Do you need to detox?

While a detox diet might cause some fatigue early on, many people report feeling improved and more sustained energy during and after a detox diet. Net Photo

Would I have the stamina to go on a juice fast for, at least, seven days? That is the question Rita Tushabe kept asking herself. Even as she envied the positive results of her friends who had successfully curbed their hunger for a few days, she was reluctant to do it herself. “I love my food. I am one of those people who can literally stop functioning if I do not have lunch because, to me, it is the most important meal of the day,” she explains.
Tushabe eventually went through the detox programme and lost five kilogrammes. “The thing that stood out for me is that the size of my tummy decreased.”

What is detox?
Detoxification seems to be one of the latest fad regimes on the weight loss market. All you have to do is drink juice to flush your system of toxins you have accumulated over years. However, many people misunderstand the concept of detoxification; and because it is accompanied by weight loss, its popularity has taken on a completely different meaning.
Dr Paul Kasenene, the managing director Wellcare Health and Wellness, says the body has a natural way of eliminating the toxins that are majorly accumulated in the liver. “Detoxification is the process through which the body eliminates toxic substances it has come into contact with. The body eliminates these toxins through our bowels, urinary system and the skin (sweating).”
It is only when this system is compromised that impurities are not properly filtered out and every cell in the body is adversely affected. Hence, the need for a detox programme.

When you detox
For the first two days into her detox programme, Tushabe had to give up on cooked food. “I had to live on raw vegetables and fruits. It was a challenge and I was constantly hungry.”
According to Dr Kasenene, there are nutrients, such as antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that can only be gotten in raw vegetables and fruits. “These nutrients are what help the liver in the detoxification process. As your stomach contracts, the digestive tract is cleansed and you may experience weight loss as water, minerals, and water soluble vitamins are excreted.”
Antioxidants are natural substances found in fruits and vegetables that may prevent or delay cell damage. They include beta-carotene and vitamins A, C, and E. These nutrients can also be got in supplement form.
“Throughout the detox programme and the juice fast, make sure to drink lots of water, at least eight glasses per day,” Dr Kasenene says.

The juice fast
No detoxification programme is complete without a juice fast. Because some of the important vegetables needed by the body are difficult to eat in raw form, such as broccoli and spinach, they can be blended and drunk in juice form.
“A juice fast involves consuming only raw vegetables and fruit juice and water for a short period of time,” Dr Kasenene says, adding, “It is considered one of the more rapid methods of detoxification due to reduced food intake.”
A juice fast can last from one to five days. After two days of eating only fruits and vegetable salads, Tushabe took on a three-day juice fast. “By the time I got onto the juice fast, my body had come to terms with the fact that it was only eating fruits. However, I was getting constant headaches. Besides, thick juice is not an attractive alternative to food.”
Because the fruits and vegetables consumed have low calories, detoxification supports weight loss. Dr Kasenene advises, “The toxins are stored in fat cells. If the body is able to remove as many toxins as it can, those fat cells shrink and disappear altogether.”

Detox alone is not healthy
Most detox programmes last a maximum of 10 days and can only be done once or twice a year. In the period between detoxes, it is important to live a healthy lifestyle. “You cannot drink juice alone for the rest of your life. The body needs nutrients it gets from nuts, seeds, grains, and starch. A healthy lifestyle means eating unprocessed foods in the right quantity, all the time instead of waiting for a few days in a year in which to juice. A healthy lifestyle also incorporates daily exercise, even if it is only walking for 30 minutes.”
Dr Kasenene advises that detoxification should be done under the supervision of qualified medical personnel who understand it and the risks involved. “A diabetes patient or one with electrolyte imbalances can get dehydrated during the process. Even under supervised juicing, the fruits and vegetables should be used in their entirety. They should be put together in a blender so that the pulp and fibres are not lost, as they would be in a juicer.”4

Detoxing the right way
As you go on a diet of raw fruits and vegetables for a period of time, cut out sugar, coffee, and refined carbs. Sprinkle chia seeds with your meals because they are healthy. After a successful juicing, do not immediately return to solid food. Instead, for two to three days, eat only fruits and vegetables.
Detoxing for the first time usually brings withdrawal symptom, such as, headaches, light headedness, continuous urination, nausea, or breaking out in rashes. These are signs that your body is getting rid of toxins.