Detoxes are everywhere these days. There are juices, powders, teas, even concoctions of spices and maple syrup. The one thing almost all have in common is the claim that they rid your body of toxins, build-up and other poisons. Many promise increased energy, improved mental clarity, better bathroom visits and, of course, weight loss. Who wouldn\u2019t want all this in a few short days?<\/p>\n
We all would, but as usually is the case, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Anyone who\u2019s been through the rollercoaster ride of on-again, off-again diets, and especially those who have finally been able to sustain weight loss with bariatric surgery, should have reason to be skeptical of quick fix diets. So before you blend up that smoothie or invest in a lifetime supply of hot sauce, let\u2019s look at the most common detox claims, the truth behind them and the right approach when you feel you want to hit that diet reset button.<\/p>\n
Many detoxes start with a claim that they will help you get rid of toxins that are stopping you from losing weight. So what is a toxin, anyway? By definition, a toxin is \u201ca poisonous substance and especially one that is produced by a living thing.\u201d Detoxification, in simple terms, is the body\u2019s process of taking fat-soluble compounds and transforming them into water-soluble substances it can then pee, poop or sweat out. While most of us in our everyday lives don\u2019t come in contact with toxins like snake venom or botulinum, we do risk contact with substances that may have toxic effects if we are overexposed. Some of the most common sources of exposure include air pollution, water contamination, cleaning supplies and food additives.\u00b2\u00a0 The list of exposures goes on depending on where you work or live, particularly your proximity to cities, agriculture and manufacturing.<\/p>\n
Avoiding all toxins is virtually impossible unless you shun modern civilization, grow your own food and make everything from scratch (a topic of conversation for another day). So you\u2019ll be relieved to know that our bodies have a natural waste-purification plant. It\u2019s called the liver and here\u2019s how it works: Toxins or poisons enter our bloodstream by being inhaled, swallowed or absorbed through the skin. The liver, and to a similar extent, the kidneys, break down the undesirable substances before they can pose a serious threat. Toxins are eliminated as we exhale, or they are excreted in sweat, feces and urine. In the case of acute poisoning, where the system becomes overloaded and cannot process poisons effectively, medical intervention is necessary. However, when discussing low-grade chronic exposure, we can protect ourselves to some extent and help keep our systems in top working order by making better dietary choices, minimizing our contact with substances that stress our liver, such as excessive alcohol and caffeine, and avoiding tobacco smoke or other fumes.<\/p>\n
As much as we\u2019d like to believe that consuming nothing but juice for a week will undo months or years of toxic baggage and set us on the path to eternal wellness, it\u2019s just not possible.\u00a0 Such claims made by supplement manufacturers and some health and wellness \u201cexperts\u201d prey more on people\u2019s fears about poor health than they are grounded in actual science.<\/p>\n
Or 5 pounds in 5 days. Or whatever other catchy tagline the editors throw under the equally catchy title of the diet. Any diet that promises you will lose a certain amount in a certain timeframe should raise a red flag. And a diet that claims there is only ONE thing that is preventing you from losing weight is also a concern. There are many reasons why you may not be able to lose weight, but toxic build-up is not one of them and neither is the lack of some magical supplement ingested in the form of a daily smoothie. Safe, sustainable weight loss can only be achieved through hard work, consistency and positive behavior change. Just about any super-low calorie diet will cause you to lose weight quickly, but you can\u2019t live on a diet of cabbage soup for the rest of your life. In fact, since the body\u2019s natural detoxification process actually depends on nutrients, detox plans that heavily restrict food can easily do more harm than good, particularly on the heels of a less-than-stellar diet. And when you return to your normal way of eating, the pounds will return just as quickly as they came off.<\/p>\n
Weight loss typically improves health regardless of how you lost the weight \u2013 with one notable exception: bariatric surgery. In numerous studies, surgery has been shown to improve or resolve Type 2 diabetes even before substantial weight loss occurs, often within days of the surgery. This tells us that it is the surgery at work at a hormonal level that is causing these changes. When we look at non-surgical weight loss, improvements in chronic conditions are a result of cumulative effects of many behavioral and metabolic changes: eating fewer calories, being more physically active and improving the quality and duration of sleep, to name a few. Nowhere in any credible scientific literature to date has there been evidence of one single food that can rid the body of disease on its own. Symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, constipation or bloating are favorite targets of detox claims. How wonderful it would be if all we had to do was not eat this and just take that for a few weeks and all our nagging symptoms would disappear.<\/p>\n
Case in point: Early in my career, a patient came to me because she was concerned about possible nutritional deficiencies related to the limited \u201ccleanse\u201d diet she had been following. The patient had a history of gastrointestinal upset, chronic headaches and had developed a painful skin condition that limited her ability to carry out normal daily activities. She decided her symptoms were all food-related and embarked on a cleanse she believed would rid her of all her issues. After following the program, which included taking expensive vitamin and meal-replacement supplements for several months, the patient had reduced her headaches and GI upset, but also had unwanted weight loss, lethargy and no improvement in the skin condition. After doing a complete assessment, it occurred to me that the rash may not have been related to diet at all. I asked her if she was using any new skincare products \u2013 a connection she had not made. As it turned out, a \u201c medicated wipe\u201d had been causing her painful rash and sores, and once she eliminated it, her skin cleared up within days. I returned her to a less restrictive diet based on how her digestion and headaches responded to certain foods. So you see it is important to recognize the complexity of the human body and that chronic symptoms may result from countless different internal or external factors, of which diet is only one possibility.<\/p>\n
In certain instances, such as my patient above, elimination diets can help pinpoint sensitivities to specific foods or ingredients that may go undiagnosed through traditional testing. Food sensitivities differ from allergies in the way they show up as physical symptoms. Unlike full-blown allergies, which cause severe, often life-threatening reactions, sensitivities show up in more subtle ways. Head or body aches; gas, diarrhea, and bloating; sudden onset of irritation or fatigue after eating; eczema or itchy skin and exacerbation of asthma can all be caused by sensitivities to foods or ingredients. However, they can also be the result of an illness, side effect of medication, or as in the case of the patient above, caused by something external or environmental. It is important to seek the proper medical care to rule out an undiagnosed illness or other treatable condition before assuming diet is the cause.<\/p>\n
Elimination diets work by removing certain foods or ingredients from a patient\u2019s diet based on their individual symptoms.\u00a0 The possible offenders are avoided for a specific duration and then reintroduced slowly while monitoring symptoms at the same time. The most commonly sensitive foods are soy, corn, wheat, dairy and eggs.\u00a0 However, even low-allergenic foods like rice and chicken can trigger sensitivity in certain people, which is why the process of uncovering them can sometimes feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. The goal of an elimination diet for my patients is almost never weight-related, though I have seen instances of both weight loss and gain. Any changes in weight that might result are usually temporary and are related to the cumulative effects of the patient\u2019s altered food choices and nutrient absorption.<\/p>\n
Now that you know what a detox diet can\u2019t do, let\u2019s discuss what a cleaned-up, less-processed diet can do. Call it reboot, cleanse, or detox if you must, just don\u2019t expect a temporary diet fix to instantaneously undo a chronically unhealthy lifestyle or to produce sustainable weight loss without continued efforts. But a period of \u201cclean eating\u201d can complement a generally healthy lifestyle or help you get back on track after a period of making less-than-stellar choices. That\u2019s really just a wordy way of saying that the right \u201ccleanse\u201d done for the right reasons with realistic expectations is a perfectly fine choice. Here's what to look for when evaluating a program:<\/p>\n
Improving the quality of our food choices by eating more whole foods, less sugar and refined carbohydrates, increasing fiber and eliminating chemical additives is a great goal to set any time of year. Cleanses or detoxes can have a place in creating a healthier balance in your life. But almost anything taken to an extreme can quickly turn from a \u201cdo\u201d into a \u201cdon\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 So be wary of anything that costs lots of money, promises fast results with very little work or is not backed up by legitimate scientific research. If you find yourself wondering if a detox or cleanse could be your ticket to weight loss, remember, done right it\u2019s a lifestyle change that may lead to a future of better health, not a quick fix.<\/p>\n
Detoxes are everywhere these days. There are juices, powders, teas, even concoctions of spices and maple syrup. The one thing almost all have in common is the claim that they rid your body of toxins, build-up and other poisons. Many promise increased energy, improved mental clarity, better bathroom visits and, of course, weight loss. Who […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":517,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,14],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n