What is Detox ?

While it's true that the liver is the body's own self cleaning device, it can become easily overwhelmed by toxins from our food supply, too much booze, over the counter and recreational drugs, birth control pills, cosmetics and body care products, and pollution.

They usually have one thing in common; they are restrictive and difficult to stick to for any length of time. They can be endurance tests of will power and self-denial!

These processes are particularly well-studied as part of drug metabolism, as they influence the pharmacokinetics of a drug in the body.

All of it must be detoxed by the liver and excreted via urine, digestive tract, or skin. So if you don’t poop regularly, sweat enough, or drink enough water, you can add to your toxic load. And if you take in more toxins than your liver can process, it becomes sluggish, and symptoms result.

Creators of detox diets base their ideas on an incorrect theory that our bodies are being constantly bombarded by toxins such as cigarette smoke, pollution and pesticides, which it cannot handle.

Certain approaches in alternative medicine claim to remove "toxins" from the body through herbal, electrical or electromagnetic treatments.

everybody has a liver and kidneys, these organs work by filtering the blood and removing bad toxins from our body naturally - therefore these detoxing ideas are not true.

I recommend cleansing twice yearly-–ideally in the spring and fall, and for 14 to 21 days. There are myriad ways to cleanse, some more effective and safer than others, but generally, removing inflammatory foods such as gluten, dairy, soy, corn, eggs, sugar, alcohol and coffee while taking a tincture or supplement with liver supportive herbs, such as milk thistle, will suffice.

Detox diets recommend the use of detox-ing aids or methods. These can be herbal supplements such as milk thistle, pre- and probiotics or even juicing.

These toxins are undefined and have no scientific basis, making the validity of such techniques questionable.

Milk thistle is thought to improve the workings of the liver and increase its detox-ing function. The jury is still out as to whether this is the case; there is simply not enough evidence at this point.

Pro- and or prebiotics are usually aimed at improving gut and immune health. They also help to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by protecting from damage by various toxins.

There is little evidence for toxic accumulation in these cases, as the liver and kidneys automatically detoxify and excrete many toxic materials including metabolic wastes

Juicing is also a popular detox-ing aid

The truth is the body has many organs such as skin, gut, liver and kidney that continually ‘detoxify’ and naturally remove waste products from the body.

Some juicing diets focus on having only fruit and/or vegetable juices in your diet for a number of days or weeks.

it is good to increase your fruit and vegetable intake, only including juice in your diet means you are missing other important nutrients such as protein, fats and carbohydrates, which our bodies need every day.

Fewer headaches? This is likely because you are fully hydrated and have cut back on if not removed completely, you alcohol and/or caffeine intake.

Does your skin look better? Well of course, with all that water you are drinking! It is likely that eating more fruit and vegetables, which are full of healthy vitamins and antioxidants, is giving your skin a healthier glow.

Feeling less bloated? This is often because you have eaten far more fibre. Fibre is found in fruit, vegetables, and wholegrain foods like brown rice, brown pasta or brown bread

Detox diets encourage you to eat more fruit and vegetables, drink more water as well as cutting back on processed foods.

It is also very motivating to feel like you are taking control of your diet, which can boost your mood and help you to continue with positive changes

Detox diets can have some nasty side effects. Following a strict detox diet for more than a few days may lead to dangerously low levels of vitamins, minerals, protein, fats or carbohydrates in your body. This can affect the workings of your body.

Side effects often experienced while on a detox diet include feeling tired, headaches, light-headedness and nausea. These symptoms are often usually caused by a lack of food as detox diets are often low in calories.

This lack of food can lead to cravings for high sugar and high fat foods, which can knock you off your diet and do a lot of damage in a short space of time