In today’s Myth Monday post, I’m writing about the current diet trend of detoxing, juicing and cleansing diets. This topic has been the subject of much debate in the field of health and nutrition. So I guess the question of the day is: Is a detox or cleansing diet good for you?
To clarify, (in general) a detox or cleanse is a diet that limits you to eating or drinking only certain foods or supplements, often in the form of a drink or juice, for a certain period of time. This is supposed to purify your body by ridding it of toxins and waste that have accumulated in it over time, often due to unhealthy eating habits.
I wanted to see what other registered dietitian’s were saying on the subject, so I rounded up some great posts and quotes from some fabulous RD bloggers. You might be surprised to see the different points of view offered by them! Be sure to check out their website or full post on the topic to learn more!
- Registered dietitian Rebecca Clyde of Nourish Nutrition Co. talks about juicing for detoxing and cleansing purposes.
Rebecca’s take home message from the article states that, “increasing your fruit and vegetable consumption is always great! I would always recommend whole fruits over juice, but if eating whole fruits/vegetables isn’t logical for you, juicing is better than nothing! When it comes to the “juice fasting” concept, in my clinical experience it would likely not cause any significant damage if followed for a few days a couple times per year.”
She also notes that following a juicing-only diet will most likely result in a diet lacking in calories and some nutrients, such as protein and vitamin B12. Instead of using juicing as a way to detox your body, Rebecca suggests to drink juice as a treat or to occasionally add it as a way to get in your 5-a-day fruit and vegetable servings.
- In an article titled “Juicing: Is it Worth It?“on her blog (The Nutrition Adventure), registered dietitian Karman Meyer talks the pros and cons to juicing and includes a juicer payback calculator in the post.
Karman states, “Fresh juices can provide a variety of vitamins and minerals, which for people who do not consume adequate amounts of plant foods on a regular basis, it will certainly have them feeling better (no surprise).” She adds that “juicing should be a supplement to your daily diet–a way to squeeze in additional vitamins and minerals” but not completely replace eating whole fruits and vegetables.
- Registered dietitian Caroline Kaufman of carolinekaufman.com recently wrote a short blurb about activated charcoal in drinks in her weekly newsletter, inspired by an article in The Wall Street Journal titled: Does Your Lemonade Need Activated Charcoal?
Caroline’s response: “I will start by saying if you enter “activated charcoal detox” into the leading scientific journal database, you get…nada. There’s a study that did find activated charcoal is great at reducing levels of water-soluble vitamins like Vitamin C, niacin, B6, and B12 – you know, the stuff that definitely keeps your body healthy – in a sample of apple juice. If you google it, lots of random people have lots of opinions. I pick science. Your body has a grade A detoxifying system that works 24-7. That’s one less thing to worry about, right? Annnd you’re welcome.”
- Registered dietitian Emily Cope, of RDN Mommy, shares her view of detox and cleanse diets in this blog post:
Emily states, “Stop looking towards quick fixes and start to understand that a true healthy lifestyle, based on the foundation of organic, natural, plant based foods is what will help to optimize our health. By following a healthy lifestyle and eating for optimal nutrition we will achieve both a reduction in the number of toxins we consume as well as aiding the bodies natural ability to remove the toxins we do encounter on a daily basis.”
- Registered dietitian Nita Sharda shares her perspective on her blog, Carrots and Cake:
Nita states, “The pursuit of the perfect detox has become a million dollar industry that targets people looking for “a quick fix”. Rather than embracing this principle [of moderation is key], our ‘slowly but surely’ health model is quickly being replaced by compulsiveness, extremism, and the impatience for instant gratification. We’ve all had moments of overindulgence and feeling the need to “reboot” how we eat, but don’t be swayed to believe any one product will transform your body or health for that matter. The take away: a consistently healthy, well-balanced diet is the best “cleanse”.”
Are cleansing and detox diets good for you? Dietitians weigh in on the subject! Click To Tweet
- Registered dietitian Danielle Omar of Food Confidence adds to the discussion, stating:
“Safe, appropriate detox/cleansing can be necessary and beneficial in the prevention of disease. There is a large body of scientific evidence that verifies the ability of specific foods, herbs/spices to “upregulate” and aid the body’s natural detoxification systems (cabbage, kale, turmeric and green tea, for example). I have personally witnessed 100’s of my own clients report an increase in energy, lowered cholesterol and blood pressure, clearer skin, and less brain fog when they engage in a food/supplement -based detoxifying protocol.”
- As a guest post on Champagne Nutrition, registered dietitian Mary Purdy gives 3 reasons a detox might be right for you. And by detox, she is referring to eating “fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, nuts, seeds, beans, grains, and cutting out things like sugar, caffeine, alcohol, processed foods, meat, dairy and gluten”
Mary states, “You can detox for two days or two weeks, but taking time off of a typical, more processed diet to infuse it with a bounty of whole-foods-based nutrients is a boon to your body’s organs of detox particularly the liver, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract.” She adds that a detox may help give your body a “boost in nutritional status”, help your “body say “farewell” to [toxins]” (from a possible high toxic burden on the liver), and “change the way that you view food.” Sounds like some good reasons to me!
