How to recognize a good detox diet?
[Article updated: May 2020]
The words “detox”, “detox diet” and “detoxification” have been overused and mistakenly to the point that their mere pronunciation is now perceived as bad and leads to mistrust.
This is perhaps due to the over-media coverage of this process and the somewhat surreal promises that many supporters of this cure are making.
However, not all detox treatments are bad.
Basically, a detox diet is all about removing toxins from the gut and liver, but it's really about stacking up beneficial practices and habits and following a healthy lifestyle. </ p >
Outside of the detox diet, these - healthy - practices should normally be adopted all the time, and not just during a detox cure.
We have chosen to present five practices and their potential benefits in a detox treatment for people following a typical Western diet.
1 - Reduction in sugar intake
Sugar in particular is one of the biggest problems in our daily diet .
A normal adult eats about 20 teaspoons of sugar per day. Which is quite a high dose of this silent poison.
A recent study [ 1 ] conducted at the University of California, San Francisco divided 43 obese children into two different groups. </ p >
The control group (placebo) had a usual diet high in sugar, while for the test group, the researchers substituted simple carbohydrates (like sugar and fructose) with an equal ratio from other carbohydrates from fruits and grains.
In the group that did not ingest sugar, the researchers noticed improvement in virtually all metabolic markers in all of the volunteers in just 9 days.
Diastolic blood pressure decreased by 5mm, triglycerides by 33 points, LDL cholesterol (known as “bad” cholesterol) by 10 points.
Liver function tests have also been improved.
In addition, fasting blood sugar was reduced by five points and insulin levels were reduced by a third.
In addition to these metabolic benefits, the reduction in acute hyperglycemia (spike in sugar recorded following ingestion of foods high in sugar) has been shown to have clinical benefit for the immune system.
In a meta-analysis of the studies on PubMed from 1966 to 2004 [ 2 ], researchers concluded that "acute hyperglycemia in short term affects all major components of innate immunity and interferes with the host's ability to fight infection ”.
In other words, to optimize your immune function, you need to review your sugar intake.
2 - Short term calorie reduction
Number one in every detox diet is calorie restriction. The fasting practice has been part of human history since time immemorial.
Some followers of this lifestyle do it because it provides them with clarity of mind, others do it to defend their ideological beliefs, but science comes to confirm just how beneficial fasting can really be. for the human body.
The Harvard School of Public Health set out to test the benefits of fasting by conducting a 5-day calorie reduction clinical experiment.
The experiment involved 19 participants who were asked to reduce their calorie intake to around 1,200 calories for 5 days, before returning to their normal eating habits.
A control group was made up of 19 other participants who continued to eat normally during this same test period.
After three cycles, the researchers recorded - in the test group - a marked improvement in physical condition, a reduction in blood sugar, a reduction in abdominal fat, a reduction in the levels of a protein associated with a risk higher cardiovascular disease and elevated levels of certain stem cells.
In his intervention on this study, molecular biologist Christopher Hine of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston commented:
"This one-time dietary change can counteract all of these aging variables, and I think it's very impressive. "
3. Food-related inflammation reduction
A typical Western diet includes all kinds of foods known to cause inflammation.
Grains, processed fats, sugar,… All of these pro-inflammatory foods are taken off the menu during a detox diet, and are replaced by anti-inflammatory foods like green vegetables, apple cider vinegar and fruits. .
The benefit of reducing cells called pro-inflammatory cytokines can be experienced in several ways, including sleep, libido and energy.
4. Eat more vegetables and fruits
The average consumption of vegetables is established at only 1.6 times per day.
A recent study [ 3 ] found that those who ate between five and seven servings of vegetables and fruit per day had 36% less risk of mortality linked to a health complication.
Three to five servings were associated with a 29% lower risk. One to three servings was associated with a 14% lower risk.
Any good detox diet will prime your body with a sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables, providing the short-term benefits of all nutrients.
And ideally, this will train you to incorporate more green vegetables into your daily life.
5. The strategies targeted during the detox diet promote potentially beneficial practices
The best detox diets will also include targeted foods or supplements, designed to further encourage the benefits of the detox.
Some of these common strategies are listed below. Note that these suggestions can be used outside of the detox diet to help you stay healthy.
- Provision of probiotics
Ingestion of probiotics has demonstrated an overwhelming ability to improve several markers of human health such as brain function, immune function and reduced inflammation.
- Apple cider vinegar
A study has shown that 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before sleep can lower fasting blood sugar by 4%.
Another study in obese people showed that consuming vinegar daily resulted in reduced abdominal fat, waist circumference, and lower blood triglycerides.
- Increase in minerals
Whether it is Himalayan salt, which contains over 60 trace elements, powdered vegetables or other fruits and vegetables, the ingestion of minerals is a definite health benefit.
A study conducted on a mineral compound called Shilajit demonstrated a 20% increase in testosterone levels compared to placebo. </ p >
- Lemon water
Lemons are a natural source of vitamin C and contain compounds that aid digestion.
- Activated carbon
Activated charcoal has the ability to bind to toxins. This is one of the reasons activated charcoal is used in conventional emergency medicine to fight certain types of poisoning.
Candida albicans, which is found in the intestine, can trap mercury in its cell wall and release two main types of toxins when it exhales, namely gliotoxin and acetaldehyde.
Although more specific research is needed to demonstrate the benefit of activated charcoal or other similar binding agents on toxins, it is clear that if you are lowering your candidiasis level by limiting the amount of sugar or antifungals, activated carbon remains a good cleaning option.
One last word…
Is the detox diet for everyone? Probably not. Is the detox diet a panacea? Absolutely not. Is there a real “detox”? Probably.
While detoxification in the body is constant, simply limiting the amount of toxins you put into your body will naturally allow you to lower the level of toxins in your body.
The bottom line is that most of us who consume a Western diet high in sugar, calories, and pro-inflammatory foods, we can surely benefit from a good cleansing protocol and a good detox diet. .