Detox?
(NOTE: If you’re reading this after April 1, 2019 make sure you read until the end!)
Spring is here….time to detox! Everyone needs a good cleansing, right?! So many environmental pollutants, heavy metals, chemicals, pesticides are wreaking havoc on your body!
If you suffer any of these symptoms you might have toxic overload:
- bloating
- gas
- belly fat
- constipation
- fatigue
- food cravings (especially sweets!)
- low energy
- nausea
- mood swings
- aches and pains
- acne or poor skin health
- resistance to weight loss
- poor memory
- dark circles under your eyes.
It’s time to reduce inflammation (the cause of many diseases), cleanse your liver, support digestion, balance your hormones, improve memory, and a side benefit…weight loss!
If your diet has ANY of these, you definitely need to detox! Some of the most troublesome:
dairy, GMOs, wheat, corn, soy, non-organic food, chemicals (especially pesticides!) and food dyes.
Choose your favorite:
- 7-day cold-pressed juice cleanse
- 3-day gut reset
- A bowel-irrigating colonic treatment
- Intermittent fasting
- Essential oils, apple cider vinegar, herbs, and superfoods
- A coffee enema
- The Master Cleanse (oh….but so last year)
So, do you need a detox?
Today is April 1 – you know what that means? APRIL FOOLs!!! 🙂
Detoxing -> cleansing. Newsflash! It’s absurd. There aren’t caked-on toxins hanging around your colon needing to be removed. And your body is its own natural detoxification system using the liver, kidneys, skin, and lungs.
Want to “detox?” Don’t waste money on any of the above treatments. Purge your diet of highly manufactured food-like substances and eat fruits/veggies (does NOT need to be organic), whole grains and lean protein! Unless you have an allergy, there is NO need to avoid dairy, wheat, corn, soy, genetically engineered (GMO) food.
Science does not back up detox benefits. Here’s a post What’s the Deal with Detox Diets you might like.
What questions do you have? What confuses you? I’m here to help!
-Neily
Photo credits: pixabay.com
Jennifer Neily, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist | Wellcoach® Certified Health Coach
https://NeilyonNutrition.com
@JenniferNeily Twitter | @NeilyonNutrition Instagram
Great Article!
Thanks Dana!
-Neily
Thanks Dana! 🙂
Neily
This is why I’ll be harvesting nettles by the bushel near the cleanest streams around, blanching and freezing them for soups, stews and teas. No better spring cleanse around, and so delicious
This is great! Thanks for your message David. -Neily
This was so clever!
Well I have done at least 3 of the things on the list to detox LOL! Detox is just another code word for emptying of the bowels. I am happy that I read your blog to save me money and time in the future. So far in this class I am learning allot about my eating habits from my food journal. Thanks for the information!
🙂 I’m glad I could educate you Miss Ashley! Save your money 🙂
-Neily
Well you had me fooled! I always hear people talk about various detox methods, but I know they are not true.
Haha! April Fools 🙂
-Neily
Shared with my family at the dinner table and they were surprised with the information.
Thanks for your comment Maria…so your family was surprised…because? That detoxing is NOT needed?
Great article. I use to use the master cleanse 3 times a year and though I loved the immediate effects I found the long term effects of readjustment to be a burden and unsubstantial to my overall health. I lean more toward an eat less and stay active lifestyle which resembles more of a constant fast than a periodic cleanse.
Yes! Michael, glad you liked the post. Cleanses do nothing but make people miserable and are something created by an entire industry doing nothing but purging money from wallets!
-Neily
This post was so clever! You got me good with the April fools. Glad I read until the end!!
Haha! People who know me saw my post on social media about this and KNEW something was up b/c they know me well and I’d never take detoxing and cleansing seriously. Glad you liked it!
-Neily
WOW! My favorite body cleanser would be the coffee enema, and I didn’t even know it would be listed as your Spring Detox. I guess I’ve been detoxing all year around. Lol The next detox I will be trying is going to be the 7 day cold-pressed juice cleanse, that sounds very refreshing.
Okay…I hope you’re being sarcastic Alexis 🙂 It was an April Fool’s post… no need to waste money on cleanses!
-Neily
Lol yes ma’am I am! The natural way is always the way to go??
What do you recommend for a cleanse?
Astrid…I DO NOT recommend a cleanse. Did you read the entire post?
“Today is April 1 – you know what that means? APRIL FOOLs!!! ? Detoxing -> cleansing. Newsflash! It’s absurd. There aren’t caked-on toxins hanging around your colon needing to be removed. And your body is its own natural detoxification system using the liver, kidneys, skin, and lungs. Want to “detox?” Don’t waste money on any of the above treatments. Purge your diet of highly manufactured food-like substances and eat fruits/veggies (does NOT need to be organic), whole grains and lean protein! Unless you have an allergy, there is NO need to avoid dairy, wheat, corn, soy, genetically engineered (GMO) food. Science does not back up detox benefits.”
