Are detox diets worth all the effort or a complete waste of time?

Right! Before we get into it, I’m just going to spoil the ending for you right now!

The answer is NO! In this trainer’s opinion detox diets are not worth all the time and energy needed and don’t provide any benefits at all.

But I can’t just leave it with that statement, I need/should back it up with some sort of context. So, let’s get into it!

These days, everyone knows someone who just finished a juice cleanse. Those colourful, expensive bottles of juice look that look healthy. Whether you’ve tried one, you’re considering one, the question to ask is: Are detox diets good for you?

What is a detox, anyway?

The idea behind a detox diet is that, by giving the body a break, make up for the ‘poor’ choices and purge all the nasty chemicals. It’s a health reboot. Like other health buzzwords such as“moderation” and “clean”, “dietary detox” has no real definition because there is no scientific basis for “nutritional detoxing”, and in that absence people are usually left with theories and ideas but without any hard facts to support them. In fact, many detox programs on the market are gimmicks focussed on draining wallets with unnecessary protocols and supplements. In 2009, a report of 15 different detox programs found that none used the same definition of detox, and none could offer evidence backing up their detoxification claims (Tuff& Ball, 2009).

Another reason for people to go on a detox diet is to lose weight, unfortunately this doesn’t work either! Trying to rid yourself of impurities doesn’t facilitate fat loss. Yes, a detox does see people lose are markable amount of weight in a short space of time, but it isn’t a result of fat loss. What’s actually going on is that people will quickly lose body water, carbohydrate stores and intestinal bulk during their ‘cleanse’, and once the detox is finished all these things will come back within a few hours as you can stay empty forever. The reality is you’ll lose very little fat unless the cleansing included fasting for extended periods of time which can get very dangerous. It might feel like a detox is helping shape up your body, but this is unfortunately an illusion, when in fact it won’t be fat that has been lost but more likely to be muscle mass lost. If the body isn’t getting enough essential macronutrients for it to absorb to keep functioning the body has to source from elsewhere and its first place to look is in the muscles by breaking down the proteins and converting them to glucose – the body’s primary fuel source.

Most programmes have gone untested, with reports documented of people suffering kidney damage and liver failure from following detox programs and using their supplements meaning that these programmes could be doing more harm than good.

There is also the issue of popular media and celebrities highlighting how amazing various detox programmes are without any data to support those claims. The words of these celebrities can be convincing to some people and may provide them with an expectation to benefit, so the mind makes it so.

Keep in mind that almost everything has some toxicity in it. We can’t avoid it, and we shouldn’t try to. If we did, we would miss out on beneficial toxins that are good for us, and in some cases we need. Such as:

Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Phytochemicals, Lectins, Glucosinolates

Not to mention the fact that our bodies are designed to detox themselves through the:

• digestive tract
• kidneys
• skin
• lungs
• liver
• lymphatic system, and
• respiratory system.

These various systems break down the chemicals (toxic or otherwise) into other forms that we can eliminate via the toilet, sweat, or breathing. The best way to “detox” the body is to make use of the natural detoxification systems and to take good care of them in the longterm — not bypass them altogether, as you would do when you’re on a detox diet.

 Some of the big problems with detox diets are:

·      Often inconvenient. Any diet will take some effort to organise, and detox diets are no exception.

·      Detox diets are often too low in energy. Meanwhile, most juice diets are extremely low in calories. In fact, some people argue that juicing is just away to starve yourself and feel good about it.

·      Detox diets often swing the pendulum too far.

·      Some of the negative side effects that people typically notice on a cleanse could be the result of overload. Their bodies could be working over time to deal with a noxious cocktail of oxalates, nitrates, etc — all from fruit and vegetable juice.

·      Ironically, the very “detox” itself could prove “toxic”.

·      Detox diets may be high in nitrates, which promote vasodilation. Dilated blood vessels can lead to some pounding headaches.

·      Detox diets may cause blood sugar swings. Cleanses built on fruit juices can cause major swings in blood sugar — making them downright dangerous for people with diabetes, and potentially risky for many others.

·      Detox diets are often low in essential fats. While some less-extreme detox diets allow things like nuts and seeds, hardcore cleanses typically eliminate most fat-containing foods, even healthy fats.

The simple truth is that Detox programs are ill-defined restrictive diets. The real detox is happening daily within our body and is best supported by eating a nutrient-dense diet and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. And it can be more harmful than helpful. When you think and eat this way:

• You never learn to find a middle ground! This will never help you address the underlining issues that has brought you to thinking that this is the right approach.
• You never learn to prepare real food and real meals that are both nutritious and delicious.
• You’re always in “all-or-nothing” mode. (Usually getting “nothing”, because “all” is really, really hard.)

Worst of all: You never feel truly happy with any of your choices!