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In an age of processed food and a polluted environment, we are looking for ways to stay healthy. One of them is to be detox, i.e. removing toxins from the body through a proper diet. But do we really need it?
A glance in the bookstore’s section with healthy eating books is enough to see what topics are hot today. “Alkalic detox” by Beata Sokołowska promises cleansing the body with deacidifying products, “Happy detox” by Kasia Bem promotes the combination of a weekly diet with yoga asanas, “Millet detox” by Marek Zaremba focuses on the health properties of millet, and “Detox for resistant” Agnieszka Mielczarek presents gentle ways to cleanse the body.
More publications about detox appear in bookstores, especially in spring, the topic is also eagerly discussed on blogs about an ecological lifestyle. Many people begin to feel the need to cleanse the body regularly once a year. But does it make sense?
A good detox for everything?
Until recently, the term detox was understood as cleansing the body after poisoning, e.g. with alcohol. Now, this slogan serves as a pick-up word for many diets that remove toxins from the body and are aimed at improving its functioning, reducing chronic fatigue, improving appearance or adding energy. Some detox promoters even claim that they can cure autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s disease and multiple sclerosis. – I will dispel my doubts right away: it is impossible – explains Magdalena Jarzynka-Jendrzejewska, specialist in human nutrition from the Dietosphere clinic.
THE ARTICLE COMES FROM NEWSWEEK ZDROWIE 1/2020 MAGAZINE
– The current state of medical knowledge does not cure most autoimmune diseases. Promising that it will be possible to do this through diet is a fraud, he adds. In many cases, detox is also simply disguised weight loss. Today it’s fashionable not to be on a diet, but to be on a detox. – In fact, many people treat it as a way to lose kilograms or an introduction to weight loss, but weight loss should be a side effect of detox, not its goal – says Magdalena Jarzynka-Jendrzejewska.
Do we need a post?
According to the supporters of cleansing, a properly carried out detox is designed to remove toxins from the body so that it functions more efficiently. Such a process is like general cleaning for our body and should be carried out at least once a year.
Why is the body unable to cleanse itself? What do we have the liver and kidneys for? – In fact, if the body functions properly, it naturally gets rid of all harmful substances – says Magdalena Jarzynka-Jendrzejewska. – The problem is that our lifestyle is less and less hygienic, we use stimulants and processed food every day, and the external environment is more and more polluted. Our bodies aren’t as good at removing toxins as they used to be.
Especially that very often, instead of drinking water, which should be our basic cleansing product, we reach for drinks with caffeine and huge amounts of sugar. And these, instead of helping to filter the body, regularly poison it – he adds.
Our ancestors knew a simple way to overburden the body – they fasted every Friday, and during Lent and Advent, they ate more modestly. Isn’t that enough?
– Of course it was a good way to gently bring the body into balance, but it should not be forgotten that several decades ago the diet was different. People ate less protein and it was of better quality – meat was eaten less often, and dairy products were unprocessed and under-sweetened.
Detoxification or poisoning?
Thanks to numerous publications on this subject, detox can be carried out by virtually anyone. But if we don’t approach it wisely, the effect can be counterproductive and harm rather than help. An example is all mono-diets, i.e. eating only one type of food for a long time: apples, millet, grapefruits, etc. – It is a simple way to deficiencies, slowing down the metabolism and the yo-yo effect after the end of the detox – says Magdalena Jarzynka-Jendrzejewska.
So maybe the fashionable juice diet will be better? It is based on the fact that you drink five different fruit and vegetable juices every day to relieve the digestive tract and initiate the detoxification of the body. This cleaning is easy to do – we don’t need to cook.
There are more and more catering companies that specialize in delivering freshly squeezed juices home in eye-catching glass bottles. We can also invest in a slow juicer and prepare juices in a few minutes.
– It cannot be denied that juices are a great complement to a balanced diet – they hydrate the body and provide it with a blast dose of vitamins and enzymes – says Jarzynka-Jendrzejewska. – When used for a long time as the only part of the diet, they can, however, poison us.
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This is because as a result of restrictive nutrition, the body dehydrates, uses up glycogen, i.e. spare sugar in muscles and liver, and falls into a state of ketosis – an increased concentration of ketone bodies in the blood causes a surge of energy, even euphoria (this is why during many diets and detoxes we feel become winged). However, if this condition persists for too long, and we do not introduce a more varied diet, ketone cells will start to poison the body, because the kidneys will not be able to filter them on an ongoing basis.
Time is of the essence
Are we able to detect when we need a detox? According to experts, the first signal is chronic fatigue. The problem is that it is almost never caused solely by poor nutrition and poisoning the body. – Even if we switch to a long-term cleansing diet, and then change our eating habits to healthier ones, if we still live on the run, stress and stay awake, detox mediocre results – says Magdalena Jarzynka-Jendrzejewska.
Most of the detoxes described in the books guarantee results in a week, and sometimes even in a few days. – To tell the truth, treatments of this type taken out of context do not make much sense – continues Jarzynka-Jendrzejewska. – If someone has been eating poorly for a long time, smoking, drinking alcohol and hectoliters of coffee, even a weekly cleansing will not work for him.
There is simply no chance that a long-term poisoned organism will cleanse itself in such a short time. For this to happen, constant changes in diet are needed, and the detox that may initiate them should last up to several weeks. Only people who lead a very healthy lifestyle on a daily basis can afford short-term cleansing – he suggests.
General clean up
Properly carried out detox must be preceded by appropriate preparation – three to four weeks before it begins, we should gradually give up sugar, dairy products, meat, highly processed products and stimulants. However, we do not have to implement a very restrictive diet right away. – Often it is enough to start with supplementing the daily menu with products with cleansing properties, e.g. asparagus or parsley with diuretic properties, to feel a bit better – says Magdalena Jarzynka-Jendrzejewska.
During the detox itself, let’s follow the principles of healthy eating – eat mainly vegetables of various colors, some fruit and groats with a bit of cold pressed oils. Everything as little processed as possible: raw or steamed.
What can we expect during cleansing? Usually, on the third or fourth day, a crisis occurs. We will be weakened, headaches, eczema may appear (we also cleanse ourselves through the skin), a strange smell of sweat and mouth, even a slight fever. After a few days, all of this will pass and you will begin to feel more and more light. The complexion will become more radiant, and sleep will also be regulated.
Even more important than detox is to get out of it – if immediately after cleansing, we throw ourselves on unhealthy food, with the healing effect of the thread, but the yo-yo effect is like in a bank. But since habits are established after 21 days, as researched, if we’ve done cleansing long enough, we have a good chance that we won’t go back the wrong way.
You can find grits by weight that can be eaten during a detox at Medonet Market. Order:
- bulgur groats,
- unroasted buckwheat and roasted buckwheat,
- millet,
- pearl barley groats,
- couscous,
- pearl barley.
Text consultation:
Magdalena Jarzynka-Jendrzejewska – dietitian, specialist in human nutrition (SGGW). She has 15 years of experience in working with patients. Co-owner of the Dietosfera clinic. He specializes in dietary prevention and diet therapy of civilization diseases. Co-author of many TV programs and books on nutrition.
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