Have you ever been surfing on the inter webs reading all about health and nutrition or searching the latest bikini diet…or watching late night cable TV…and come across an ad for a detox diet? They’re super convincing, right? “Your body is being bombarded all the time from toxins in the environment, in your food, in your air!” “For the low, low price of $19.99 (x4) you can rid your body of toxic chemicals building up in your body…” “Call now for your FREE 30-day supply.”
Most of these sales pitches include a healthy (er…unhealthy) dose of fear in order to convince you that you need to do something in order to remove heavy metals, chemicals, and toxins that accumulate in your body. Or to reduce belly fat!
Photo by Kenn W. Kiser via MorgueFile.com
They’re convincing because they ply you with fear or play on your insecurities. But is there any fact? Are there any studies that support the idea of detoxing? And is it worth the money, time, effort, and hunger to do a 1-day, 5-day, or 30-day detox?!
In this week’s show we talk about detox diets, supplements, and how the body is designed to remove toxins naturally. I’ll also share a couple of “detoxes” that I actually really like. You won’t want to miss the whole episode (as usual, we laugh a lot!).
References & Resources:
- Klein AV, Kiat H. Detox diets for toxin elimination and weight management: a critical review of the evidence. J Human Nutr Diet. 2014.
- Cleveland Clinic. How Salt Can Impact Your Blood Pressure, Heart and Kidneys.
- For additional Reading:
- Harvard Women’s Health Watch. The Dubious Practice of Detox.
- WebMD. The Truth About Detox Diets.
- For extra credit: Organ Systems: Detoxification. TAMU.
Because we record live, sometimes I make mistakes. Here are some corrections and clarifications from the show:
- I was looking for the phrase “Redundant Systems” to describe how our organs work together to help ensure that our bodies remove toxins accurately and for health.
- When I said PCP, I meant to say PCB! PCP = illicit drug PCB = a potential chemical of concern <<Learn more about this chemical here >>EPA: Learn about PCBs
