To Detox or Not To Detox

That is the question

Ever since I started learning about health and nutrition, I have read about the importance of “the detox.” Detox diets are everywhere, encouraged and sold by celebrities, dieticians, and food personalities. Usually, a detox involves cutting out all processed food, simple carbs, sugar, gluten, and even certain fruits and vegetables, such as bananas and sweet potatoes. Following these diets is supposed to give you energy, boost your health, rid your body of toxins, and reduce inflammation. It’s a diet you can only follow for a short period, usually about a week. And even that is sometimes unsustainable.

Recently, my friend who’s about to get married asked me to do a ten-day detox with her. Faced with the reality of potentially following this diet myself, I decided to do some research to see if it’s healthy or even safe to be so restrictive. The answer? It depends.

And if you’re hoping to detox so you can lose some weight, forget about it. You will undoubtedly slim down at first, but in the end, it’s just another yo-yo diet. You lose weight in the beginning because you’re losing liquid and glycogen stores, but the weight will almost certainly come back when you start eating normally again.

So the consensus is that our bodies do a pretty darn good job of detoxifying already. And no detox diet will lead to lasting weight loss since it’s so restrictive it’s unsustainable for more than a few days. When you go back to eating normally again, the weight will almost certainly come back.

A more moderate “detox” could be beneficial, simply for educational purposes. Removing processed foods, for example, still leaves all of the essential macros up for grabs, and it will certainly make you feel better and more aware of what you’re eating. Removing added sugar for several days can also be helpful, mainly because it will lead to more mindfulness when eating foods with added sugar later. You don’t realize how many foods out there have added sugar until you start looking for it.

Experts suggest cutting out soy, wheat, dairy, nuts, egg, shellfish, and corn if you're trying an elimination diet. Then, you slowly add in one food group at a time (a week for each food group), and see how you feel. If you notice your body starting to feel bad after adding in a particular food group, there’s a good chance you have an intolerance.

So we’ve covered the scientific debunking of the detox, and we’ve talked about scenarios that might call for a less intense detox-like diet, but there’s one big reason that detoxing might not be suitable for you. Restriction.

Any type of food restriction can be detrimental to mental health, especially for those of us who have a history of disordered eating. Scientifically, restricting certain foods actually makes you want them more. Putting yourself on a strict diet also may lead to missteps (we're all human) which could cause guilt, negative self-talk, and low self-esteem.

An overly restrictive diet can also send your body into starvation mode, meaning your metabolism slows way down in an effort to conserve the fat and grycogen you already have stored in your body. Seeing that happen when you’re trying to lose weight can lead to confusion, frustration, and just plain grumpiness.

Instead of trying to take away foods from your diet that are “causing inflammation” or “toxic”, try adding in more whole foods, greens, and veggies. Addition works better than subtraction, since it’s more sustainable and will be better for your mental health in the long run.

You just read another post from In Fitness And In Health: a health and fitness community dedicated to sharing knowledge, lessons, and suggestions to living happier, healthier lives.

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