Detoxing: Is It Right for You?
When people think of detoxing they think of eating no solid food or drinking boiled cabbage water all day, which to some can mean torture rather than cleanse.
One particular individual was documented to have ate no solid food for 10 days and drank a mix of lemon juice, water, maple syrup and cayenne pepper, also a quart of salt water and then a laxative tea. Hence to say she suffered with acne, irritability and headaches. Her goal was to lose some body-fat and cleanse her body of free-radicals.
In this instance, she took the word ‘cleanse’ a little to far as this ultimately ended up doing the reverse of what she originally wanted.
These extreme ways to shed body-fat and detoxify the body have become more common place as of late, particularly with the younger generation due to stories coming to light that some famous celebrities have tried these extremes with great success.
Using laxatives is also another known supplement in the extreme detox process. The use of laxatives in extreme detox diets raises red flags amongst dietitians, as laxative abuse is commonly associated with eating disorders. The belief that laxatives are useful for weight control is a myth, the National Eating Disorders Association notes. In fact, laxative abuse can cause severe dehydration and heart or colon damage, the association says.
As you can see, the risk of intestinal and cardiac issues arising from malnutrition and using external aids to purge far outweigh the benefits an ‘extreme’ detox can bring.
That’s not to say that detoxing is a bad idea all together.
In modern day societies such as our own, we are exposed to many toxins that come from the foods we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink. These toxins will build up over time and produce problems such as fatigue, anxiety, and other illnesses. Our bodies are resilient enough to actually produce a natural detoxification processes through our respiratory, gastrointestinal, urinary, dermal and lymphatic systems but sometimes this is not enough to rid the overall toxic build-up.
You can actually help maximize the body’s natural detoxification process by simply doing the following:
- Eliminate all stimulants. including caffeine.
- Eat more raw fruit and vegetables.
- Cut back on red meat, dairy, fat, sugar, salt and processed food consumption.
- Take in extra Vitamin C.
- Add herbs like Garlic, Cayenne and Red Pepper to your foods.
- Eat foods higher in fiber.
- Drink plenty of water and only water.
You can expect more energy, clearer skin, regular bowel movements, increased concentration, and mental clarity.
Note: With any massive changes to a diet, particularly if you are suffer from any medical conditions, always consult your physician first.
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Detoxing
is an absolutely essential part of optimal health ! WE live in a polluted world and consume a vast variety of chemicals that our bodies have not evolved with and that quite often gum up the works. We must remove these before we can get the most from our nutrition and exercise. I believe a cleanse is a good idea, and the first few days are often pretty miserable especially if we have a lot of toxins to eliminate. In addition, I recommend to my patients zeolites which are a natural way to remove heavy metals and pesticides.
Darren Clair, MD
Vibrance Health Services
Very Intriguing indeed....
Need to know a few things Jamie .. what kind of physical activity can one afford to get into during this process??
I mean how should one plan workout routines/nutrition accordingly.
If you're cutting dairy,means you're also cutting on your protein shakes......
Hi Bro, Thanks for your
Hi Bro,
Thanks for your comment.
Okay to answer your questions...
-if you are gonna try the lemon juice/cayenne/syrup diet then I would say don't try anything to taxing! I don't think this regime was designed to be carried out 'long term'. I personally wouldn't have much energy to anything if I was on this kinda of routine for longer than 2 weeks!
-now if you're referring to the alternative then you can still get by without red meat and dairy. I was aiming at people who want to de-tox and give the body a brief rest (now I said brief).
So maybe 4 weeks at a time would be beneficial for those who want to do this on a short-term basis. You still would eat every 2-3 hours but you remove and make substitutions with the foods you eat and what you drink.
Lessen your intensity in the gym whether it be weights of cardio. Remember you're de-toxing so that when you return to you regular diet and regime you will be 'refreshed' thats the key word here.
So your choice is continue to remove/cutback on dairy and cut back on red meats, increasing fruits, vegetables and fibre on a long term basis or do it just short term.
With regards to your protein powders....you can still have them but mix them with water and go for a complete isolate and less casein based. You don't have to remove them completely but take out other milk based products...making subtle changes to your diet in this way can be beneficial long term to your health.
I sometimes eliminate dairy for a few weeks at a time to give my body a rest...I suffer with my sinuses, which in turn affects my breathing which in turn affects my training and dairy supposedly thickens mucous production in the body. If you suffer from asthma or have a bronchial infection I would defintely say ease off on the milk from time to time. (now this IS DEBATABLE but I find that when i take out milk or dairy for a short time I can definitely breathe more easy and my sinusitus episodes lessen..im no doctor...its also possible it could be just an allergen to me, all the more reason to cycle the dairy!).
So to conclude..It depends on how you feel right now...do you not feel invigorated everyday? Do you not feel like you could put the world on your shoulders? If you feel like you could do with a lift and a clean out then you could try this.
So would it be something you could do?
Is it right for you?
Makes Perfect sense...
This is great!! I mean the idea of cycling the dairy on a short term basis.. will certainly try & put in my goals in weeks to come.... & going with Protein islolates mixed in water other than casein based serves the purpose...
I must say I'm really excited about this... thanks Jamie for the wonderful insight.......
Interesting topic
and one with a lot of debate, I'm sure. I like your points at the end for maximizing your natural detox process. It's more of a way of life for me though. Hahaha.
One thing I disagree with is in the beginning when you related the story of "One particular individual was documented to have ate no solid food for 10 days and drank a mix of lemon juice, water, maple syrup and cayenne pepper, also a quart of salt water and then a laxative tea. Hence to say she suffered with acne, irritability and headaches. Her goal was to lose some body-fat and cleanse her body of free-radicals."
That detox does seem a bit extreme (though lemon juice, cayenne, and water drinks are very big in certain health circles), but from my personal experience I'm inclined to believe that the detox may have just been doing it's thing. When I first started cleaning up my diet, I really cleaned it up: cut out all processed sugars, any foods with preservatives, and anything along those lines. I was living on water, fresh juices and fresh raw fruits and vegetables. My body started detoxing at that point and I experienced everything from headaches to acne to diarrhea. From the literature that I've read, that's supposed to be a natural way that your body rids itself of toxins. Well, I stuck it out and after that week long period, I felt better than I EVER had before.
Just my two cents based on personal experience.
"Before I become a memory of what I used to be, get me the f@*% out of a world that's doing its best, night and day, to make me everybody else." - Have Heart
I welcome all comments Mike,
I welcome all comments Mike, including your own. So thank you.
To me that lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup concoction was a little too extreme for me and I know if someone who isn't exactly fit, healthy or exercises much tries this then I would say be very wary on your well being.
Some 'celebs' have done it to drop some pounds for movies or for photo shoots and to me it kinda make me think that these young kids who emulate what they do don't have nutritionists or medical practicioners behind them to help out if anything goes wrong like these celebrities do.
If you're experienced enough then yes its possible that this regime could be beneficial however the alternative I wrote about is a little more easier to adapt to. So in relation to detoxing the reactions like acne etc. could be a good sign but I think that some of the people who use this method to lose weight could be letting themselves in for a roller coaster!
Thanks again for your input bro.
:)