Many celebs have popularized detoxification diets as a means of weight loss and cleansing the body. But where is the science in all of this? Well, today I’m going to separate the science from the hysteria.
Detoxification is a natural body process where the liver and gut play a major role. Our body is equipped to handle toxins, but it’s very likely this is conditional for many people.
Last week I was at the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo and listened to a talk on detoxification from Gerard Mullin, a GI doctor from Johns Hopkins. For a little background, I’ve been practicing nutrition just over two years and have learned a lot about keeping an open mind when it comes to nutrition. As I have read research, worked with clients, and learned from mentors, I’ve begun to expand upon my traditional thoughts and training and have begun to incorporate more of an integrative approach to nutrition. I love this quote from the talk at FNCE. “Be open minded, but not so open minded that your brains fall out”.
There is no doubt a great debate about the state of our food supply and safety of the environment. Food companies and the governmental agencies claim that chemicals are safe, and then you have many advocates claiming that the food companies are the big bad wolf. I’m not going to choose sides here, because the truth is we haven’t definitively proven that it’s safe or that it’s not safe.
But I love to consider the Precautionary Principle…
“We must act on facts…and on the most accurate interpretation of them, using the best scientific information. That does not mean that we must sit back until we have 100% evidence about everything. When the state of the health of the people is at stake…we should be prepared to take action to diminish those risks even when the scientific knowledge is non conclusive.”
We first have to understand that everybody has a different genetic make up and susceptibility to toxic exposure. Some people can smoke their whole lives and never develop lung cancer. But what we do know is that being exposed to multiple toxins on a routine basis increases the likelihood of adverse health effects. So if you smoke, don’t exercise, and eat poorly you’re at a higher risk of disease.
So should you go on a detox diet to cleanse yourself of toxic exposure? If you are talking about juice fasting and enemas, the answer is no! But we absolutely should be doing something to support the body’s natural detoxification process.
- Focus on probiotics. Bacterial overgrowth in the intestines makes it difficult for the body to reduce toxins. So get probiotics through fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, miso, kefir, tempeh, and take a probiotic supplement.
- Consume a balanced diet. Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, phytonutrients, and proteins are key players in supporting the detoxification pathways. Eat foods that are rich in color– orange, red, green, purple, white and include sources of lean proteins and complex carbohydrates.
- Fix nutrient deficiencies. People with nutrient deficiencies especially vitamin B6, magnesium, and selenium causes the body to retain more toxins. Many people are deficient in omega 3 fatty acids (salmon, tuna, halibut, mackerel, sardines) and vitamin D (sunshine, cod liver oil, salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines). Basically eat fatty fish.
- Limit exposures. The cumulative exposure of toxins contribute to disease risk. As far as food goes, if budget allows choose organic meats, dairy, and produce, especially for the dirty dozen (foods with the most known pesticides), and limit processed foods.
- Reduce excessive body fat. Toxic byproducts build up in the body’s fat reserves, but keep in mind that losing body weight too fast can put a burden on the organs and cause toxic dump and burden the organs. Just another reason not to do a detox fast.
- Sweat it out, daily. Exercise is a great form of detox! Sweating actually allows toxins to be released from the body. Make it a goal to sweat most days of the week.
So what do you think? Do you need to do a few things to protect your body? I’d say we can all do a few things better to support our body’s detox system. Would love to hear your thoughts.
Hi I’m Kristina LaRue, RD (registered dietitian nutritionist), Peloton addict and mama to two active and hungry boys. On Love & Zest, you’ll find healthy-ish recipes that fuel the whole family. I’m all about veggie-filled breakfast, meal prep recipes, healthier sweets, and easy weeknight dinners made in the Instant Pot or sheet pan.
Did you make one of my recipes?? Leave a review in the comments and tag @loveandzest #loveandzest on Instagram!
If you’re a modern mama– I’d love for you to join my Facebook group A Modern Motherhood Collective!
