diets also recommend taking supplements or using other methods to help flush out toxins from the body.
But a lot of the detox diets we see, especially when it comes to celebrities, influencers and models, are way more extreme. Some of the most common detox fads that are all over social media are ones like the Master Cleanse Detox that Beyoncé lost 20lbs on which involved only drinking water with lemon, cayenne pepper and a dash of maple syrup for 10 days then sipping on laxative teas and avoiding all solid food. Or juice cleanses that involve only drinking juice for a week and no solid foods. Then of course we have the teatoxes or detox teas, which are also used a lot with these other “detoxes” and involve drinking a magical blend of herbs that claim to remove all the toxins in your body but really, they are just laxatives that make you poop excessively. Senna, the herb that is used in almost all of these blends, works by irritating the lining of the colon causing contractions and bowel movements.
Summary
A detox is the process of removing toxins from the body. There are different types of detoxes. Many praised in social media are a quick crash diet to lose weight and can actually cause more harm than good.
If it isn’t apparent enough, these extreme cleanses seem to be used primarily for weight loss. Trust me, I’ve done them all, always under the veil of “health” but really I just wanted to be two sizes smaller. These types of cleanses promote disordered eating rather than for health purposes and can end up causing more harm than good. They deny your body of essential nutrients, mess with your metabolism and cause massive amounts of stress on your body that can make many conditions worse in the long run. Further, the overuse of laxatives like senna tea can lead to nutrient deficiencies, electrolyte imbalances, dehydration and cause long term damage to your digestive system, chronic constipation as well as damage to the muscles and nerves of your colon. These are not the kind of detoxes you should consider.
Now I don’t want to dismiss detoxes altogether. They can actually be really helpful if you know what you are doing and why you might want to do it.
Many of the toxins that we are exposed to can wreak havoc on our hormones. Now more than ever, women are experiencing significant menstrual related issues. PMS, PCOS, Endometriosis, estrogen dominance, painful periods, fibroids, and other hormonal imbalances impact almost every person with a period. Toxins are a huge proponent of these issues (of course there are many other factors) but a lot of the toxins we are exposed to are compounds called Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals. Many of these chemicals are found in self care and home products, processed foods, pesticides etc, they mimic hormones in the body and disrupt your body's natural hormones. Medications like birth control pills are also EDC’s and contain toxic compounds that introduce toxins into the body and inhibit your body’s ability to detox on its own.
There are also natural toxins like opportunistic yeast and bacteria that can build up in your system. These can mess with your hormones, your body’s natural ability to detox and lead to many negative symptoms like brain fog, fatigue, digestive issues, menstrual problems and more.
A major issue with being consistently exposed to so many toxins is that it can hinder your body’s natural ability to detox. Like I said before, your body has a natural process that detoxifies your system. Your liver is the main detox organ along with your kidneys and lymphatic system. Your skin, lungs, bladder and digestive tract are also important in the process of detoxification by actually removing toxins after they have been processed by your detox organs.
So if you want to truly detox you need to repair and support your body’s natural ability to detox.
Summary
Toxins can wreak havoc on your body and lead to many negative symptoms. Poor health and being bombarded with toxins can hinder your body’s ability to effectively detoxify itself. If you want to actually detox, focus on repairing and supporting your body’s natural ability to remove toxins
Three steps for an effective detox
Step 1 - Limit exposure to toxins
If you are trying to detox but are constantly bombarding your body with more toxins, it could be difficult to actually detox. So before you do anything else, you want to address the major areas that you have control over and limit your exposure to toxins. Of course, if you live in an urban city, you can’t remove yourself from the pollution in the air. But you can start to avoid toxic chemicals that are found in your home or beauty products like synthetic fragrances, parabens, and BHT. Use resources like the EWG’s Skin Deep database to audit your cosmetics, get rid of air fresheners and limit your use of plastics, especially ones that you consume food or drink out of.
You can also start buying more organic produce. The EWG also has a great resource called the Dirty Dozen list that shows you the produce that is most likely to contain the highest amounts of pesticides and the Clean 15 that tells you which items can be bought conventionally without too many pesticides. This list also helps because you don’t have to spend extra money on products that don’t pose too much of a risk.
You can also start buying more organic produce. The EWG also has a great resource called the Dirty Dozen list that shows you the produce that is most likely to contain the highest amounts of pesticides and the Clean 15 that tells you which items can be bought conventionally without too many pesticides. This list also helps because you don’t have to spend extra money on products that don’t pose too much of a risk.
You may also want to avoid processed foods, excess sugar and too much red meat and dairy. If you have intolerances to any foods such as gluten, wheat, dairy or eggs you also want to avoid these as they can cause inflammation and slow healing.
Summary
Limit your exposure to toxins as much as possible.
Step 2 - Replenish nutrients
Your organs use specific nutrients to support detoxification. If you’re exposed to a bunch of toxins and it uses up all these nutrients without you intentionally replenishing them, it can lead to a sluggish detox system. So focusing on replenishing vitamins such as B vitamins and vitamin C, which are used up really quickly, is important. As well as minerals such as zinc, magnesium and selenium.
Adding in foods, supplements and herbs that support your body’s natural detox systems and liver function can also be really helpful. Onions, garlic, citrus, parsley, cayenne, dandelion, nettle, milk thistle, chlorophyll, and glutathione all have an incredible amount of detox-supporting compounds!
Summary
Replenish the nutrients your body needs to effectively detoxify itself.
Step 3 - Support your elimination systems
If your primary detox organs are working well but you’re not actually eliminating the toxins, they can be reabsorbed into your systems causing further disruptions, inflammation and hormone imbalances. Make sure to support your full digestive system. Not only is this the way you are going to eliminate toxins but it’s also how you digest and absorb the nutrients you consume. Find out if you have an imbalance of bacteria (dysbiosis), leaky gut, poor enzymes and/or low stomach acid. Focus on repairing that then effective elimination. Supporting elimination could look like increasing fiber (or reducing fiber if you have leaky gut or consume too much which can back you up), upping your intake of magnesium and making sure that you are getting enough water.
You also want to make sure you’re drinking enough water and getting your electrolytes (magnesium, sodium, potassium & calcium) to ensure proper fluid balance, support your kidneys and improve elimination through sweat and breath. Make sure to get regular exercise too so that you can eliminate toxins through sweat and heavier breathing! Avoiding antiperspirants may be something to consider as well. While deodorant can help with scent, antiperspirants block sweat and can actually introduce more toxins into your system.
Summary
Support the elimination of toxins out of your system by focusing on your gut health, bowel movements, hydration and exercise.
All in all, while fad “detoxes” and “cleanses” that are rooted in depriving your body of essential nutrients are something to avoid, you can take a more holistic approach to detoxing by supporting your body’s natural functions. Of course there are more aspects to this and I encourage you to do research and make sure you are safely and effectively detoxing, this can be a good starting point.
