Why You Should Detox Your Body
Written by: Wan SofaSyifa
Reviewed by: Fenny Lim, BSc. (Hons) Nutrition, UKM
Have you ever been on a detox spree? The market is full of detox supplements, treatments, and even books on the best way to detox naturally. How do you know which one would work for you? Better yet, why do you even need to detox in the first place?
Let us start with the basics.
What is a Detox?
“Detox” is short for detoxification. It is a natural process that your body always goes through to remove toxins from the body. Toxins are harmful substances that can penetrate your body and come from anything: the food you eat, the air you breathe, the water you drink. Your body also produces toxins through chemical reactions.
Different tissues and organs in your body detoxify toxins in different ways;
The respiratory system: is responsible for filtering foreign substances, removing toxins in the form of gasses, and excreting it from your body via exhalation, sneezes, or coughs.
The immune system: is a network of cells that identifies and eliminates foreign substances in every body part, such as bacteria, viruses, and more.
The skin: protects and reduces the amount of toxins penetrating the body – contrary to popular belief, sweat does not remove toxins; it helps regulate body temperature.
The intestines: process your food and screen out toxins before it absorbs the nutrients from food.
The kidney: secretes or filters toxins from the blood into the urine – one of our body’s best “toxin filtration systems.”
The liver: changes the chemical structure of various toxins and reduces their harmful effect.
When your ability to detox naturally fails, you will feel sick and uncomfortable [1] [2]. This is where external detox comes into play.
Common Detox Methods
Most of the time, when your body has a lot of toxins, your medical practitioner will advise you to change your diet, add more greens, take less salt, sugar, and avoid alcohol for a period of time.Â
In the market, various detox methods are available as a procedure, treatment, or diet-based, such as;
Irrigations and Cleansings
This has been a “trendy” detox treatment in recent years. You might hear of two types of irrigation: nasal irrigation and colon irrigation or colon cleansing. Any type of irrigation involves large amounts of liquid being inserted into either the nasal cavity or the rectum to clean the nose and colon.
Nasal irrigation is believed to help clean your nasal cavity and help reduce sinus infections, allergic reactions, colds, flu, and other similar conditions. Done properly, it can benefit you [3]. Colon cleansing is believed to help clean your colon for general health with water, coffee, or herbs.
Using irrigation as a detox method is highly controversial and can be harmful. Unless being done or coached by a licensed medical practitioner, it is best that you do not do it by yourself at home. Improper irrigation techniques, especially for colon cleansing, can lead to injury and infections [4].
Baths, Soaks, Patches
Other popular detox fads you might find in the market are detox bath bombs, oils, and patches.Â
Foot detox is the more famous fad, where you soak your foot in water filled with detox herbs or a mixture. The more famous, costly treatment is an ionic foot detox, where your foot is soaked in a detox mixture and then ionized with electricity. You can also find foot detox patches in the market. These are normally made from various herbs; you wear them for a few hours or overnight.Â
Marketers often claim these detox methods pull toxins out of the body and into foot patches or ionized water, but no scientific evidence supports these claims. You can try it – we find a nice, warm herbal soak relaxing.Â
We advise you not to consider it a “miracle treatment” and make sure you understand how it works [5].
Detox Food and Diet
Another mainstream detox method is rooted in your daily diet – a “detox cleanse.” Many lifestyle gurus advocate for a 1-day, 3-day, weekly, and monthly detox cleanse. Â
Detox smoothies are a popular item for this cleanse. You either blend your own mix of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables or get a mix. A large market focuses on drink-based detox cleanses such as green tea detox, detox juices or smoothies, and detox waters – water mixed with spices, fruits, herbs, and other additives [6].
Granted, adding healthy juices, herbal teas, and smoothies to your lifestyle is good for you. You get an additional serving of fruits and vegetables in your diet. However, during the “cleansing” period, you will normally be advised to fast, avoid certain foods, only drink detox beverages, and drink large amounts of water.Â
The problem with this method is that you will have water and electrolyte imbalances. It can cause bloating, nausea, and bouts of dizzy spells. Worse, you might get diarrhea or constipation if your cleanse cuts off certain foods in your diet.
If you are looking to fast as a detox option, we advise you to refer your nutritionist, dietitian, or licensed professional for proper fasting techniques [7]. They can even advise you on reliable, tasty detox drink recipes.
Detox Supplements
Of course, another popular choice is, unsurprisingly, detox supplements. There are many detox supplements in the market, from big nutraceutical brands to small business owners. The detox supplements will normally feature various herbs, fruits, and vegetables. Popular ingredients include;
- Milk thistle
- Artichoke
- Turmeric
- Dandelion
- Chicory
- Burdock
The problem with detox supplements is that they tend to overclaim and not disclose their mechanism of action or full ingredients list. More often than not, while some ingredients have relevant studies attached to them that are linked with the organs involved in detox, the supplements’ formulation makes or breaks them.
Most licensed medical practitioners will advise you to be cautious when choosing your routine detox supplements because, depending on the formulation, you might experience some side effects or risk harming your liver [8]. Some brands will put additives and laxatives in their supplements to promote bowel movement. You will get fast results, but these ingredients harm your digestive system.
Understanding your detox supplement labels and asking the right questions is important.
