The 3 ultimate detox diet myths

Jun 17, 2019

Ok, I’m going to try not to rant in this post. But this topic really burns my buns!

There are so many gurus running wild out there, doling out bad advice by the bucket loads. Very few of these practitioners are physicians, dietitians, nutritionists or therapists. Many of them are master marketers or former advertising execs. Sometimes they are random people who happened to stumble across an idea that worked for them. But then they get a website, a social media account and a following. And that influence empowers them to coach or teach like educated, experienced professionals. I read their blog posts and watch their videos. And they’re a big part of why I’m here - reaching out to you.

The amount of false health information that is floating around the web is infuriating and frightening! What’s up with all the scare tactics? If you trust these influencers, then you might think you have to drink water only sourced from Fiji, eat organic everything and throw all your plastic away. The messages are very all-or-nothing.

To me, the height of this all-or-nothing messaging is the detox. Or the cleanse. The refresh or reset. The jump start. When it comes to eating, these terms are often used interchangeably.

Here are several you may recognize:

A water fast.
A juice cleanse.
The celery juice detox.
The Master Cleanse.

Detoxes are either diets or gimmicks. By diet, I mean a restrictive way of eating for the sake of achieving a physical goal. If you limit yourself to drinking water or juice, you’re on a diet. By gimmick, I mean … nonsense. Like a medium telling you that celery juice has inexplicable healing powers. If you jumped on the celery juice bandwagon, I don’t want to offend you! But it’s still nonsense! And without the appropriate guidance, embarking on a detox like this can be dangerous.

What is a detox?

Detox is short for detoxification. And detoxification means removing toxins.

So, what’s a toxin?

A toxin is a poisonous substance from a plant or animal. An example of a toxin is snake venom. A detox is also a medical treatment for drug abuse like alcoholism or opiate abuse. So, this language should not be used for coffee, soda, and cookies.

Junk food, while not the best choice for your health, isn’t toxic. Sugar, which is at the root of most chronic diseases in the US, isn’t a poison. Neither is salt or fat. So, you don’t need to detox from sugar, salt, fat or any poor food choices. Really!

Also, go ahead and google “detox diet.” None of the results on the first web page will dare to mention a toxin that it actually eliminates. Not a single one. Why? Because they don’t eliminate toxins!

So, in this post, I’d like to dispel the following myths:

Your body needs a detox diet to jump start your healthy lifestyle change.
A detox will help you level up your energy.
A detox will change your life.

1. Your body needs a detox diet to jump start your healthy lifestyle change.

You don’t need a detox diet because your body has a natural detox system. At the center of this system is the liver. Your liver is a huge organ in your belly. It’s on your right side just under your rib cage.

Your liver determines the final destination of what you eat. When you eat, your body breaks down the food into (1) building blocks to repair and renew your body parts and (2) fuel to give your body energy. Once the food you eat meets your body’s needs for building and fueling, the leftovers go to your liver. The liver stores that extra food as fat - within your liver and all over your body. The number one food that turns into body fat is sugar. You can read more about how sugar becomes fat here.

Your liver also commands detox … for poisons, not for food. First, your liver breaks down toxins with a number of chemical reactions. These reactions require vitamins and minerals; so, good nutrition is key! Next, your body gets rid of them! Through your gall bladder (bile), your kidneys (urine) or your bowel (movements!). As long as you give your body the nutrients it needs, your body will take care of the detox on its own. You don’t have to interfere. You don’t have to do anything drastic - like juice bunches of organic celery every morning. Can you tell how annoyed I am by the celery juice detox?

Last thing about myth #1 - you don’t have to jump start eating healthy with a detox diet. Your body is detoxing. All. the. time. You don’t have to reset it or restart it or renew it. It’s not a car battery that’s run out of juice. Put the jumper cables away. So, if you feel bloated or blah, you can simply be more intentional about what you eat. More on that in a bit ...

2. A detox will help you level up your energy.

Speaking of feeling blah … a detox diet is not a reliable way to get more energy. These diets are often described as giving you a boost in 3 to 21 days. But really, many of the popular detoxes will likely deplete you of energy.

Take a juice cleanse, for example. If you’re drinking juice all day, here are two potential pitfalls:

Drinking only juice robs you of the power of eating fiber. Fiber is the indigestible part of veggies and fruits. It helps regulate your bowel movements and balance your blood sugar. And juice - even fresh, pulpy juice - is largely devoid of fiber. Without fiber, you are headed for sugar highs and crashes.
Your juice contains more fruit than vegetables. Fruit is nutritious, thanks to fiber, vitamins and minerals. And it’s delicious - thanks to sugar. The sugar is natural, yes, but it’s still sugar! America’s favorite fruit juices - apple and orange - have as much sugar as soda! And here comes that sugar rollercoaster again - spiking your energy quickly and letting it fall just as quickly.

Here's some more helpful information about eating fruit.

Now, consider the granddaddy of detox diets - the Master Cleanse. This is essentially a water fast. Participants drink water all day with the following add-ins: fresh lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne. You drink at least 6 glasses each day. Oh, and you take a laxative every day - for 10 days. Yikes!

Does this sound energizing? No way! The Master Cleanse will deplete your energy. This is literally starvation, meaning this detox doesn’t provide the minimum amount of calories you need for basic bodily functions. But you’ll survive it. You can last weeks without eating. You just won’t thrive!

3. A detox will change your life.

A detox - whether healthy or not - results in short-term change. The results aren’t going to be long-lasting. You can definitely feel and see changes in 3 days, 10 days or 21 days. But then, what?

To me, this may be the most frustrating myth of all. A detox may change your life, but it’s temporary. And maybe that’s what you want - a quick-acting but brief result. To lose bloating before a wedding. To drop weight before a wrestling match.

If so, perhaps you’ll be satisfied. You won’t level up your energy with a detox diet. But you’ll likely lose weight, specifically, water weight. And you can lose weight quickly, too! So, if weight loss is your goal, perhaps you’ll be satisfied. However, you’ll regain that weight so quickly if you return to old, bad habits. Your change will be fleeting.

So, what if you want more? What if you want to feel and look more confident in your skin long-term? What if you want to make a lifelong positive change? What do you do on day 11 after a 10-day detox? And who’s going to guide you?

[Jumping up and down!] Me! Let me help you!

My job is to help you support your body, not hijack it. And my approach is gradual and can be dialed in for bigger changes. Maybe most important of all - I can show you how to make sustainable lifestyle changes. You’ll be empowered with simple, realistic, science-backed healthy habits so that you can feel and look your best! And you can make your changes last!

Sound good? If so, click here to join me in the 5-day healthy habits challenge starting July 8th!

See you there!

xoxo,