- Lastly, here is a video by registered dietitian Abbey Sharp of Abbey’s Kitchen. It’s titled “Natural Cleanse – Proven Way to Cleanse and Detox.” She adds some humor to the subject, yet still presents the information and her perspective on the topic in a great way.
So what is my point of view on cleansing and detox diets? I agree with many of the comments above, that when approached in a way that isn’t long-term fasting, drinking only juice for days on end or forcing yourself to only eat or drink something you absolutely hate, a ‘detox’ or ‘cleanse’ can be beneficial to our bodies. Under the guidance of a registered dietitian or other healthcare provider, by taking a couple days or a week to eat a diet rich in whole, mostly unprocessed foods is a great way to help your body out by giving your already working detox organs a little boost.
What do you think about detox diets? Let me know in the comments!
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Becky @ Disney in your Day
Sounds like the answer is the case with a lot of diets – it’s a means of getting something that you might not normally get, not really the diet itself that’s helping. I did a juice cleanse once for 3 days and it was miserable. If I did it again I would only do 1 day because I felt pretty good after the first day.
DietitianBrittany
Sorry for your miserable 3-day juice cleanse – sounds like what most people might go through on a similar diet. You are missing out on a bunch of other nutrients when you are only juicing for days on end (not to mention the satisfaction of actually eating REAL food!). One day sounds about how long I could last on one and wouldn’t be harmful, but could actually be beneficial in some aspects!
Chrissa - Physical Kitchness
I completely agree with Emily. No quick-fixes. A healthy lifestyle and overall diet is key. So many misconceptions about juicing out there. It’s great to get in vitamins and minerals but definitely shouldn’t be a primary source of nutrients! Great post!
DietitianBrittany
Yes! Sad to say, there are no quick-fixes! Too many people want results here and now, but the truth is – they didn’t get unhealthy or overweight overnight so it is going to take a while to fix things, too!
Emily Cope, MS, RDN
Thank you Chrissa. Just like Brittany said – you don’t get unhealthy overnight, so it’s not possible to get healthy over night! Most people are looking for a quick fix, but sadly that is not always the healthiest or most long term option.
Jessica @ Nutritioulicious
What a great roundup of thoughts on this trendy topic. I love seeing the different points of view of our fellow dietitians. Personally I am of the belief that people should get their nutrients from whole foods and that our bodies cleanse themselves. Elements of these cleansing diets may be helpful, but for overall health, I wouldn’t recommend limiting oneself to multiple days or weeks of juice-only diets.
DietitianBrittany
I also think a whole foods diet is the most beneficial. Like you said, there may be elements of detox diets that are helpful to some, but for the general population an overall healthy diet is what is needed!
Emily Cope, MS, RDN
I agree – I love seeing everyone’s different opinions. I too think that whole foods are most beneficial. Eating healthy foods helps to eliminate many of the the toxins we do encounter, thus diminishing the need for detox!
Mandi
As a nutritionist and food blogger, I do gentle veggie detoxes when I feel by body tell me to do so. I think an all-liquid diet for lengthy periods of time is dangerous. In short bursts for nutrient bursts and to let your digestion rest, I’m all for it!
Rebecca @BeTrulyNourished
Great post! I love that all the quotes you included added something different & I actually really appreciate Danielle’s perspective on detoxing, that it is specific, but doesn’t restrict other foods so much. I always go back to the fact that the diet industry (probably a big-ish portion of $$$ going toward detoxing) is a multi billion dollar industry, yet our overweight & obese population is greater than ever! Maybe those quick fixes & cleanses don’t work!
& thanks for including quotes from my article!
DietitianBrittany
Thanks for sharing your article with me – I was more than happy to include it! I agree – there seems to be a paradox within the diet industry, as there are so many fad diets and quick-fixes promised, but the obesity epidemic doesn’t seem to be fixed overnight…
Emily Cope, MS, RDN
What a great round up Brittany! I love seeing all of our different opinions. Although we may all have different views, I think we can all agree that a healthy diet to start is best, and moderation is always key.
DietitianBrittany
Agreed! 🙂
Nita Sharda
Hi Brittany! Thank you so much for including my post in your article. I’m so glad we’re on the same page and I hope your readers enjoyed the post as much as I did!
DietitianBrittany
You’re welcome! I’m glad you let me share your article!
Melanie
Thanks for including Rebecca’s post about juicing! I loved reading all the opinions of these registered dietitian bloggers. Great roundup!
DietitianBrittany
Thanks! Rebecca’s article fit so well and contributed nicely to the overall post. I, too, loved seeing the different perspectives of fellow RDN bloggers – it’s a great community to be a part of!