What is the Role of a Detox Diet?

Potential Benefits of a Detox Diet

Healthcare professionals have attempted to demonstrate the exact mechanisms in which detox diets can help eliminate toxins from your body. As a matter of fact, because of the current lack of research studies on detox diets in humans, there is currently little to no evidence which even demonstrates if detox diets can remove any toxins from your body as most of these rarely specify the type of harmful components they aim to remove. Moreover, your body is capable of cleansing itself through sweat, urine, and feces. Your liver also makes toxins harmless and then releases them from your body.

However, there are several harmful components that aren’t easily removed by these processes, including persistent heavy metals, phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), and organic pollutants (POPs). These generally accumulate in fat tissue or blood and can take an extended period for your body to flush them. These harmful compounds are generally limited or removed in commercial products today.

Detox diets may also have other possible health benefits and these can also help encourage the following, including:

• Avoiding processed foods
• Eating nutritious, healthy whole foods
• Exercising regularly and sweating accordingly
• Drinking juices, teas, and water
• Losing excessive fat; weight loss
• Limiting stress, relaxing, and getting good sleep
• Avoiding dietary sources of heavy metals and POPs

Following these guidelines is generally associated with improved health and wellness, regardless of whether you’re following a detox diet.

Bottom Line

Many detox diets are typically short-term diet and lifestyle changes made to help eliminate toxins from your body. A well-known detox diet may include a period of fasting and a diet of fruits, vegetables, juices, and water. A detox diet may also include teas, supplements, and enemas or colon cleanses. According to healthcare professionals, the role of a detox diet is to rest your organs, stimulate your liver function, promote toxin elimination, improve circulation, and provide healthy nutrients. Detox diets are recommended due to possible exposure to harmful compounds like heavy metals and pollutants.

Detox diets are also believed to help improve a variety of health issues, including digestive problems, bloating, inflammation, allergies, autoimmune diseases, obesity, and chronic fatigue. However, there currently aren’t enough research studies on detox diets in humans and those that exist are considered flawed. In the article above, we discussed the role of a detox diet on health and wellness.

Detox diets are made to help eliminate toxins from your body. A detox diet may include fasting, followed by a diet made up of fruits, vegetables, juices, and water. A detox diet may also include teas, supplements, and enemas. The role of a detox diet is to help your organs rest, promote liver function, support toxin elimination, improve circulation, and to offer various healthy nutrients. Detox diets are recommended when a person has been exposed to harmful compounds like heavy metals and pollutants. Detox diets are also believed to help improve digestive problems, bloating, inflammation, allergies, autoimmune diseases, obesity, and chronic fatigue, among a variety of other health issues. However, further research studies are still required. – Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C., C.C.S.T. Insight

Zesty Beet Juice

Servings: 1
Cook time: 5-10 minutes

• 1 grapefruit, peeled and sliced
• 1 apple, washed and sliced
• 1 whole beet, and leaves if you have them, washed and sliced
• 1-inch knob of ginger, rinsed, peeled and chopped

Juice all ingredients in a high-quality juicer. Best served immediately.

Just one carrot gives you all of your daily vitamin A intake

Yes, eating just one boiled 80g (2¾oz) carrot gives you enough beta carotene for your body to produce 1,480 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin A (necessary for skin cell renewal). That’s more than the recommended daily intake of vitamin A in the United States, which is about 900mcg. It’s best to eat carrots cooked, as this softens the cell walls allowing more beta carotene to be absorbed. Adding healthier foods into your diet is a great way to improve your overall health.

The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, and sensitive health issues and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate and support directly or indirectly our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We also make copies of supporting research studies available to the board and or the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation as to how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900. The provider(s) Licensed in Texas*& New Mexico* 

Curated by Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C., C.C.S.T.

References:

• Bjarnadottir, Adda. “Do Detox Diets and Cleanses Really Work?” Healthline, Healthline Media, 10 Jan. 2019, www.healthline.com/nutrition/detox-diets-101.
• Dowden, Angela. “Coffee Is a Fruit and Other Unbelievably True Food Facts.” MSN Lifestyle, 4 June 2020, www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/did-you-know/coffee-is-a-fruit-and-other-unbelievably-true-food-facts/ss-BB152Q5q?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout#image=24.