Detox Season is coming: proceed cautiously!

Detoxing has always been interesting to me. When I was younger, I bought a book on detoxing for our family vacation in Florida. Not your typical family vacation read! Initially I was interested in detoxing because I was all about ways to lose five pounds easily. So much has changed since then. Now it’s because I understand how beneficial it can be when done correctly. That being said, I’ve always really loved learning about advanced detoxing.

Detoxing season is just around the corner! Every January we all see several people changing their eating habits, starting a new workout routine and possibly going on a detox for the new year. This is great. However, I want those thinking about going into a detox to proceed cautiously.

At any given time, you can purchase one of several detoxing and cleansing options that are available to anyone. As a Holistic Nutritionist, this is really alarming to me! There are so many products that offer very little guidance on how to properly detox, as well as several people behind these products that may not have the proper training on what the detox should entail. Unfortunately, there isn’t much regulation on these products and claims can be made without much verification. That being said, you have to be your own advocate (or work with a nutrition professional) and truly understand what you’re doing. However, not everyone has the time to do their homework on products. I get that we all want an easy fix or product that doesn’t take much thought. My goal is to help lead you in the right direction so you can make a more informed choice if you want to go through a detox.

Most of us (individual health should always be considered) could benefit from the occasional, properly done cleanse or detox. Even when eating a completely organic, clean diet and avoiding all the toxins we can, our bodies naturally create toxins through metabolic processes. Our bodies were created to naturally detox themselves, we’re just unfortunately overloading them and unable to keep up with these natural processes. The EPA estimates that approximately 500,000 chemicals are in use today and 5000 new ones are created each year. Sadly, this number has likely increased since it was published in my school reading! Life is so much different for us today compared to what it was for our ancestors. Our bodies have to work so much harder to process everything we do to them. Think about the chemicals in your morning routine alone; shampoo, conditioner, face wash, body wash, toothpaste, lotion, hair products, makeup! This is just within the first hour or so of the day and without eating anything. What we eat can be even more damaging. If we’re not eating organic, whole foods, we’re ingesting even more toxins. Our bodies are having a harder and harder time keeping up and disease is taking over. We were not made to live this way.

The detoxification process in the body consists of two phases; Phase I and Phase II. Along with this, there are both fat-soluble toxins and water-soluble toxins. Water-soluble toxins are absorbed and then excreted. Fat-soluble toxins are the worst! We accumulate them in our fat cells and membranes. Phase I essentially prepares the toxins and chemicals in your body so that a small molecule can be added or modified during Phase II to make the fat-soluble toxins water-soluble so you’re able to excrete them. Some of the most dangerous toxins in our body are fat-soluble. They’re just hanging out in our fat cells and clinging to them, not leaving until our body is able to properly detox them. When the body is under stress, it releases these toxins from the fat cells to circulate in the bloodstream. Later, these toxins will return to the fat cells and membranes to be released another time. This vicious cycle continues over and over until we help our bodies to excrete them.

Both Phase I and Phase II require a TON of nutrients to properly detox. When we don’t provide our body with these, we likely cause damage by “retoxing”. Typically Phase I enzymatic reactions decrease chemical toxicity, but sometimes more toxic chemicals can result. This is why it’s vital to make sure you have enough of the proper nutrients to make sure your body can complete both Phase I and Phase II. The efficiency of Phase I and Phase II is negatively affected by deficiencies of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids. Inadequate protein intake specifically reduces Phase I clearance and insufficient caloric intake decreases overall detoxification function. The detox process requires large amounts of caloric energy, which comes from the food we eat (Krohn & Taylor). It’s so extremely important that we eat enough whole foods when detoxing!

On top of all of this, because we’re all individuals, some people will detox easier than others depending on their “toxic load” or the toxic burden they currently have. This should always be taken into consideration when beginning a detox. If your body isn’t able to complete one of the phases due to your slowed detoxing capabilities, you may open yourself to a whole host of other issues. Most professionals have access to lab tests that can determine your detoxing ability.

Overall, avoid a detox or cleanse that require you to cut back on your whole food intake. A proper detox should include whole food meals and snacks with outlined whole food suggestions for each phase to help meet your nutrient and caloric requirements. As a side note, there may be the occasional time when a person could benefit from a short no food cleanse, but these should again be short, done under a professional and done for good reason (usually to help with an illness). Also, ask questions! You have to be your own advocate! If the benefits being touted seem too good to be true, they likely are!

Cheers to your health!

Tia Power