The detox debate is ongoing. Hollywood celebrities like Salma Hayek, Demi Moore and Beyoncé may tout juicing or the Master Cleanse (known as the Lemonade diet), but many health professionals insist the term ‘detox’ is just a marketing tool.
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While detox is a legitimate medical term which the Oxford Dictionary defines as “to rid the body of toxic or unhealthy substances,” this is usually employed in hospitals under life-threatening circumstances.
When it comes to fasting or following a system to ‘cleanse the body’ of supposed toxins that accumulate from the foods we eat and from the environment, we step out of the realm of science into more unproven territory.
Nutrition expert Hala El Shafie says, “Detoxing is, in fact, a misconception, because the liver naturally cleanses the body. If it didn’t, we’d be seriously ill – simple as that.”
Dietician Pennie Jones agrees. “The scientific evidence behind the benefits of commercially available detox programmes is close to zero. Additionally, there is no physiological need for a detox program. The body has a very sophisticated way of metabolising and excreting toxins, using organs such as the liver and the kidneys, as well as mechanisms to keep the body’s pH in balance,” Jones says.
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“Let’s be clear,” confirms Edzard Ernst, emeritus professor of complementary medicine at the University Of Exeter, “there are two types of detox: one is respectable and the other isn’t.” The respectable one, as he explained to The Guardian, is the medical treatment of people with life-threatening drug addictions. “The other is the word being hijacked by entrepreneurs, quacks and charlatans to sell a bogus treatment that allegedly detoxifies your body of toxins you’re supposed to have accumulated.”
“The healthy body has kidneys, a liver, skin, even lungs that are detoxifying as we speak,” he says. “There is no known way – certainly not through detox treatments – to make something that works perfectly well in a healthy body work better.”
As much as a quick-fix is tempting, the prevailing science on staying healthy is to eat more fruit and vegetables – note the word eat and not juice – exercise regularly, eat meat in moderation, cut down on alcohol and avoid junk food and sugary treats.
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If you are still keen to cleanse, don’t use laxatives or extreme diets. Rather stay healthy. Hala warns: “Detoxes can lead to fluid loss, which can upset the balance of electrolytes. At best, this results in headaches and irritability, but at worst it has a detrimental effect on the heart, liver and other internal organs.”
Instead, try a ‘health-weekend’ where you cut out the bad stuff, load up on nutritious foods and just go gently on your body.
This eat-little-and-often programme by nutritionist Fiona Hunter will help you feel slimmer, boost your immune system and give you more energy:
Making it work
Stock up on the foods that you’ll need beforehand and prepare the fruit compote and soup the day before.
Try to drink at least 1,8 litres of water each day to help flush out the kidneys. Ayurvedic-medicine practitioners recommend drinking warm water as it helps speed up the elimination of toxins. If you find it boring, you could try adding:
- Slices of cucumber with fresh mint.
- Slices of apple with a few thin slices of fresh ginger.
- Slices of strawberry and a couple of fresh basil leaves.
Fresh juices might help boost vitamins and antioxidants, but they contain lots of sugar. So, if you want a juice, limit yourself to one a day, and go for a fruit-and-veggie combo. Avoid drinking regular tea and coffee – you can replace them with green, herbal or fruit tea.
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The plan includes a tub of probiotic yoghurt each day, as stress, poor diet and antibiotics can upset friendly bacteria in the gut. If you don’t eat dairy products, take a supplement containing lactobacillus acidophilus or bifidus bacteria.
The plan
Day 1
On waking: A mug of hot water with 1 slice of fresh lemon and 2 slices of fresh ginger.
Breakfast: Muesli: place 3tbsp sugar-free muesli in a bowl, add 200ml oat milk, cover and leave overnight in the fridge. Add 1 grated apple, a handful of blueberries, and 1tbsp Greek yoghurt.
Mid-morning: 1 apricot and almond bite*.
Lunch: Carrot and peanut salad*.
Kiwi and pomegranate fruit salad: peel and slice 1 large kiwi and mix with the seeds from 1 pomegranate.
Mid-afternoon: 1tbsp red-pepper hummus on 1 rice cake.
Evening meal: Avocado and prawn tabbouleh*.
Orange slices with cinnamon: Peel and slice 1 large orange, sprinkle over ½tsp ground cinnamon and chill.
Bedtime: 2 medjool dates. They’re the best quality, a great source of fibre and have a low- to medium-GI to release sugars slowly.
Think about your food while you eat, and take time to chew it – the digestion process begins in the mouth, so this is really important.
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Day 2
On waking: A mug of hot water with 1 slice of fresh lemon and 2 slices of fresh ginger.
Breakfast: Spiced fruit compote* with one small tub of probiotic yoghurt.
Mid-morning: Berry smoothie: Place 100g frozen summer berries and 200ml oat milk in a blender, and whizz until smooth.
Lunch: Leek and watercress soup*.
Fresh fruit salad: Cut ½ small honeydew melon, mix with 1 peeled and sliced kiwi fruit, and the flesh of 1 passion fruit.
Mid-afternoon: 1 apricot and almond bite*.
Evening meal: Scrambled eggs with flaked poached salmon. Yoghurt with fresh raspberries.
Bedtime: 2 medjool dates.
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*The recipes
Apricot and almond bites:
Blitz 100g almonds in a food processor for 30 seconds. Add 90g chopped dried apricots, 50g dates, 2tbsp porridge oats and 3tbsp peanut butter, and process. Roll into balls. Coat with 35g desiccated coconut and pop in the fridge for 1 hour.
Carrot and peanut salad:
Peel and coarsely grate 1 large carrot. Whisk together 2tbsp orange juice, ½tsp balsamic vinegar, 1 crushed garlic clove and 1tbsp sesame oil. Roughly chop 25g salted peanuts and mix with the carrot and 2tbsp chopped fresh chives. Toss with the dressing.
Avocado and prawn tabbouleh:
Place 40g bulgur wheat in a pan, cover with boiling water and simmer for 10 to 15 mins. Drain and stir in 90g cooked peeled prawns, 4 halved cherry tomatoes, 2 finely chopped spring onions, 1 small diced avocado, 1 crushed garlic clove, 2tbsp each chopped fresh mint and parsley, 1tbsp olive oil, juice of ½ lemon, and pepper.
Spiced fruit compote:
Makes enough for 2 servings
Place 125g mixed dried fruits, such as apples, apricots, prunes, and ½tsp ground cinnamon in a bowl. Pour over 150ml orange juice and 150ml boiling water. Allow to cool, cover and leave overnight in the fridge. Mix 1 level tsp cornflour with cold water to make a paste. Drain the liquid from the fruit and place in a small pan, stir in the cornflour, bring to the boil and cook for 1 minute. Stir back into the compote.
Leek and watercress soup:
Heat 1tbsp vegetable oil in a pan, add 1 finely sliced leek and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1 peeled, diced potato and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add 400ml chicken stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Take the saucepan off the heat, add 100g watercress. Allow to cool, then transfer to a food processor and purée until smooth.
DISCLAIMER: Before starting any diet or exercise plan, you should speak to your doctor. You must not rely on the information on this website/newsletter as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare provider.
