Myth Busters: Detoxes

By John Krueger (About the Author)

 

Log in to Facebook, scroll down your Instagram feed, or pay attention to ads with your favorite celebs. There is a chance you have seen someone preaching the benefits of some new detox or detoxing product at least once. It seems as if everyone these days rely on juices, pills, or teas to detox their bodies and magically lose weight.(See supplement article). People claim that going on a cleanse, or taking a detox pill or drinking nothing but magic potions (juices) will help make them healthy or undo their wrongful eating. It is important to recognize that these magical detox juices, pills, kits etc. are just marketing scams designed to take your money. 

 

Other negative side effects not related to money exist when performing a cleanse or detox. For one, most of them are very low in overall calories. This creates a caloric deficit and is the reason you lose weight. It has nothing to do with the juices themselves or any “detoxing” of the body and one should realize that the weight you rapidly lost from consuming only liquids will be regained once you return to a regular eating regiment. This lack of overall calories and key nutrients can also negatively affect your health with side effects like headaches, extreme hunger, and a temporarily weakened immune system. 

 

This concludes that you do not need any special detoxes because your body already contains natural detoxes through your organs(liver, kidneys, and your skin). To help this natural process it is important to make sure you stay hydrated and avoid the foods you know you should already not be consuming.