My honest opinion about detox diets and juicing

“Have you heard these sayings: "Detoxing eliminates toxins from the body," or "Juice cleanses are effective for weight loss?" There are many myths surrounding detox diets and juicing." Let's bust some of these myths together!

What are “detoxes” and “cleanses”?

There are many types of detox programs that will promise you better health or weight loss if you use their products or services. Some of the programs can include diets, regimens, or therapies that are “detoxes” or “cleanses.” They may include fasting, drinking juices, using herbal beverages, avoiding certain foods, or using laxatives. [1]

Although juice can be part of a healthy, balanced diet, it does not detoxify the body.

- The juices which are not pasteurized may expose people to serious bacterial infections. This is especially true for immunocompromised people, children, and the elderly.

- Some juices contain high amounts of “oxalates” which may cause kidney issues.

Drinking excessive amounts of water and herbal teas may cause serious issues

like electrolyte imbalances.

- Diets that drastically reduce calories or remove certain foods from your diets are not only hard to maintain but they can also lead to nutritional deficiencies.

- Some of these cleanses may have a laxative effect on the body but it does not mean they are detoxifying your body.

Keep in mind that your body is smart, and it knows how to get rid of toxins if you take care of it. The skin, kidneys, and liver are the main organs that do the detoxification process for us! [2] The skin eliminates toxins through sweating: kidneys detoxify our bodies by filtering our blood through its filtering units called nephrons. The liver converts toxins into waste products.

There is no scientific evidence that juicing detoxifies our bodies. So, what takes care of the body’s detoxification processes? Our skin, lungs, and kidneys!!

References

[1] National Institutes of Health. (n.d.). "detoxes" and "cleanses": What you need to know. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/detoxes-and-cleanses-what-you-need-to-know

[2] Nebraska Medicine. (2022). Do juice cleanses provide extra health benefits? Nebraska Medicine. https://www.nebraskamed.com/primary-care/does-juicing-provide-extra-benefits.