What Happens in Your Body During a "Cleanse" or "Detox"

5stringjeff
5stringjeff Posts: 790 Member
edited November 8 in Health and Weight Loss
This is a great article about the uselessness of cleanses and detoxes. The money paragraph from the story:
Most importantly, a juice cleanse doesn't do anything that your body doesn't already do on its own. Andy Bellatti reminds us that our bodies are already pretty good at removing toxins. If they weren't, and you needed a yearly detox, we'd all probably be dead.

http://lifehacker.com/what-happens-in-your-body-during-a-cleanse-or-detox-1669540259
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Replies

  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Phew. :smile:
  • rprussell2004
    rprussell2004 Posts: 870 Member
    edited December 2014
    ZOMG whew. I saw this topic and came in to be all indignant, but you're already on the same page :)
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
    Darn it! :D
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Amazing how two words can get so many people to turn off their brains and open their wallets.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Thanks for sharing :)
  • CupcakeCrusoe
    CupcakeCrusoe Posts: 1,440 Member
    Oh thank goodness. It's too early for all that sass I was about to bring out.

    I wonder how much more we'll have to deal with this myth come the new year and perhaps influx of new MFPers.
  • MadamMina
    MadamMina Posts: 82 Member
    BrianSharpe wrote: »
    Amazing how two words can get so many people to turn off their brains and open their wallets.

    Totally this!

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,262 Member
    People who buy into these schemms seem to miss the fact that if they actually did expel a specific toxin or poison directly related to their marketing that that fact would be promoted big time and I mean "HEADLINES' in their advertising. Or at least I would be making a big deal about how my detox program eliminates said toxin/s in a specific time period. But alas, as we all know they can't do that because it doesn't happen.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    BrianSharpe wrote: »
    Amazing how two words can get so many people to turn off their brains and open their wallets.
    But David Tennant wasn't mentioned at all!
    as7uq25r54p1.gif

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited December 2014
    CupcakeCrusoe wrote: »
    Oh thank goodness. It's too early for all that sass I was about to bring out.

    I wonder how much more we'll have to deal with this myth come the new year and perhaps influx of new MFPers.

    "snake oil" has existed for basically all of time. People have always wanted to believe that there is some super easy and magical way to fix their problems.

    The diet and fitness industry at large preys on the desperate and the ignorant and profits.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    I was going to say "nothing", but this article works too (in a few more words)
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    edited December 2014
    Someone will have to bump this thread when all the detox noobs start posting after the first of the year.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Someone will have to bump this thread when all the detox noobs start posting after the first of the year.

    Yep, we have less than 3 weeks to go.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Food reset. Nice phrase. I've always called my back to basics times a "recalibration".

    This should be stickied.
  • TheDevastator
    TheDevastator Posts: 1,626 Member
    A proper cleanse or detox consists of lots of leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds and other foods that support the liver and kidneys.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,262 Member
    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    Food reset. Nice phrase. I've always called my back to basics times a "recalibration".

    This should be stickied.
    Food reset or whatever could show up as a benefit, but I highly doubt the detox spa's would be getting the admission fee's they need to pay for all the naturaopath and nutritional experts found on the property and of course their in house remedies would just collect dust. Eat healthy doesn't sell, magic sells, that's pretty evident and the admission prices and going into the stratosphere, and cell phones are basically not allowed.......people are sheep and like to be herded.

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,262 Member
    edited December 2014
    TheDevastator wrote: »
    A proper cleanse or detox consists of lots of leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds and other foods that support the liver and kidneys.
    There's cyanide in broccoli and nuts can send people into anaphylaxis shock.

  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    edited December 2014
    TheDevastator wrote: »
    A proper cleanse or detox consists of lots of leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds and other foods that support the liver and kidneys.


    What do you mean by "foods that support the liver and kidneys", sounds like what you've described (plus a protein source) is just a well rounded nutritious diet.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    TheDevastator wrote: »
    A proper cleanse or detox consists of lots of leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds and other foods that support the liver and kidneys.

    If your liver and kidneys are functioning, then what's the purpose of the cleanse?
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    5stringjeff wrote: »
    This is a great article about the uselessness of cleanses and detoxes. The money paragraph from the story:
    Most importantly, a juice cleanse doesn't do anything that your body doesn't already do on its own. Andy Bellatti reminds us that our bodies are already pretty good at removing toxins. If they weren't, and you needed a yearly detox, we'd all probably be dead.

    lifehacker.com/what-happens-in-your-body-during-a-cleanse-or-detox-1669540259

    Thanks for the great link.

  • DeWoSa
    DeWoSa Posts: 496 Member
    I was thinking a cup of Clorox or some Scrubbing Bubbles.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    Many who are allured to this actually have no idea what a TOXIN is:
    noun
    1.
    any poison produced by an organism, characterized by antigenicity in certain animals and high molecular weight, and including the bacterial toxins that are the causative agents of tetanus, diphtheria, etc., and such plant and animal toxins as ricin and snake venom.

    So unless you're a snake or brown recluse spider, the whole "detoxing" doesn't apply to humans. Longs as you're doing number 1 and 2 with no detectable issues (measure in both), one doesn't need to worry about it.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • TheDevastator
    TheDevastator Posts: 1,626 Member
    neanderthin wrote: »
    TheDevastator wrote: »
    A proper cleanse or detox consists of lots of leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds and other foods that support the liver and kidneys.
    There's cyanide in broccoli and nuts can send people into anaphylaxis shock.
    Cyanide in small doses actually kill cancer cells. There are lot of foods with trace amounts of cyanide. If someone is allergic to a food I would recommend them to not eat it.
  • TheDevastator
    TheDevastator Posts: 1,626 Member
    BrianSharpe wrote: »
    TheDevastator wrote: »
    A proper cleanse or detox consists of lots of leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds and other foods that support the liver and kidneys.


    What do you mean by "foods that support the liver and kidneys", sounds like what you've described (plus a protein source) is just a well rounded nutritious diet.

    Garlic, Turmeric, Lemons, and Leafy greens would be some.
  • TheDevastator
    TheDevastator Posts: 1,626 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    TheDevastator wrote: »
    A proper cleanse or detox consists of lots of leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds and other foods that support the liver and kidneys.

    If your liver and kidneys are functioning, then what's the purpose of the cleanse?

    Your liver and kidneys can only do so much and may not be functioning optimally.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    You have to pee more and you might be hungry. Other than that, nothing happens.
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
    TheDevastator wrote: »
    malibu927 wrote: »
    TheDevastator wrote: »
    A proper cleanse or detox consists of lots of leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds and other foods that support the liver and kidneys.

    If your liver and kidneys are functioning, then what's the purpose of the cleanse?

    Your liver and kidneys can only do so much and may not be functioning optimally.

    That may be true, but when my mother's kidneys were functioning less-than-optimally, there was no "detox" prescribed. She was put on a low-sodium low-protein diet with consuming lots of the things you recommend encouraged.

    The idea that a few days of green juice is going to put you in fabulous health has been debunked.
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  • Debmal77
    Debmal77 Posts: 4,770 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »
    TheDevastator wrote: »
    malibu927 wrote: »
    TheDevastator wrote: »
    A proper cleanse or detox consists of lots of leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds and other foods that support the liver and kidneys.

    If your liver and kidneys are functioning, then what's the purpose of the cleanse?

    Your liver and kidneys can only do so much and may not be functioning optimally.

    If your liver and kidneys aren't functioning properly you really think a detox is the solution???

    Exactly.
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