Veggie Blog

People often say that modern life is “full of toxins,” from polluted air and water to chemicals in food and household products. There is truth in this, but the message is often used to sell cleanses. It helps to be specific about what the risks are and what you can do about them, because the practical steps are mostly simple.

What counts as a toxin?

A toxin or poison is a substance that can harm the body when you are exposed to enough of it. The dose is what matters. Even things that are fine in normal amounts can harm you in extreme ones. Drinking very large amounts of water, for example, can be dangerous, although that is highly unusual. Some exposures come from outside the body, such as smoke, chemicals and contaminated food. Others, such as waste products of normal metabolism, are made inside the body and removed by the liver, kidneys and bowel.

Where does everyday exposure come from?

The biggest and best-documented sources are not mysterious. Tobacco smoke, including secondhand smoke, is a major cause of illness. Alcohol is a toxin to the liver in large amounts. Air pollution, fumes from cleaning products, pesticide residue on produce and germs on raw food can all play a part. Medicines and supplements can harm you if you take too much or combine them badly. Eating a diet high in sugar and refined foods does not poison you in the same way, but it does raise the risk of weight gain and chronic disease.

How can you lower your exposure?

Start with the big things. If you smoke, ask your doctor for help to stop. Keep alcohol low: the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans simply advise drinking less for better overall health, and some people, such as those who are pregnant, should not drink at all. Wash fresh fruit and vegetables under running water and scrub firm produce with a clean brush; the FDA’s advice on cleaning fruits and vegetables says that there is no need to use soap or a produce wash. Open windows when you use strong cleaners, and never mix cleaning products such as bleach and ammonia. Use medicines as directed and tell your doctor about all supplements you take. Washing your hands and cooking food properly prevents far more illness than any cleanse.

Can a cleanse cure chronic illness?

No. Some of the claims in detox marketing say that toxins cause conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, allergies or fatigue, and that a cleansing program reverses them. Smoking and heavy drinking really do raise the risk of disease, and that is a strong reason to cut back. But a few days of juice or herbs does not undo the damage, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health found no compelling research that detox diets remove toxins. Long-term conditions need a doctor, a healthy diet and regular exercise. Our posts on detox diets and who should skip them and how to judge body detox products explain what to look out for.

When is real detox needed?

People who are dependent on alcohol or drugs may need medically supervised detoxification, because stopping suddenly can be dangerous. If that is you or someone you care about, do not try to manage it with herbs or a diet. In the United States, the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day, every day, and it can point you toward local treatment.

Eating well, moving more and avoiding the exposures listed above will do more for your health than any cleanse. If you want to take the next step, our guide to eating well and letting your body do the work shows how.

Detox your body in 7 days with internal cleansers

Awareness is one important tool for staying free from illness and disease. With medical costs so high today, it is very expensive to get sick. For this reason, many people are now looking for ways to stay healthy. But the more important question is whether they are ready to make real changes in their lives.

Staying healthy means eating the right kinds of food in the right amounts, avoiding vices like smoking and heavy drinking and, most importantly, living your life to the fullest. If you can keep up with all of these things, you give yourself the best chance of a healthy, illness-free lifestyle.

Your body is exposed to many unwanted substances through the food and drinks that you take in, and even the environment that you live in adds to this load. Normally your liver, kidneys and other organs process and remove these substances very efficiently. Detox products are based on the idea that toxins inside the body build up when this natural process is overwhelmed, although there is little scientific evidence that this happens in healthy people.

Detox diets are very well known nowadays, and many of them involve various herbs and supplements. Others prefer a gentler way to detox your body: a diet that supports the body’s own detox process. Your body removes waste through your skin, lungs, liver, intestines and kidneys, and the lymphatic system also plays a part.

But before starting any detox diet or program, it is wise to consult your doctor first, both to be safe and to get a proper assessment of your present health. This is especially important if you are pregnant, take medication or have a chronic illness.

Some detox programs claim that “toxicity symptoms” get worse during the first days of a cleanse because toxins are being released in large quantities. There is no good evidence for this. Feeling unwell during a cleanse is more likely due to changes in your diet, fibre or caffeine intake. If symptoms are severe or do not pass, stop and see a doctor.

If you are looking for a simple way to support your digestion, one option is an internal body cleanser. These products are marketed as cleansing your internal organs in just seven days.

