Q: The holidays are over and lots of eating and being merry was involved. I would like to start the year on the right foot and do a detox diet. Which one do you suggest?
A: I suggest you go to the nearest hospital and ask for X-rays. Ask the doctor to point out your liver, kidneys and lungs. You don’t need a doctor to point out your skin.
All of these magnificent organs are detoxifying your body on a daily basis, 24/7.
Why people still believe the myth of detox diets, when a cursory study of the body proves otherwise, is probably one of the biggest mysteries of our age.
Perhaps it has to do with the quick-fix culture we have all subscribed to? It is surely easier to throw a kilogram of broccoli into a blender and force-feed yourself a disgusting green juice six times a day for a week than follow a decent, wholesome diet with as few dangerous vices as possible?
It would be polite to call detox diets and products a fad. They are a scam. There is absolutely no hard, scientific proof that any of the wonder diets, pills, powders and drinks do anything remotely akin to flushing “toxins” from the body, leaving you brand-spanking new. If you need a spring clean, it’s not going to happen like that.
It would be polite to call detox diets and products a fad. They are a scam ... If you need a spring clean, it’s not going to happen like that.
— Devlin Brown
It is astounding how the most rational people, who would not be hoodwinked in other aspects of their lives, get snared in the multibillion-dollar “health and wellness industry” marketing traps.
The only thing that is guaranteed to be flushed away is your hard-earned money.
The whole concept of a difficult detox diet is a little draconian — a Middle Ages-like exercise in self-flagellation and penance. The idea that a period of punishment and suffering will cleanse us of our caloric sins is more biblical than scientific.
In fact, some of these juicing plans are so short on calories and vital nutrients that you may actually be harming yourself, not to mention the short-term effects of dizziness, moodiness, cramping and general morose.
Interestingly, the superfood broccoli, a favourite of detoxers, or even cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables, do in fact appear to have a beneficial effect on the liver. Why? Because they contain trace amounts of cyanide, which sends a little signal to the liver to up its efficacy and work a little harder. A bit like moderate drinking now and then.
Our grandparents were right, it seems, that sometimes a little of a bad thing is good for us. The phenomenon is called hormesis, and it’s probably why the EFF may be good for SA.
Our bodies are incredibly complex machines that work hard to keep us alive despite our best efforts to binge-drink and eat, smoke and, in some cases, snort and inject.
The only way to have healthy organs is to follow a wholesome diet, with all our macro and micronutrient requirements, and exercise regularly. The first step in achieving this is detoxing our homes and shopping trolleys of processed food and sugar.
A good habit to form in the new year will be to do most of your shopping around the perimeter of the grocery store, where the fresh produce, dairy, meat and fish (if you eat that) is found. If you venture into the middle aisles, hopefully it is for cleaning detergents, perhaps some coffee (because we are allowed to enjoy life) and maybe some jasmine rice.
Imagine eating a lean-protein portion on a bed of quinoa or jasmine or basmati rice spiced with turmeric, with your favourite crispy green vegetables and a serving of fresh salad with nuts and cheese. Every day. Sound like heaven? It is. It is heaven on Earth and it is proof that looking after your body doesn’t have to be about suffering. Or forcing yourself to eat cabbage every day for 10 days after a good holiday.
Drop the other vices, add exercise, change how you react to the mundane events in life over which you have no control, and all of a sudden 2020 looks a lot better than 2019.
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