Muscular tissue reduction throughout weight loss can be limited by frequently raising weights (or doing push-ups and various other strength-oriented exercises) and by maintaining enough protein consumption. According to the National Academy of Sciences, the Dietary Endorsement Intake for protein is “0.8 grams each kg of physical body weight for adults.”.
If you experience muscle or joint ache you know the amount of it can influence your life. From not managing to play active sports to missing out on family members fun– the results can be significant and distressing. So, its all-natural that we search for discomfort treatments.
Thank you so much for this post! I've known so many people who have gone on unhealthy fasts and detox diets. I love your list of ways to detox because it teaches people to be healthy for life and make healthy living a habit rather than a quick detox fix. Thanks for sharing!
Christie@ http://kissesandkale.blogspot.com
Happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Loved this! As a new RD and someone who is very interested in integrative approaches myself, I think it's important to keep an open mind but still remain grounded in research and find studies. Detox is a word that's thrown around a lot, and your list are ways that will probably help more than a juice cleanse. I totally agree with reducing your exposure with organic foods and other parts of our lives like making homemade cleaners and looking at the chemicals in our beauty products.
Love meeting fellow RDs! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your opinions! I love that health it's a personal choice that we can all make individual decisions about. We should each strive to do all that we can to protect our bodies and that can look different from person to person. It's an exciting time to be in our field.
Great Post Thank you
This is a great post! So many patients ask me about detox diets and juice fasts. I think it's great to set out the facts.
I have been promoting the benefits of probiotics more than ever to patients. You gotta keep that gut healthy! 🙂
You know I LOVE probiotics!
Hi Kristina! I've been a regular reader for a while, and wanted to say that your posts intertwining food & nutrition really resonate with me! I really enjoy your perspective and it is so motivating to see someone in your field (RD) to have an open mind to both science and the integrative approach. I've been on the fence to make the switch into a nutrition career and have been back and forth on whether to pursue a RD program versus an integrative nutrition program. My passion is really in the food, but I love the science behind the nutrition. Would love to hear your thoughts on whether you feel that you get exposure to integrative concepts in traditional RD programs or if it's obtained mostly through personal, supplemental research?
When I got my degree from Auburn, integrative nutrition was not a focus but it's something that I've studied after my internship under direction of RD mentors. RD programs are the only avenue to set you up to do nutrition counseling in the state of FL and any state with licensure rules to practice nutrition. So I'd suggest the traditional route + a good mentor + obtaining specialty certifications in your field of interest.
Great article. I really enjoyed reading this post, and you are so right in your “definition” of detox, compared to the celebrity version. I actually found a new form of detox yesterday when I had a very deep sports massage, releasing all the toxins from my muscles. I feel pretty crappy today, but it is scary to think that they were all trapped in my muscles and now my body can finally dispose of them.
Thanks for the post, when it comes to looking after our bodies, there is always room for improvement 🙂
Tina http://fuelyourfuturewithtina.blogspot.com/
OMG! Yes deep tissue massage is amazing and a great release!
Being a nutrition student, I can't help but feel overwhelmed with plethora of research out there with findings that are inconclusive. There are so many grey areas, and like you said, we can't wait around until there's 100% evidence. I love the quote you included under the precautionary principle. As for taking care of my body, I can def eat more fish and exercise more. I have been taking the stairs at the hospital I'm interning at 😉
So much of science is unknown and we must embrace that and do what we know is best for ourselves and others. I can totally relate to eating more fish.. it's tough. Plus I want to be more consistent with my supplements 🙂
Loved this post, Kristina. Having been practicing for longer, I unfortunately have found myself evenly more heavily entrenched in a very rigid mindset… until recently. As you say, I've learned to open my mind and realize that what we knew 15 years ago, isn't necessarily what we know today… or what we will know tomorrow.
Excited you enjoyed it Regan! It's CRAZY how much our field evolves as we learn more and more about the body and how foods affect health (even in the last 2 years). But I guess that's what also makes it exciting, and keeps us on our toes.