A typical seven-day cleanser comes in caplet form or in fibre packets, and consists of natural fibre and herbs. Some users say they feel lighter and more energetic after the seven days, or even after the first day. Such reports are personal experiences rather than proof that the product removes toxins; the extra fibre mainly acts on the bowels.

Price is not the most important factor when choosing a detox body cleanser. Check the ingredients and how well your body tolerates them.

Detox body cleansers are easy to use. Since they are made from herbs and fibre, they are usually mild, but herbal laxatives can cause cramps or diarrhoea and can interact with medicines, so read the label carefully.

Detox body cleansers are not hard to find. You can buy them in many drugstores and in online stores. If you decide to try a seven-day cleanse, follow the directions, drink plenty of water, and remember that a balanced diet does more for your health in the long run than any cleanse.

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A detox diet sounds like a safe choice. After all, you are mainly eating vegetables and drinking water, and you hear about celebrities and people in recovery programs doing detoxes. So is it safe? The honest answer is that it depends on the diet and on who is following it. This guide explains what these diets involve, what the evidence says and who should be especially careful.

What do detox diets claim?

The idea is that toxins from food, water, chemicals and polluted air build up in the body and cause headaches, tiredness, acne and nausea, and that a short diet will clear them out. In fact, toxins are processed by the liver and kidneys, and they leave the body in urine, stool and sweat. Detox diets differ, but a typical one starts with a day or two of juice or a very light diet, followed by four or five days of brown rice, steamed vegetables and fruit, before foods such as wheat, red meat, eggs, sugar and junk food are brought back one at a time. Some also recommend colon cleansing with enemas, herbal supplements or a glass of lemon juice with every meal.

What does the evidence say?

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health reports that there have been only a small number of studies of detox programs in people, and that they were of low quality. A 2015 review found no compelling research that detox diets help with weight control or eliminate toxins. A 2017 review noted that juicing and detox diets can cause initial weight loss because of low calorie intake, but that people tend to regain weight once they eat normally again. If you feel better after a week of eating this way, the likely reasons are simple: you are eating more vegetables and fiber, and less sugar, alcohol and processed food.

Where are the risks?

Diets that severely restrict calories or whole groups of food usually do not lead to lasting weight loss, and they may not give you all the nutrients you need. Other risks depend on the method. Laxatives can cause diarrhea, which leads to dehydration. Colon cleansing can have serious side effects, especially in people with bowel disease, severe hemorrhoids, kidney disease, heart disease or a history of colon surgery. Unpasteurized juice can make you ill. Fasting can cause headaches, fainting and weakness. The FDA and the Federal Trade Commission have taken action against companies whose detox and cleansing products contained hidden ingredients or were marketed with false claims about treating serious diseases.

Who should not try a detox diet?

Talk to a doctor first if any of these apply to you, and in many cases avoid strict detox plans altogether: you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you have diabetes, kidney or heart disease or digestive problems, you have or have had an eating disorder, you take regular medicine, you are under 18, or you are older and frail. Teenagers and children need enough food to grow, and a restrictive diet is not suitable for them. Read the NCCIH fact sheet for a full list of cautions.

What is a safer alternative?

If what you want is to feel lighter and more energetic, you can get most of the benefits without the risks. Eat plenty of vegetables, fruit, whole grains and legumes, which are high in fiber and low in fat. Drink water. Take a break from alcohol, sweets and fast food. Chew your food slowly and sit down to eat. Get moving, sleep well and see your doctor if a symptom such as constant tiredness does not go away.

Whatever you decide, the choice is yours, but you should make it with accurate information. Our posts on detox diets 101, body detox the easy way, what the evidence says about cleansing the body and how to judge body detox products before you buy can help you decide.

Home detox programs promise to flush out toxins, help you lose weight, boost your energy and even slow aging. They are popular because they sound simple. The old version of this post repeated those promises, including that detox can ease asthma and diabetes and slow aging. Those claims are not supported by research. Here is a clearer look at what detox programs involve, what the evidence says and what you can do instead.

What is a detox program?

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says that “detoxification” diets, regimens and therapies, often called “detoxes” or “cleanses,” are promoted to remove toxins, lose weight or promote health. They may involve fasting, drinking only juices or similar drinks, eating only certain foods, taking supplements or herbs, cleansing the colon with enemas or laxatives, or using a sauna. The old post described home programs that run for two weeks or more.

