When you type into Google, “Detox drinks,” pages and pages of detox recipes appear. There are endless tips on how to detox your body on social media from internet influencers and people who have the least amount of knowledge about health.
If you are spending ridiculous amounts of money on detox supplements or juices... you don’t need to!
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A DETOX DRINK!
(please read that again)
Something so incredible is that every person was made with a built-in detox machine, your liver and kidneys! How cool is that? Your body was made to eliminate toxins.
The liver has many functions including the ability to filter blood coming from the digestive tract before passing through the rest of the body. The liver also detoxifies chemicals.
The kidneys, also with many key functions, remove waste. When blood gets to the kidneys, the waste is removed and exits the body through the creation of urine.
People who decide to try a detox diet may initially lose weight, but this is likely due to the significant amount of calories they have stopped consuming. No one can live off drinking juices alone and nobody should want to. Once the juice/detox phase is over, more likely than not, people gain more weight back than when they started, due to eating more calories. Below is a quote from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH) about detoxes and cleanses.
“A 2015 review concluded that there was no compelling research to support the use of “detox” diets for weight management or eliminating toxins from the body.”
Do you want to help your liver and kidneys stay healthy so that they can remain your detox machine?
Drink water, stay hydrated
Eat a healthy, balanced diet
Exercise
Don’t smoke or drink too much alcohol
If you don’t enjoy the taste of water, go ahead and try adding fruit to it! Please don’t be confused, many detoxing claims instruct you to do this. Adding fruit to your water is purely for taste. However, consuming the fruit could give you the benefits of the vitamins and minerals it contains.
You can add whatever fruit you’d like to your water. Try different fruits together. My personal favorite is adding lemon or lime, but blueberries can be a game-changer.
I hope this article has brought you some awareness surrounding the false health claims found on the internet about detoxing. All of the myths alone could be an entire blog! What’s even worse is the number of “health professionals” that promote false information, either for money or more views.
If you have any questions about health that you are not sure about, don’t hesitate to reach out. If I don’t know, I will point you in the right direction to find out.
