The word detox, so in vogue today, is nothing more than an abbreviation that refers directly to the term detoxification. As we well know, marketing works more effectively if the terminology used is Anglo-Saxon. Linguistic concepts aside, these eating routines justify their existence as neutralizers of the toxic waste that progressively accumulates in our body through a chemical conversion process that transforms it into a harmless component that will be eliminated from the body through the usual routes: feces or urine.
What is a detox diet?
These diets assume that the human body itself does not have its own toxin purification mechanisms and that, therefore, we would need these treatments to promote detoxification due to bad eating habits perpetuated over time. These eating routines are, as a rule, planned programs to eliminate these toxins from specific parts of the body, such as the colon, liver or digestive system. The foods that are usually included in these diets are those that have a high fiber content, also promoting a high consumption of water. In this way we would find ourselves, fundamentally, with fresh green vegetables, nuts, some types of legumes and all kinds of fruits.
Benefits of a detox diet
- These detox diets usually have a very short duration and are recommended not only as cleansing options for our body but also as entry ways to lose weight or more balanced eating routines. However, the extreme nature of the approach is a handicap that is difficult to justify when we subject the organism to conditions in which it will be deficient in numerous nutrients that are absolutely necessary for its development and conservation.
- The benefits sold by advocates of detox diets allude to a better digestion process, cleaner and smoother skin, greater energy and a fundamental improvement of the immune system. Critics, on the other hand, are reticent about a temporary remedy that can be easily reversible in the face of a potential rebound effect generated from abstinence from certain vital products in our diet, such as carbohydrates or meat and fish.
