What Is Detox and How Does It Work?

What is Detox?

Detox, also known as detoxing, is the practice to rid the body of toxic and harmful substances.

While detox diets and products are popular, the concept of detoxifying the body is not new. Practiced for centuries in cultures around the world, including Ayurvedic and Chinese medical systems, detoxification is a recovery and cleansing that nourishes the body from within.

Specific detox diets vary from fasting to a strict diet of raw vegetables, fruits, fruit juices and water.

Taking the time to cleanse the body and take care of our vital organs can make a huge contribution to prevention, with immediate effects such as more energy, clearer skin, better digestion, mental clarity and more.

How does detoxification work?

Detoxing means cleansing the blood. It is the process of getting rid of harmful toxins from the body.

This is done by removing blood impurities in the liver, where toxins are processed for elimination, before the body can eliminate them. Additionally, toxins are also eliminated from the body through the lungs, kidneys, lymphatic system, and skin during a body detoxification.

Detox is your opportunity to give your body a break and start your own self-purification and self-healing process. Most of us tend to agree that detox and detox diets are short-term interventions aimed at eliminating toxins from the body to promote health and help weight loss.

What are the benefits?

More Energy

One of the oft-cited benefits of detox is the new feeling of energy it can give you. Some people report feeling more focused and energetic after a detox diet.

By clearing your body of toxins and waste, your body uses less energy to process them, leaving your reserves for other activities. If you cut out certain types of foods, such as sugary snacks, during your detox retreat, you can avoid the spikes and falls that come with them, and if you replace them with healthier options, you will get lasting relief that keeps you from feeling constantly tired and sluggish.

Aids Weight Loss

By detoxifying your body, you help vital organs to cleanse themselves of toxins, allowing the liver to work more efficiently and eliminate toxins. The inclusion of helpful nutrients can help to increase weight loss, improve body composition and improve overall health. Effective detoxification to lose weight and improve overall health requires reducing or eliminating everything that causes toxic exposure, and it requires giving the body what it needs to detoxify.

Improves Digestions

Detox drinks facilitate liver function and play a major role in digestion. They filter toxins from the food we consume and help provide a digestive juice that breaks down toxins into healthy nutrients. Toxic intake that is not eliminated can cause bloating, gas, headaches, constipation, headaches, fatigue, nausea, skin problems and bad breath, which can lower your energy level.

Prevents Water-Retention

The human body has many natural ways to detoxify itself: liver, sweat, urine, faeces and much more. As they are rich in diuretics, detox drinks stimulate urination to purify body toxins and avoid water retention.

Boosts Immune System

A detox can be an excellent way to boost your immune system and reset your body.

Through the foods and drinks we consume, the air we breathe, and even the way we process our food, we absorb toxins. Once toxins enter our bodies, our immune system weakens. We become more susceptible to illness – which isn’t good during cold and flu season and even more so during a global pandemic.

The Takeaway

When you switch to a healthy plant-based diet with lean protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, you will get all the benefits that detoxifying products claim to offer. These include reducing inflammation, improving digestion, increasing energy and strengthening the immune system. The types of food you eat during a detox tend to be rich in nutrients and minerals, which can be great for your appearance, but unhealthy types can have the opposite effect.

So if you’re thinking about a detox diet, check with your doctor first. Additionally, you need to take into account any possible side effects. Detox diets that severely limit protein or that require fasting, for example, can result in fatigue. Fasting for an extended period of time can cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies.