by Do Detox Remedies for Weight Loss Work?
If there’s one thing for sure, it’s that the world we live in is becoming more toxic. Chemicals, heavy metals, radioactive elements, and pesticides are almost everywhere. So what can we do?
Environmental toxins have harmful effects when they collect in the body. So, it’s no wonder you want to know ways to remove these toxins—and discover the best detox remedies for weight loss.
92 percent of naturopathic doctors surveyed, reported using detox therapies to treat people. Further, the naturopaths said using detox diets 75 percent of the time.
The most common detox therapies include the following:
- eating cleansing foods,
- increasing your intake of fruits or vegetables
- supplementing with vitamins, minerals, or antioxidants.
What is a detox, and what does it do?
Detoxification (detox) is the process of removing toxic substances from a living organism. It’s a way of purging the body of chemicals and toxins.
It’s a popular topic. The online search engine Google receives about 74,000 searches for the word “detox” per month. And you can find about 173 million search results for detox.
So, what exactly does detox mean?
In medicine, the term detox refers to the process of weaning a person off addictive substances, such as drugs and alcohol. Medical detoxification helps safely manage withdrawal symptoms that occur when stopping drugs or alcohol.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, it’s ‘‘the process of removing a poison or toxin or the effect of either from an area or individual.’’
Simply put, detox is a short-term strategy designed to remove toxins from your body.
Detox diets are popular, temporary interventions designed to eliminate toxins from the body and also help with weight loss.
What are the toxins in the body?
Industrial development around the world has seen an increase in the manufacture, use, and release of synthetic chemicals and toxins. According to the National Toxicology Program of the US Department of Health and Human Services, roughly 80,000 chemicals are currently used in the United States.
About 2,000 new chemicals are introduced into foods and consumer products every year. Many of these substances haven’t been studied for adverse health effects.
While most people know to stay away from poisons, pesticides, and known toxic substances, toxins can be found in meat, dairy products, cosmetics, food packaging, and paints. It’s difficult not to encounter some kind of toxin in daily living, even when you are aware and looking for these harmful products.
Why is it good to detox your body?
Our exposure to toxins that collect in the body has increased. Industrial chemicals that accumulate in body fat can be toxic at high doses. Many of these chemicals are linked to cancer and harmful metabolic, reproductive, and mental health effects.
Naturopaths tend to prescribe detox therapies for exposure to toxins, general cleansing/preventative medicine, and weight loss.
How can I remove toxins from my body?
Our human body eliminates many toxins on its own. It does this by using the kidneys, liver, skin, lungs, and the gastrointestinal tract to filter and remove pollutants.
However, some chemicals and metals aren’t easily removed by the body’s natural mechanisms. They tend to accumulate in fatty tissue, where they can take years to break down.
For example, chemicals that have been banned or restricted since the 1970s can still be found in human blood, fat, and breast milk.
Many, well-known, commercial, detox diets claim to help with clearing toxins from the body. But you should be aware that there’s very little research that supports the use of short-term detox diets for toxin elimination.
If you’re considering an at-home detox diet, please get a consultation first. A good naturopathic doctor can help you decide the best way of how to get rid of toxins in your body.
What foods help to detox your body?
If commercial detox diets and programs aren’t what you have in mind to help you remove the toxic accumulations in your body, there are other ways to cleanse your body naturally.
Naturopathic doctors prescribe diets more often than other detox therapies. These include eating foods that are considered cleansing, increasing your fruit or vegetable intake, and using vitamin, mineral, or antioxidant supplements.
These interventions are done with good reason. There is research supporting the use of certain foods to remove pollutants and metals from the body.
Foods that detox my body
The good news is that there is evidence that the items listed below can help your body remove certain chemicals and metals:
- Coriander—Coriander is also known as cilantro. This is one of the most commonly used medicinal plants that aid in detoxification.
- Malic acid —Malic acid is found in fruits and vegetables. It’s found in very high concentrations in apples, nectarines, cherries, grapes, and strawberries.
- Citric acid—Citric acid is found in citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons, and limes. Some berries, such as strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, and cranberries, also contain citric acid.
- Succinic acid—Succinic acid is found in apples and blueberries
- Chlorella—Chlorella is a type of green algae that can remove heavy metals from the body.
- Nori—Nori is a form of edible seaweed, a red alga, commonly eaten in Japan.
- Tumeric—A golden spice that improves metabolic function to support healthy weight management.
With a little planning, you’ll be sure to add these items to your detox foods list.
What is a good detox diet plan?
Rather than focusing on restricting foods and short-term fixes, there is evidence that adopting healthy dietary habits can help with long-term weight management and living a long life.
Try to incorporate the following ideas into your lifestyle. You don’t have to do them all at once. Instead, choose one to focus on for a week and then add another idea to your daily life.
Here are some essential aspects for you to consider for a healthy detox food plan:
Eat more fresh vegetables and fruits.
Eating fresh fruits and vegetables every day is associated with longevity. An easy way to add more fresh vegetables and fruits to your diet is by making a green smoothie to drink every day.
A green smoothie is a beverage that blends vegetables and fruits into a type of healthy shake. There are many recipes online, and you can adjust what you use in the smoothie to meet your tastes.
Avoid simple carbohydrates.
This means avoiding refined starches, such as white flour, and staying away from all refined sugars. Agave nectar, brown sugar, fruit juices, and high fructose corn syrup are all refined sugars.
Read your food labels carefully. Simple sugars can be found in about 74 percent of packaged foods on grocery store shelves.
Eat more plant protein.
This is another excellent way to incorporate more vegetables into your diet.
Animal protein is considered a complete protein. It contains all nine essential amino acids needed to create protein in the human body.
However, be aware that you can also receive all nine essential amino acids by eating a variety of vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, and fruits.
Plant proteins include the following items:
- Seeds and nuts, such as almonds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, and walnuts
- Chlorella (a green alga) and spirulina (blue-green algae)
- Legumes and beans
Consume more omega-3 rich foods
Omega-3 fatty acids provide many health benefits, including reducing inflammation in the body. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds. Other foods that are rich in omega-3 are walnuts, soybeans, salmon, sardines, oysters, and mackerel.
Avocados contain omega-3 fatty acids, but they also contain omega-6 fatty acids. Most Americans already get enough omega-6 fatty acids from foods like vegetable oils and margarine.
What are the main points I need to know?
In our world, it’s hard to get away from environmental toxins. This means that dietary detoxes and detox therapies have grown in popularity.
Harmful chemicals and metals can be found in our foods, cosmetics, homes, and nearly everything that surrounds us. And new toxins are being introduced to products and food every year.
There is no substantial evidence supporting the use of commercial, short-term diets and programs to help you in removing toxins from your body and supporting long-term weight loss.
There is strong evidence that supports incorporating healing foods into your diet to help with weight loss and toxin removal from your body.
Detox appears to be more effective when it becomes an everyday habit and not merely a short-term fix.
Detoxifying foods and drinks
Eat a diet that is rich in plant foods, and that avoids simple carbohydrates. This seems to be the best way to incorporate more healing components into your diet.
In only a few minutes each day, you can contribute to your daily healthy habits. Make a green smoothie to incorporate fresh vegetables and fruits into your diet.
Now that you know about the toxins in our world, and how important it is to detox your body, what are you waiting for?
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