Should You Detox?
Yes, you should detox, but not in the way you think of. Your body is efficient enough to handle all the detoxification you need on a daily basis. What you need to do is help promote your body’s natural detoxification abilities. That way, you can get all the detox benefits you often see in ads.
Detox Benefits You Should Know
Improving Gut Health
Did you know that your gut health and natural detox are closely linked to one another? Improving your gut health will help organs such as your liver and kidney work better at detoxifying your body. Your gut, particularly your intestines, plays the first part of detox by breaking down food and screening harmful substances in the food.
What this does is it helps carry half the burden of detoxification from your kidney and liver. It lets your kidney and liver focus more on neutralizing complex toxins such as alcohol. In return, these organs will then secrete the necessary enzymes required to break down the food more effectively [9].
Often, food that is good for your detox organs, such as high-fiber food and probiotics, is also good for your gut health [10]. They help increase its efficiency and diversify your gut microbiota – which experts agree is key to a healthy gut.
Boosting the Immune System
Metabolizing drugs is a key process involved in detoxification, which is important for maintaining your health. It can be particularly beneficial if you have a medical condition that needs prescribed medication. For instance, when you catch the flu, receiving antibiotic treatment can help speed up your recovery, and the faster your detox organs are at metabolizing the antibiotics, the better.
Since detoxing can help improve your gut health, it also boosts your natural immune system. About 70-80% of immune cells reside in your guts, and gut health has long been associated with the immune system. Several studies [11] [12] show that a healthy, varied gut bacteria helps nurture, develop, and stimulate immune cells. This will help them fight infections.
A good detox diet will include food such as probiotics that help diversify your gut bacteria.
Boosting Energy Levels
Since detox plays a huge role in assisting your digestive system, you might feel sluggish and fatigued if any of your detox organs are not functioning well. The organs involved in the digestive and detoxification processes are crucial in metabolism because of their unique, symbiotic functions [13].Â
These organs break down, process, and create essential nutrients and chemicals that aid or fuel your metabolism. The main purpose of detoxification is to eliminate toxins impairing your metabolism or making it work harder. A well-functioning metabolism is crucial for generating energy.
Promoting Weight Loss
When your metabolism is working properly, you will feel less need to eat in order to feel energetic. Certain detox foods are also great at helping reduce sugar and salt cravings. A good digestive system that results in a healthy bowel movement also removes unnecessary substances from your body that can cause bloating.Â
In fact, when your natural detox is in tip-top shape, followed by reduced alcohol intake to keep it that way, you can even avoid the dreaded “beer belly.”
If you follow commercial detox diets, you will lose weight easily, but these are just water weight. Water weight will return after you resume your regular diet, so this type of detox is not the best way to control your weight [14].
Improving Skin Appearance
It is true that when your body cannot detox properly, your skin will suffer. Yellow, pallid skin is the first sign of liver or kidney failure, and your doctor will arrange tests for your detox organs in this situation. Your skin is the first signal for diseases; most of the time, it is because your body cannot detox or fight infections properly.
Harmful toxins such as environmental or food chemicals can also cause premature aging. Your ability to detox chemicals such as alcohol can help delay natural aging. How detox supports nutrient absorption also improves skin appearance by helping your body get nutrients like vitamin C.
CellLabs® HBF - An Easier, Healthier Way to Detox
Before, we have explored various detox methods in the market. Our team understands that a good detox product should help improve your body’s natural detox and digestion abilities.Â
Introducing CellLabs® HBF, our robust formulation with 29 different fruits, vegetables, probiotics, and prebiotics.
List of CellLabs® HBF Ingredients.
Most of the ingredients included in our CellLabs® HBF are rich in fiber and antioxidants. Kale, for example, is a rich source of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B9 (folate), alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), lutein, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and zinc. Studies [15] [16] have shown that dietary fibers are good for gut health and detox.Â
By adding probiotics (lactobacillus acidophilus, lactobacillus bulgaricus, bifidobacterium bifidus) and prebiotics (fructo-oligosaccharides), CellLabs® HBF sets itself apart from other brands in the market. Most brands will focus on fiber-based ingredients only in their detox products, while probiotics and prebiotics are reserved for their gut health products.
We understand that detox is not what it works out to be; that is why our focus is more on providing functional food that helps support your existing diet. Because of its rich formulation, aside from supporting your daily diet with food for your gut health and detox, CellLabs® HBF can also help improve your bowel movement.
CellLabs® HBF is free from laxatives, additives, preservatives, sweeteners, and chemicals, making it an ideal alternative for constipation.
Should You Take CellLabs® HBF?
If you are looking to enhance your diet with a more fiber-rich, probiotics and prebiotics-rich option, we highly recommend stocking up on our CellLabs® HBF. Additionally, if you experience irregular bowel movements and constant constipation, you can use CellLabs® HBF as a safer alternative to laxatives.
While CellLabs® HBF can help you lose weight, reduce sugar and salt cravings, it is, by no means, a miracle item. You still need to exercise regularly and have a healthy diet. What CellLabs® HBF can do is give your existing detox and digestion that extra boost you need.Â
We highly recommend you check with your doctor, nutritionist, or lifestyle gurus if you have additional concerns.
Interested in CellLabs® HBF?
