Should I Detox?
Detox- whether it’s physical or digital- is a very popular buzzword at the moment.
It typically implies following a specific diet or using special products to rid your body of toxins, thereby improving health and promoting weight loss.
I’ve always had a pretty tricky relationship with food. Over the past few years my weight has gone up and down like a yo-yo and I’ve gone from a round of toast for every meal to eating full meals whenever the mood takes me. To be honest, I just want to eat whatever I want, but thats not always possible. As I’ve grown older and entered the working world, I’ve realised how much pressure people put on themselves to be perfect.
I never know who’s the one in the wrong here, I don’t like the idea of calorie counting or restricting my intake. Who wants to be the one who orders a salad at Nandos? Not me… But at the same time I feel like I should be caring for myself a little more. I’ve lost and gained a fair bit of weight over the past year and I’m not 100% happy with my body at the moment.
After payday, I’ll officially be heading back to the gym again. But as I step back into my fitness mindset I want to play around with the idea of a detox. As always I think diets, calorie counting, and all that stuff only works if people don’t have a strong relationship with food.
Common misconceptions about detoxing
Detox diets are said to eliminate toxins from your body, improve health, and promote weight loss.
The term “toxin” in the context of detox diets is loosely defined. It typically includes pollutants, synthetic chemicals, heavy metals, and processed foods — which all negatively affect health.
However, popular detox diets rarely identify the specific toxins they aim to remove or the mechanism by which they supposedly eliminate them.
Moreover, no evidence supports the use of these diets for toxin elimination or sustainable weight loss.
Your body has a sophisticated way of eliminating toxins that involves the liver, kidneys, digestive system, skin, and lungs.
Still, only when these organs are healthy, can they effectively eliminate unwanted substances.
So, while detox diets don’t do anything that your body can’t naturally do on its own, you can optimize your body’s natural detoxification system.
1. Limit Alcohol
More than 90% of alcohol is metabolised in your liver.
Liver enzymes metabolize alcohol to acetaldehyde, a known cancer-causing chemical.
Recognising acetaldehyde as a toxin, your liver converts it to a harmless substance called acetate, which is later eliminated from your body.
While observational studies have shown low-to-moderate alcohol consumption beneficial for heart health, excessive drinking can cause a myriad of health problems.
Excessive drinking can severely damage your liver function by causing fat buildup, inflammation, and scarring.
When this happens, your liver cannot function adequately and perform its necessary tasks — including filtering waste and other toxins from your body.
As such, limiting or abstaining entirely from alcohol is one of the best ways to keep your body’s detoxification system running strong.
Health authorities recommend limiting alcohol intake to one drink per day for women and two for men. If you currently don’t drink, you shouldn’t start for the potential heart benefits associated with light-to-moderate drinking.
2.Focus on sleep
Ensuring a full 8 hours is a must to support your body’s health and natural detoxification system.
Sleeping allows your brain to reorganise and recharge itself, as well as remove toxic waste from your body.
With sleep deprivation, your body does not have time to perform those functions, so toxins can build up and affect several aspects of health.
Poor sleep has been linked to short and long term health issues like: stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
If you have difficulties staying or falling asleep at night, lifestyle changes like sticking to a sleep schedule and limiting blue light — emitted from mobile devices and computer screens — prior to bed are useful for improving sleep
3.Drink more water
Water does so much more than quench your thirst. it regulates your body temperature and lubricates joints. Your body’s cells must continuously be repaired to function optimally and break down nutrients for your body to use as energy.
However, these processes release wastes - in the form of urea and carbon dioxide - which cause harm if allowed to build up in your blood.
Water transports these waste products, efficiently removing them through urination, breathing, or sweating. So staying properly hydrated is important.
4.Get active
Regular exercise — regardless of body weight — is associated with a longer life and a reduced risk of many conditions and diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and certain cancers.
While there are several mechanisms behind the health benefits of exercise, reduced inflammation is a key point.
While some inflammation is necessary for recovering from infection or healing wounds, too much of it weakens your body’s systems and promotes disease.
By reducing inflammation, exercise can help your body’s systems — including its detoxification system — function properly and protect against disease.
It’s recommended that you do at least 150–300 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise — such as brisk walking — or 75–150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity physical activity — such as running.
To conclude
There were several other things that I decided to keep off this list, like eating antioxidant rich foods and reducing salt intake. A lot of the things you can do to detox are regular parts of any healthy diet. Yeah, I eat a lot, but I’m actually a pretty healthy person the more I research into this. You don’t need to starve yourself for 15 hours a day to live a healthy life style. Calorie deficits are not the only way to get skinny. I’m happy with the fact I make healthy choices, but I just need to work out more frequently if I want to reach any of my fitness goals.