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Can a detox diet with liquids work after binge-eating?
Junk the cleansing juices and powders because they don’t do anything extra. Your body is equipped to detoxify itself with the liver, kidney, lungs and intestines constantly on the job. Just support your liver and kidney health, says Niyati Naik, Clinical Dietician, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai
Written by Niyati Naik
Updated: August 9, 2023 15:31 IST
Detoxification is a continuous process. (Source: Getty Images/ Thinkstock)
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Can a detox diet with liquids work after binge-eating?
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Haven’t you thought of doing a detoxification diet after a holiday to compensate for all the overeating? Or haven’t you tried a cleansing juice after a wedding? From juices to system cleanse powders and concoctions, several body detox products have been doing the rounds in the market for quite some time now. But the real question is do they really work? Or are they even required?
People initiate this detox practice in the hope of getting rid of all the toxins that may build up in their bodies but in reality, that is never the case. Our bodies are self-equipped to do the detoxification job. Organs like liver, kidney, lungs and intestines are constantly processing waste. All these organs, apart from their normal functioning, have a mechanism of getting rid of these extra toxins and maintaining our overall health status. Thus there is no actual need of any of these external products to do the job. A juice or tea or a powder cannot help us in any extra way apart from what our bodies can do on their own.
If this theory were true, then toxins would constantly build up in our systems without our bodies being capable of excreting them and we would all be sick. The best way to take care of the body’s detoxification process is to take care of the liver and the kidney, which are the body’s main organs in eliminating waste from the body. To do so, refrain from consuming ultra-processed food and packaged foods like fries, limit your intake of sugary foods, fatty foods and alcohol (these foods will cause fatty liver), and drink plenty of water. All of these are laden with high sugar, fat and salt, excess amounts of which are harmful to the body.
Also detoxification is a continuous process. Just because you have gone through a process does not mean that toxins won’t enter your body again. There are chemicals and bacteria in the food that you eat, in the air that you breathe.
Some people believe that a detox diet may help you lose weight. Now that’s also not true. Some short-term shrinkage is possible because you are on a low-calorie diet, usually liquid. All you are losing is just water and muscle, temporarily. In fact, over-dependence on liquids has a laxative and diuretic effect and should be avoided.
Another problem with these products is that they are not well researched or regulated as medication. Hence, we don’t know of any potential side effects or harm that they may cause after repeated usage over a period of time.
While these ever so promising teas, powders, juices and concoctions don’t really work, what actually works for the body is to maintain a healthy well-balanced eating pattern along with exercise, better sleep and stress management cycle. When we talk of a balanced diet, we are talking about an increased ratio of fruits and vegetables along with a good amount of lean protein and complex, not refined, carbohydrates.
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Another important factor that one must consider when trying to improve their health and clean the system would be to avoid the overuse of medication over a period of time; it could build up toxins in the body. Maintaining a good hydration status and avoiding alcohol is known to be beneficial for health.
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As a bottomline, one must always stay mindful of their health as a whole and should not rely on cryptic external products, which may do more harm than good.
First published on: 09-08-2023 at 13:32 IST
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