Detox diet – does it exist?
The media has long promoted all sorts of fashionable cleansing diets, promising an express detox, deacidification of the body, etc. Does it even make sense – we ask prof. Miroslaw Jarosz, director of the Institute of Food and Nutrition.
Professor, when you type the phrase cleansing diet into a popular Internet search engine after a while 246 thousand pops up. There are some reports on this subject. If we do the same with the keywords "detox diet", appears even more. What’s different for you, a doctor and a specialist in the field of health care. nutrition means the word detox?
– Detox, from a medical point of view, means either cleansing the body of excess metabolites produced during metabolism or the elimination of toxic substances, which re in some way b got into the body from outside. Examples of substances in the former group include. creatinine or urea. Their excess, which ry can be the effect of, for example. Kidney failure, leads to the so-called. internal poisoning of the body. The second group of substances includes, for example. Toxins, from ingestion of poisonous fungi. In the case of detox, therefore, either we need to cleanse the body of excess of its own (endogenous) metabolites In, or from poisons of external origin. Detox is therefore a rather broad concept, which re often misunderstood or overinterpreted.
So what is it like in the end with these cleansing diets? They make some sense and, indeed, it is possible to detox with them?
– In principle, from the point of view of a healthy person, the use of some special purification diets is not justified. In healthy people, unwanted substances are removed by the kidneys, liver, przew d digestive tract or lungs. In general, it can be said that everything is taken care of by our physiology. A healthy person who ry feeds on a daily basis in accordance with the healthy food pyramid and drinks an adequate amount of liquid , he should be able to handle the ongoing cleansing of the body on his own without any problems. What is different for os b sick. In poisoning, serious medical intervention is often necessary, so for example. Intensive cleansing of the body in the toxicology department. There are no one-size-fits-all solutions, each case should be approached individually, because each case of poisoning is different. Each disease has its own specific conditions and requires different therapeutic measures, including not only pharmacotherapy, but also dietary.
Please, in this case, give examples of specific ingredients in the diet, which re help us cleanse the body of toxins.
– It is about the usual ingredients that re on a daily basis are present in our diet in adequate amounts, if we eat according to the principles of healthy nutrition. These are ingredients that re primarily neutralize the effects of free radicals , while protecting our DNA and reducing inflammation in the body. Specifically, these are, for example. Polyphenols and other antioxidants, as well as fiber, kt re found in the greatest quantities in vegetables and fruits. These components help neutralize the effects of many toxins, bind them and excrete them. But let’s not forget about drinking liquid. This is very important. Without them, it would be impossible to physiologically cleanse the body.
From what you m i one can conclude that most fad diets and treatments that re promise a quick cleanse, an express detox, effective deacidification of the body, or getting rid of lingering toxins and deposits , it is simply marketing.
– This is true. Powt row once again: healthy people, consuming the right amount, good quality food in and liquid , cleanse themselves in a manner b physiological, without any special additional measures. So it makes no sense to spend extra, not inconsiderable money on tional miracle diets, advertised as cleansing.
In the promotion of such diets, the argument is often used that the contamination of the environment and food today is already so great that we must nevertheless take special cleansing measures to maintain health. Recently it turned out, for example. That in the European Union a large proportion of chicken eggs were contaminated with fipronil, a pesticide used in agriculture. Such substances are also handled by our bodies themselves?
– Every healthy person has a considerable capacity to compensate, neutralize toxic substances, m.in. those flowing from the environment. But, of course, only to a certain extent. Some re heavy metals, such as. o³ , accumulate in tion in different places in our body. In the same way, some re metabolites.
Perhaps, then, a little right, however, those who Those who treat themselves with e.g. Hydrocolonotherapy, thanks to which hich hope to remove from your body at least some of the deposits in it and toxins?
– Deposits are another concept, which re is often misused and confused in the common understanding of. From a medical point of view, we deal with deposits mainly nie in atherosclerosis of the blood vessels (arteries), in kt rych atherosclerotic plaques form, as well as in lithiasis lithiasis or kidney stones. It is worth adding that in some os b patients with atherosclerosis, which re they change their diet to a really healthy one, a reversal of the disease is observed to some extent, even by 20-30 percent. That is, a healthy diet acts not only preventively, but also therapeutically. So once again, instead of fad diets and treatments, I recommend everyone to eat a varied and balanced diet, in accordance with the pyramid of healthy eating, as well as regular physical activity, as the most effective and safe means of supporting the purification of the body.
I can imagine that some people b, e.g. overweight people who want to boost their health and buy However, all kinds of dietary detox holidays will benefit from them. In any case, do not harm yourself with this.
– If the cleansing diet is in accordance with the pyramid of healthy eating and contains an adequate amount of liquid it can be said, of course, that it is health-promoting, facilitates metabolism, neutralizes the effects of free radicals In other words, it supports the natural cleansing of the body. The thing is that such a diet anyone can have for not much money at home. There is no need to reach for celebrity endorsements for this purpose in and media concepts. The application of a healthy lifestyle is not only a cheap and universal way to prevent diseases b, but also a cure for many common ailments and a factor that changes the course of many diseases b chronic.
Professor, if all you need to do is eat healthy, drink the right amount of fluids and move regularly to maintain good health and neutralize toxins, then why still so few os b in Poland is putting a healthy lifestyle into practice, and instead resorting to that "miracle" diets and therapies to reverse cialy or to offset the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle
– From my own observations, but also from According to sociological studies, I unfortunately have to conclude that Poles are still an immature nation, at least in terms of behavior and attitudes related to health. I really find it hard to understand, looking at how at the same time they take care of at least their cars, in kt ricans regularly change oil, brake pads, change tires and service them. After all, human health is a much greater value than even the best car d, but still most people take less care of them than they do of their own car or apartment.
Perhaps this is due to the fact that people are confused and tired of an overabundance of information on health and nutrition, often contradictory or controversial, that re circulating in the media and on the Internet.
– Fortunately, Poles no longer need to wander and search in the dark on the subject of nutrition. In fact, for a year now there has been a National Center for Nutrition Education, which re is the source of I was given reliable and comprehensible information about the new diet b information in the field of dietetics. It is worth looking at its website, because there is a steady stream of new, useful content and educational tools there. Recently, the The Online Diet Center has also been launched, thanks to which that can benefit from free advice from a nutritionist – without leaving home.
