Detoxes and Cleanses - Are They Worth it?

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MisterSixer
MisterSixer Posts: 37 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Some of my friends have recently put themselves through seemingly brutal detox diets and "spring cleanses" to rid the body of toxins and cleanse the bowels, etc.. Some were green-juice only, others followed ayurvedic philosophies. Everyone that I know who has successfully completed these 14-21 day regimens says that going through it was awful and torturous but they feel great afterward. Could it be a placebo effect or because they deprived themselves from solid food for so long that it just feels good to eat food again. Anyone here ever try these detox diets? Would you recommend it?

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  • bmontgomery87
    bmontgomery87 Posts: 1,260 Member
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    I don't really buy into any of them.
    I think eating clean and drinking plenty of water would be more beneficial.
  • shanolap
    shanolap Posts: 1,204 Member
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    My best friend does them all the time trying to get rid of her "thut" and thighs. It doesn't work!! Water and clean eating does though.
  • Robyn1733
    Robyn1733 Posts: 58
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    I do an AdvoCare cleanse every 90 days. Very gentle, and does give you a wonderful feeling afterwell. Goes well with the rest of their products my husband and I take.
  • parvati
    parvati Posts: 432 Member
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    Cleanses & detox's only mess up your metabolism. Initially you may drop some weight, usually it is water weight, you will always gain it back & then you are fighting against your metabolism as well.

    Eat plenty of fruits & veggies & drink your 8-10 glasses of water. Watch your sodium & sugar intake & you are better off than being on a cleanse with the same results! :)
  • marci355
    marci355 Posts: 292
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    NO. A bunch of hype. You can't "cleanse" anything out of your bowels. There are good bacteria in there for a reason. You want healthier bowels? Take a probiotic supplement daily. PB-8 is what I take. You are adding the good bacteria with this supplement, not completely stripping your insides of the good stuff that's supposed to be in there.
  • momma3sweetgirls
    momma3sweetgirls Posts: 743 Member
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    Who says there are toxins in your body? How do these toxins get there? If not through what you eat, then how? Cleaning up ones eating should take care of these 'toxins' - if they exist at all.
  • waterbabeAD
    waterbabeAD Posts: 73
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    I used to detox for about 4 weeks annually for 5 years when they started to become a mainstream thing in the mid 90's. The reason I kept doing them every year is that I did genuinely feel great after a few days, lost weight, had heaps more energy and felt the benefits for many months. My skin was amazing for example. The reason I stopped doing them is because I changed jobs/lifestyle and that they were so tedious and "awful" as your friends put it. Lets face it, beetroot juice and all things from a goat is an aquired taste. The last week I found the worst, and it was usually alcohol or chocolate that I would go for first when I finished. I still do the odd detox day and a few habits have lingered eg lemon and hot water first thing, carrot juice etc

    My advice to you is if you are curious, then try it - but spend a few days/week or so to mentally prepare yourself - complete detox takes a lot of self discpline - which includes completely clearing out your fridge.

    P.S. this is the detox book I used - the 30 day detox: http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/jane+scrivner/detox+yourself/5841474/
  • DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo
    DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo Posts: 296
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    by the responses, I summize there are different kinds of "detoxes"

    I detox every few months, especially after a big holiday when I have been eating a lot of bad things I dont normally...

    my "detox" is basically taking a few supplements like Butcher's broom and dandelion and eating nothing but low sodium broth and raw veggies for a few days( max a week) ...add that to doubling up on my already insane amount of water intake and I consider myself detoxed

    I dont do it do lose weight, I do it to get that yucky Ive-eaten-too-mach-crap feeling
  • nisijam5
    nisijam5 Posts: 10,390 Member
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    The liver de-toxes and your kidneys and colon rid of toxins. Really simple and no pain required. Eat lots of fiber and water and you should be good to go.
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
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    I detox every dayand every night - I have a liver, which does a superb job for me.

    Check your eyes, if they're not bright yellow, you have a pretty efficient one too! :bigsmile:
  • nisijam5
    nisijam5 Posts: 10,390 Member
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    Who says there are toxins in your body? How do these toxins get there? If not through what you eat, then how? Cleaning up ones eating should take care of these 'toxins' - if they exist at all.

    Toxins can be absorbed by your skin from the environment, cleaning products, pollutions, even the sun can be toxic with radiation...called free radicals

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