Drinking only juice or detox teas for a week or living on soups… You can find many articles about all the different ways you can detox your body. Detoxes are often done after eating too many unhealthy meals. But does a detox really make sense? Or will the weight you lose come back later?
First I want to start by saying that everyone should do what they feel good and comfortable with. If a detox sounds good to you, feel free to do it! Often times, promises are too good to be true. Losing 5kg a week is fine, but not when you gain back twice that amount a month later. There is a lot of right and wrong information circulating about detox and it’s time to take a closer look at detoxes…
What is detox
Detoxing cleanses your body of toxins. This can be done in many different ways, but some detoxes are more effective than others. Detox not only cleanses your body, it can also affect you mentally. After a week of greens-only detox, you will naturally rejuvenate as well as cleanse your body. Detox can be pretty tough if you can’t stand eating little (or nothing). Headaches, nausea, and a bad mood can also be some of the effects of a detox.
During a detox, your body only gets the nutrients it needs to function. This means there will be a drop in your blood sugar level. Your body tries to combat this by releasing glycogen, a sugar that’s mainly stored in your liver and muscles. It also flushes out a lot of water attached to it while detoxing, which is one of the reasons you’ll lose a few pounds. Unfortunately, it’s not oil, it’s water!
Right and wrong about detoxes
There is a lot of misinformation about detoxes, especially on the internet. They are not completely wrong, because much of what is written on the Internet is not completely unfounded. Here are a few true and false about detoxes at a glance:
“I got rid of my toxins with a detox” – FALSE
Unfortunately, this is not true. Our body, especially the liver, is very good at getting rid of toxins on its own. You don’t need any detox diets on top of that. It doesn’t really help flush out any of the toxins.
“After eating unhealthy for so long then, detox is a good idea” – FALSE
That would be great if true. This means that the 5 kilos that come off during the Christmas holidays can be shed with the help of a juice detox in the first week of January. I wish… Unfortunately, the effects of eating unhealthy foods cannot be cured by detox. Excess fat and sugar are already stored in your body before you even consider starting a detox.
“I can improve my strength and health with detox” – TRUE
This is true if you are aware of the products you put into your body. Most people who do a serious detox then improves their diet because they understand how good it is to eat healthy. Only then can you improve your strength and health with a detox
“Detox is an excellent way to change your lifestyle” (980710) – TRUE and FALSE
This statement can actually be considered both true and false. Because it’s not the same for everyone. It is not always possible for anyone to completely transform their lifestyle in one day. Through a detox, you will be aware of all the harmful things you put into your body every day. For example, if you do a detox where you don’t eat any sugar, you’ll probably feel uncomfortable at first. This allows you to clearly see how addicted you are to sugars. It’s not the most pleasant way to learn, but it’s definitely effective. It will naturally be embarrassing to return to your unhealthy habits after a detox. This is why people become more conscious of what they eat and drink after detoxing. This is not a scientifically proven fact, but that’s how the process usually works for fanatical ‘detoxers’.
As you will probably realize, your mental state is the most important part of a detox. Your body can detox itself well already, but sometimes it doesn’t hurt to use a helping hand. This is what makes this harsh treatment easy. You deprive yourself of anything unhealthy and focus only on healthy foods. Then it is very important to be a little strong with yourself. After detoxing, going straight to unhealthy snacks will naturally have very bad effects. You will need to stay strong to ensure that the weight you lose does not come back immediately.
