Conventional medical practitioners believe that detoxification diets, such as a liquid detox, are not necessary because the human body is designed to detoxify itself. However, proponents of these diets maintain that humans are overwhelmed by toxins and detox diets enhance the body's natural detoxification abilities. If you're planning on trying a liquid detox, some beverages may not be beneficial. Seek more advice from a naturopath, registered dietitian or nutritionist first.
Green Tea
Although you may think that green tea --- with all its beneficial antioxidants and diuretic effect --- is safe to drink on a liquid detox, it may not be. Green tea may be contaminated with aluminum fluoride from pesticides and fertilizers, which is not beneficial for your liver, according to Ann Louise Gittleman, author of "The Fast Track One-Day Detox Diet." Also, green tea contains caffeine, which should not be part of your detox. Instead, she recommends drinking herbal teas such as cinnamon, cranberry, ginger or lemon. If you have a medical problem, such as diabetes, consult your doctor before drinking these herbal teas.
Unfiltered Water
Water is essential for your health, making up about two-thirds of your body weight. It's essential for most functions, including those critical for detoxification such as digestion, urine production and bowel movements. However, drinking unfiltered water from your tap maintains a steady stream of toxins --- such as lead, chlorine and cadmium --- directly into your body. Since you are trying to get rid of toxins from your body on a liquid detox, it makes sense to reduce your intake of them as much as possible during this period. Filtered, distilled or purified water are better options.
Milk
Consuming dairy products such as milk significantly increases your exposure to toxins, notes Gittleman. Furthermore, drinking non-organic milk increases your consumption of antibiotics, which are present in all conventionally-raided cattle. These antibiotics also kill friendly bacteria in your intestines that are beneficial for detoxification and liver function. If you must have milk during your liquid detox, choose fat-free or low-fat organic milk. Otherwise, kefir, a fermented soy beverage, is a better option because it contains friendly bacteria.
Non-organic Juices
Juices from fruits, vegetables and herbs are very beneficial on a detox diet. For instance, raw beets boost bile production and enhance liver function and parsley is a natural diuretic, according to Brenda Watson, a certified nutritional consultant and author of "The Detox Strategy." Also, dark green, leafy vegetables contain potent phytonutrients that fight free radicals that damage cells and tissues. However, non-organic produce has been exposed to toxins such as pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers. Choose organic produce to make your juices. Also, it's best to juice them raw because this maintains most of the nutrients that are beneficial for detoxification.
References
- "The Detox Strategy"; Brenda Watson, C.N.C, et al.; 2008
- "The Fast Track One-Day Detox Diet"; Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., C.N.S; 2005
Member Comments