Does detox work for weight loss?

The evidence is weak. NCCIH says that there have been only a small number of studies of detox programs in people, and that although some had positive results on weight and fat loss, insulin resistance and blood pressure, the studies were of low quality, with design problems and few participants. A 2015 review found no compelling research to support detox diets for weight management or for eliminating toxins. A 2017 review said juicing and detox diets can cause initial weight loss because of low calorie intake, but people tend to gain weight once they return to a normal diet. There have been no studies on long-term effects.

Do you need to detox at all?

Your body already has a system for this. MedlinePlus describes the liver as the organ that helps your body digest food, store energy and remove poisons, and the NIDDK explains that healthy kidneys filter wastes and extra water from the blood to make urine. These organs do not need a special diet to work. They need protection from things that harm them, such as too much alcohol and tobacco smoke. The old post said that the liver is the main organ for detoxification, which is true, but that does not mean a cleanse improves its work. See our posts on what your body already does to clean itself and natural body detox.

Can detox programs be unsafe?

Yes. NCCIH says the FDA and FTC have taken action against several companies selling detox or cleansing products because they contained hidden ingredients and posed a health risk, were marketed with false claims that they could treat serious diseases, or, for colon-cleansing devices, were marketed for unapproved uses. Colon cleansing can have serious side effects, especially for people with a history of gastrointestinal disease, colon surgery, severe hemorrhoids, kidney disease or heart disease. Unpasteurized juices can make people sick, and some juices are high in oxalate. Read the NCCIH page on detoxes and cleanses.

What can you do instead?

The old post was right that vegetables, fruit and water are good for you, and that you will not get lasting results if you go back to an unhealthy lifestyle. Aim for a pattern you can keep: plenty of vegetables, fruit and whole grains, enough water, regular physical activity, sleep, no smoking and limited alcohol. NIDDK says experts recommend an initial weight-loss goal of 5 to 10 percent of your starting weight within six months. Our posts on gentle detox habits versus harsh cleanses, are detox diets safe and detox diets 101 explain the choices in detail. If you have a health condition, check with your doctor before changing how you eat.

Body detox products: how to judge them before you buy

Are you clean inside?

Are you 100 percent sure about it?

All of us are exposed to a number of chemicals and other potentially harmful substances on a daily basis. Even if you lead a healthy lifestyle, you still meet substances that are found everywhere, even in your own home: in the water we drink, the food we eat and the air we breathe. We cannot avoid these completely, because they are the essentials we need to live.

Thanks to modern medicine, we have ways to treat many diseases and relieve painful symptoms. Medicines, like all substances, are broken down by the liver and removed by the kidneys; they do not build up as ‘toxins’ in a healthy body. We also eat more processed food and sugar than ever before, which is a real concern for health, though not because it fills the body with toxins.

Why all the fuss about toxins?

Detox product sellers claim that toxins that are not removed cause indigestion and create more toxins, and that as they build up, they eventually turn into parasites that cause disease. This is not true. Toxins do not turn into parasites; parasites are infections that come from outside the body and need proper medical treatment.

Your liver and kidneys are very good at clearing waste from your body. In healthy people there is no evidence that they fall behind and need outside help.

That is why the best support is a healthy lifestyle: a good diet, exercise, enough water, not smoking and limiting alcohol. Some people still choose to try a body detox product.

Many of these body detox products are herbal and are sold as gentler than chemical medicines. They come in different forms, such as teas, capsules, softgels, chewables and drinks. Herbal does not automatically mean safe: some detox teas contain laxatives, and some herbs interact with medicines.

Each product claims to target a particular part of the body. That is why it is important to talk to a doctor before choosing a body detox product.

Many of these products are sold on the internet. While most claim to be fully effective and free of side effects, scientists who have tested such claims have found little or no evidence to support them.

Many sellers go to great lengths to persuade you to buy their products. It is wise to get a second or even a third opinion. A little research does a lot of good. You do not want to waste your money on drinks that only quench your thirst, or on something that might harm you.

So if you feel tired and seem to have lost your energy, do not assume it is a build-up of toxins. Tiredness has many possible causes, such as poor sleep, stress, anaemia or thyroid problems. See a doctor to find out what is really going on.