Cleansing or Detoxing for the New Year?
Here is what you need to know.
Updated Dec. 29, 2022
At this time of year, you will see many social media ads and emails on detox supplements, juicing cleanses, and fasting guides. After eating a lot of sweets, treats, and refined carbs over the holidays, you may feel bloated, upset stomachs, sluggish and have gained some weight. You will likely not need these products after the holiday indulgences. You need to transition to more whole foods, add some beneficial herbal teas and other beverages, and perhaps intermittent fasting.
The average American consumes a processed food diet and, over the holidays, has increased the number of processed foods. Doing a juice cleanse and then going back to your westernized diet will not help you, nor is taking a bunch of herbal supplements and still consuming bagels, muffins, chips, crackers, and take-out food as the main components of your diet.
Detoxes and cleanses can be useful when done right and for specific purposes.
Below are some suggestions as to what you can do when you feel you have overconsumed the sugar and carbs and want to detoxify the body from additives and other toxins in processed foods and lose those few extra pounds gained over the holidays.
- Remove the junk food you consumed over the holidays-cookies, cakes, heavy meals, and so forth. If you have extra holiday treats still in the house, toss them.
- Eat anti-inflammatory foods: Much of this is common sense. It is whole foods, mostly plant foods, and organic as much as you can afford.
- Add in intermittent fasting (IF) 2-4x per week for 2-4 weeks. The average overnight fast should be 12 hours but if you go less than 12 hours overnight from dinner to breakfast, start here. IF offers tremendous benefits. We eat too much and too often. IF can help to reduce inflammation, curb appetite and cravings and support your immune system. If you already do the overnight 12-hour fast, add in a 14-hour day fast and build up to a 16-hour fast, depending on your health and how you feel. (for instance, diabetics should not do extensive fasting, or if you get lightheaded or have headaches from fasting). Women should not do long-term or daily fasting since it can disrupt hormones. Women should stick with 12-hour fasts and add in 14-16 hours fasts only 1-2 times per week for hormonal reasons. During the fast, hydrate with clean options (see #4).
- Hydration with clean water. Hydrating is critical for detoxification but what you hydrate with is just as important. Filtering your water and avoiding water from plastic bottles to avoid added chemicals and toxins is vital. Most people don’t give drinking tap water or bottled water a second thought, but tap water may contain arsenic, pesticides, nitrates, hormones, lead, aluminum, medications, and more. Additionally, you do not need to hydrate with only water. Add non-caffeinated herbal teas, bone broth, and water with lemon and limes, or add a tablespoon of unfiltered apple cider vinegar and a teaspoon of raw local honey. My favorite water filtration system is the Berkey system.
- Sprouts. Sprouts can remove recent toxins from the body. Grow your own. It is cheap, and they grow quickly. Make only enough that will last you 3-5 days since sprouts can develop bacteria. Toss after a week. This is why I suggest growing your own versus buying in the store. There are many different sprouts to try that you will not find in stores. Purchase organic seeds. Not only can they help with detoxification, but they pack a powerful nutrient punch in a small amount.
- Activated charcoal (AC). Take 2 capsules (typically 500-600 mg) in the morning to detoxify recent exposure from the GI tract for up to 2 weeks. AC will not remove long-term toxins, only recent exposure. Take it away from medications, supplements, and food by at least 30 minutes.
- Clean air. A filtration device such as the Air Doctor can reduce pollutants in your indoor environment. Keep it in an area where you spend most of your time. An air filter device can help remove dust, support lung and respiratory health, reduce mold spores, and reduce or eliminate pet dander and odors from cigarette smoke.
- Infrared sauna therapy. Spending time in an infrared sauna can help release toxins and reduce inflammation. An infrared sauna allows deep skin penetration compared to a traditional sauna that does not. (avoid if you have CVD, HTN, or type 2 diabetes, and consult with your health practitioner to ensure it is safe for you). Start at lower temps and shorter duration and build up to a higher temp of 120 for 20-30 minutes.
- Elimination. Make sure you have regular bowel movements daily, which is critical for detoxification. Regular exercise and a whole foods diet will support bowel elimination. If you are unsure what a healthy BM is, look up the Bristol stool chart.
- Exercise and movement. Some people do a workout in the morning but then sit for the rest of the day. Exercise is important and supports detoxification via sweating but staying active throughout the day is just as important to overall health. If you sit all day, set a time to remind yourself to get up, take a brain break, do some mindless chores, walk the dog, garden, or stretch.
- Juicing and smoothies: I am not opposed to juicing, and it can be a nutrient-dense hydration tool during fasting, but most juices your purchase are loaded with sugar, may not contain organic ingredients, and have lost their potency since the odds are they are not fresh. Invest in a juicer, grow or purchase some organic ingredients, and make your own. But do not be surprised by how little juice you get from many vegetables! The next option is to use a high-powered blender and make a veggie and low-fruit smoothie that keeps the fiber intact. I say low fruit because many people add too many high-sugar fruits to their smoothies, such as mango and pineapple, and very few veggies. Flip-flop the recipe to mostly veggies and greens and perhaps half a banana or 1/2 an apple, or 1/2 cup of berries.
A 2009 investigation found that no company behind 15 detox supplements could supply evidence for their efficacy. These brands could not tell you what these products were “detoxing” from the body. (http://archive.senseaboutscience.org/data/files/resources/48/Detox-Dossier-Embargoed-until-0001-5th-jan-2009.pdf)
Bottom Line
Taking supplements and drinking prepared juices while not changing your westernized diet will not do you much good. Save your money, skip detox kits and premade juices, and visit your local organic produce aisle instead.
Subscribe to my free substack for weekly nutrition information that you can use to improve your health. https://trufoods.substack.com
Great article. I do think there is some benefit to herbal cleanses/shakes, especially for those who have a terrible diet and need something simple to get them started, but I’m with you…there is no benefit whatsoever if you are not changing the way you eat for LIFE. You can’t expect a 30-day anything to fix you if you fill your body the rest of the time with the standard American diet. We really are what we eat, and a healthy diet needs to be a permanent lifestyle change if we want to see improvement in both physical and mental well-being.