-Neily
Glad this was an April’s fool deal.I have always believed that the body gets rid of toxins it does not want. Coffee enema? Do people really do that ?
I have a question about the dietary supplements being sold. Would you still need them if you eat a balanced diet?
Thanks for your message Paul. You will learn in our 3rd class discussion board all about supplements. But briefly…not if you eat a balanced diet, supplements generally are not needed. Oh…and coffee enemas…yes, sadly, it is a thing 🙁
-Neily
These are all very clear and clever ideas as to how to detox the right way. I have many family members tell me they have these exact problems & with me being into nutrition they ask me what they can do to resolve, this could be a good tip here.
Just checking Matthew…you DO realize it’s an April Fools joke right? I hope so! Detoxing as I described is not needed.
-Neily
Ok, that got me. Here I am reading this thinking that I have heard Detoxing from all of those forms were more fads and that truly the only way to detoxify your body is by eating nutritiously. Happy Belated April Fools
Yes Jason…indeed they ARE fads! Glad you got the joke.
-Neily
I’m glad that I read this article. I had always thought that I should “detox” several times a year and after periods of unhealthy eating habits, but now I know I should just maintain a more balanced and healthy diet.
High five Donna! I’m glad I could help you appreciate how best to care for yourself. Thanks for your message!
-Neily
We went over this in class today and I understood it well plus it’s a great article 🙂
I’m glad I read this article, and learned about it. I use to be a detox freak, but I stopped. Knowing that we should let our bodies do its own thing, and just watch we intake is very helpful.
Great blog. So informative and encouraging, Thank u for this post! So much good info!
Health Fitness Nutrition
Thanks a bunch for commenting! -Neily
The need to cleanse seems rational, especially when talking about the lymphatic system and digestive issues such as SIBO and IBS.
For example, cellulite is toxins deposited in fat cells under the skin by a sluggish lymphatic system due to the slow rate of removing toxins through the kidneys and liver. We are overloaded with toxins, which get deposited into fat cells until they can be removed. We gain weight as a result.
When you slow down the dietary intake of toxins (environmental toxins have less effect than dietary toxins in food), you give your detoxification system more time to remove toxins stored in fat cells.
Another example is the microwave oven. Microwaved food is dangerous to consume and leads to such issues as cancer, MS, and fat gain.
For more information, consider the book You’re Not Fat, You’re Toxic.
Thoughts?
Thank you for your comment Ashleigh but … how do you define cleanse? I define cleansing as eating a nutrient rich diet of veggies, fruits, whole grains, water, and lean protein.
Neily
This is great to know. Today I was at whole foods and I was looking through all the juices and I thought about the juice cleanse. Its good to know that a juice cleanse is not necessary! I definitely notice a difference though when I eat fruits and veggies, I just feel less drained! Healthy eating really makes a difference!!
Indeed! Healthy eating DOES make a difference. Keep up the good work.
Neily
Thank you for this post miss Neily i have also been a fan of detox. i thought i was actually giving my body a rest for all the crabs and proteins and sugar. but i realize our body needs that. being healthy does not mean i need to starve myself.
Anni Amanat
Thanks for your comment Anni – just to be sure though…I am NOT a fan of detox. (Perhaps you meant to say that…or that you were until you read my info?
Neily
I do believe you are what you eat so i never spend money on detox pill. I also agree with you that we just need to eat more fresh food, fruits, vegetable and stay away canned food to keep our body healthy. Thank you and i always enjoy reading your post.
I’ve been looking for a good detox! Great information!
Thanks for your comment Jazzmine…and just to be sure, that was posted on April Fool’s day 🙂
Hopefully you saw that and read this:
Want to “detox?” Don’t waste money on any of the above treatments. Purge your diet of highly manufactured food-like substances and eat fruits/veggies (does NOT need to be organic), whole grains and lean protein! Unless you have an allergy, there is NO need to avoid dairy, wheat, corn, soy, genetically engineered (GMO) food.
Neily
I think this is so interesting! I never bought the idea of detoxing since our bodies have so many biological processes to eliminate the bad for us. Thank you for addressing this interesting subject!
You are welcome Katelynn – the detox market is so overblown and in a word…worthless. Not to mention it can be damaging.
Thanks for your comment!
Neily
I always tell people the best things for your body are the naturals you need (fruits, veggies, water, protein etc.). I am so glad this article says the same and ditches the bizarre types of detoxes (like enemas) people tend to do to get a short cut into weight loss.
Thanks for your comment Angie! I’m glad my message resonates with you.
Neily