Veggie Blog

Books about detox often make bold promises. This one, by Bruce Fife, is described in its title as a guide to detoxify the body, stop disease, reverse aging and improve health. The old version of this post read like an advertisement, saying that you must detox right now or risk illness, and that the book would restore your body. I have not read the book, and I cannot judge its contents. What I can do is explain what the research says about the claims in the title, so that you can read any detox book with a clear head.

What does the book say?

According to the old review, the book explains how a home detox program works, features a diet of natural foods, and includes chapters on fasting and other natural methods of detox. The reviewer also noted that the author is a vegetarian and that this showed in some of his views. I could not verify these details, because I have not seen the book, so treat them as the old reviewer’s opinions. The Amazon box at the end of this post lets you look at the book’s description for yourself.

Can any detox program stop disease or reverse aging?

There is no good evidence that it can. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says there have been only a small number of studies of detox programs in people, and that those with positive results were of low quality. A 2015 review concluded that there was no compelling research to support the use of detox diets for weight management or for eliminating toxins from the body, and there have been no studies on long-term effects. Nothing in this evidence shows that detox stops diseases or reverses aging. Do not stop or delay medical treatment because a book promises a cure.

Are we really “bombarded” by toxins?

We are exposed to some harmful substances, such as tobacco smoke, heavy alcohol use and air pollution, and it makes sense to reduce them. But the old text went much further, claiming that “acid build-ups” develop in people who have lived an unhealthy lifestyle. I did not find any support for that in the sources I checked, and I have removed it. The body has its own systems for dealing with waste. MedlinePlus says the liver helps the body digest food, store energy and remove poisons, and the NIDDK says healthy kidneys filter wastes and extra water from the blood. See our post on what your body already does to clean itself.

What about fasting?

Fasting is a part of many detox books, and it is not risk-free. NCCIH lists fasting among the approaches used in detox programs and warns that some detox or cleansing programs can be unsafe and falsely advertised. People with diabetes, people who are pregnant, children and anyone taking medicine should not fast without medical advice. If you want to eat more healthily, you do not need a fast to do so. Compare this with natural body detox and body cleansing and detox, which give safer ideas.

How should you judge a detox book?

Ask a few questions. Does it promise to cure or prevent disease? Does it claim that “toxins” cause illness without naming them or showing how they are measured? Does it rely on testimonials? Does it push expensive products? Does it cite studies in respected journals? If the answer to most of these is yes, be careful. The FDA and FTC have acted against companies that sold detox products with false claims, according to NCCIH. A book that suggests eating more vegetables and fewer processed foods is harmless, but you do not need to buy anything to follow that advice. Our overview of what the evidence says about detox is a good place to compare. For the research summary, see the NCCIH page on detoxes and cleanses.

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The old version of this post said that high cholesterol is linked to a long list of diseases, that most people eat a diet high in saturated fat and “LDL,” and that a low-cholesterol diet plan should not be a fad. The advice to treat the diet as a long-term habit is good, but LDL is not a food, so I have rewritten the post to follow what health agencies actually recommend.

Why follow a low-cholesterol diet plan?

MedlinePlus explains that too much LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in the blood can build up on artery walls and raise your risk of coronary artery disease. The old post called heart disease the number one killer in the U.S., and that is still true: the CDC reports that heart disease was the leading cause of death in 2023. Food is one of the main things you can change. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) and DASH eating plans can help you lower your LDL.

What does the TLC plan ask for?

The numbers from MedlinePlus are a good guide for a plan:

Get 25 to 35 percent of your daily calories from fat, with less than 7 percent from saturated fat (about 13 grams on a 2,000-calorie diet). Eat less than 200 milligrams of dietary cholesterol a day. Aim for 10 to 25 grams of soluble fiber. Include about 2 grams of plant stanols and sterols, omega-3 fish twice a week, and no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day. Limiting salt will not lower cholesterol, but it lowers blood pressure and heart risk.

Which foods do the work?

The old post says that fiber “soaks up” cholesterol and carries it out of the body, and names apples, oranges, pears, oats and carrots. MedlinePlus describes it this way: soluble fiber helps prevent your digestive tract from absorbing cholesterol. Its list of high-fiber foods includes oatmeal and oat bran, apples, bananas, oranges, pears, prunes, kidney beans, lentils and chickpeas. Carrots are a healthy vegetable, but they are not on that list. Saturated fat, found in some meats, dairy products, baked goods and fried foods, raises LDL more than anything else in your diet, so swap it for unsaturated oils such as olive or canola oil. For specific meals, see how a good diet can lower cholesterol: one example day.

