Do I Need to Detox?
Let’s talk about detoxes.
“Detox.” Even the word looks scary. Even if you’ve never tried one, I’m sure you have at least heard of them. The smoothie/juice cleanses, the dietary pills, the herbs, the fasting, and even sitting in the heat to sweat out the toxins are all forms of detox. I have heard time and time again, “It’s not a diet, it’s a detox, a cleanse.” But let’s be honest…it’s pretty much a diet.
Detoxification is a regimen or diet that is meant to cleanse your body to remove waste and toxins. The end goal is typically to lose weight and improve one’s health. So, should I detox? Can detoxing help me lose weight?
In the summer of 2019, I was scrolling through Instagram and found a page on smoothie detoxes. It included recipes for the smoothies and snacks that you were allowed to eat. It was listed for 21 days and they had posted clients before and after body images that convinced me that I should try it. For 21 days I was supposed to drink three smoothies in replacement for meals, and I could have the optional 3 “light snacks”. Now, this detox was supposed to help cleanse my body and rid it of all the toxins that I had been stuffing in throughout my whole life. I remember thinking, “if I can get rid of all the bad things in my body right now, then losing the rest of the fat will be easy. I’ll feel better and I won’t crave bad food again.” I had tried all kinds of diets to lose weight, but nothing was working so this seemed like the best option. I like to consider myself to be a pretty dedicated person and I hate quitting, but you try only drinking three smoothies a day and let me know how long you last. After about 4-5 days of green smoothies and handfuls of nuts, I decided that it wasn’t worth it and that I should try something else.
While I didn’t make it to 21 days, I can guarantee you that even if you do, this detox will not be the way to lasting weight or fat loss. According to the NIH – National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, “juicing and ‘detox’ diets can cause initial weight loss because of low intake of calories but they tend to lead to weight gain once a person resumes a normal diet.” This means you may and probably will see results for a little while, but considering how few nutrients and calories you consumed during this period, it does not make for a sustainable or safe lifestyle.
My goal in participating in detox was a quick fix. I wanted to lose weight and I wanted to lose it fast. Reaching my “goal” could not be done quickly and the detox would not have sped up the process.
The human body has natural defense and detox mechanisms. The liver, kidneys, and GI tract are all organs that cleanse your body of any unwanted substances. Detox won’t speed this process up, and if anything, it can interrupt this process.
Lots of what a “detoxer” consumes are mainly liquids or meds. Any food consumed is typically low calorie and low carbohydrate or fat. This eliminates all the essential nutrients and can lead to a person feeling dehydrated, weak, and fatigued.
While my goal isn’t to scare anyone, it is extremely important to treat your body with respect and give it the food and sustenance that it deserves. Your body does so much for you and trying to “clean out” your system by decreasing calories and food takes away your body’s ability to function normally.
I will always encourage people to fill their bodies with rich, nutritious foods, but that does not mean that that is all you can and should eat. Don’t be scared to eat a treat. There is no such thing as “bad food” – which you can read about in previous blogs. Fruits, vegetables, smoothies, and juices are great, but so are full meals and desserts.
Rather than going on that smoothie detox for 21 days, I challenge you to honor your body and your cravings by making a meal that your body enjoys and benefits from.