What could one week look like?

This is my own template, not a prescription, and portion sizes depend on your calorie needs. Start the day with oatmeal and fruit. For lunch, have lentil or bean soup with a salad. Eat fish such as salmon or canned tuna twice a week. Make vegetables half the dinner plate, and snack on an apple or a handful of nuts. Keep dessert occasional. The NHLBI recommends preparing foods with little or no salt and eating a variety of nuts. For a longer list of foods to choose, read how to lower cholesterol through diet.

Is diet enough?

Sometimes it is not. The NHLBI says that your provider may also recommend medicines, and that adults with overweight can lower LDL and raise HDL by losing 3 to 5 percent of their body weight. Genes, other conditions and some medicines also affect cholesterol. Ask for a test, and use understanding your cholesterol numbers to read the results. For more recipes and swaps, see MedlinePlus on lowering cholesterol with diet.

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Personal skin care is a process

We all understand the importance of personal skin care, but the advice on how to do it differs from person to person. Some people believe that going to the beauty parlour every other day is personal skin care. Others think it is just a matter of applying some cream or lotion every now and then. Some think it is something you do once a month or once a year, and still others spend all their time on it. In fact, personal skin care is not that complicated, and it is not that expensive either, considering how useful it is. It simply means following a routine for taking care of the needs of your skin.

Before you start a routine, you need to find out your skin type (oily, dry, sensitive, normal and so on) and choose the skin care products that suit it. You may have to experiment with a few products. Here is a routine that should work for most people with normal skin.

Step 1: Cleansing

The first step of any routine is cleansing. A cleanser contains three basic ingredients: oil, water and surfactants (wetting agents). The oil and surfactants lift dirt and oil from your skin, and the water rinses it away. You may have to try a couple of cleansers before you find the one that suits you best. Choose a soap-free cleanser and use lukewarm water, because water that is very hot or very cold can irritate your skin. Take care not to over-cleanse, which can damage your skin as well.

Step 2: Exfoliation

The second step is exfoliation. Your skin constantly removes dead cells and replaces them with new ones, and exfoliation simply helps with that process. A layer of dead skin cells on the surface can make your skin look dull and can keep products from reaching the fresh skin underneath, so removing it makes your other skin care products work better. Exfoliation usually comes after cleansing. As with every part of the routine, it matters how much you do. How often depends on your skin type and on the method you use: start gently, for example once a week, and the stronger the exfoliation, the less often it should be done. Dry or sensitive skin needs less. If your skin gets red or sore, cut back.

Step 3: Moisturizing

The next step is moisturizer, one of the most important parts of personal skin care. Even people with oily skin need it. A moisturizer helps seal moisture into your skin and can also draw some from the air. Too much can clog the pores and cause problems, so use a thin layer. It works best when applied to skin that is still slightly damp.

Step 4: Sunscreen

The last step is sunscreen. Many day-time moisturizers include UV protection, so you get two benefits in one. Use sun protection every day, whether it is sunny or cloudy. Look for a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher, and put on enough of it.

What works best for you depends on your skin type and on how much of each product you use, so adjust the routine as you learn. If you have a skin problem of any kind, talk to a dermatologist before you start using new personal skin care products.

Yoga remains a popular pursuit for people of all ages, and veteran sportswriter and journalist John Capouya is among the committed devotees. With his Real Men Do Yoga: 21 Star Athletes Reveal Their Secrets for Strength, Flexibility and Peak Performance, the author provides a readable and well-illustrated guide to yoga practice. The ostensible “guy hook” here comes by way of testimonials from high-profile jocks such as Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George, New York Mets pitcher Al Leiter, all-star forward Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves and many others, all of whom endorse yoga as a serious adjunct athletic regimen that enhances flexibility, improves balance, helps prevent injury, increases breath support and relieves stress. “Regular” guys chime in as well truck drivers, restaurateurs, architects, etc. giving witness to yoga’s role in general fitness and mind-body awareness. Besides a rundown of basic yoga poses and how to achieve them, the text also offers sport-by-sport workouts, material on meditation (for the guy who strives to go “deeper within”), and a chapter on yoga’s positive impact on one’s sex life. Capouya’s own New York City-based yoga guru Michael Lechonczak serves as consultant to this earnest volume. 

Book: Real Men Do Yoga by John Capouya
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