There has been a trend towards doing cleanses and detoxes all over the world. This became more popular once certain health “gurus” started to tout them. They boast the ability to do everything, from curing joint pains, to losing weight, to curing chronic diseases like diabetes. With all of this hype, the question is, should you do a cleanse? Well, the short answer is no. The long answer is nooooooooo!!!
Here are a few reasons that you should generally avoid cleanses:-
5) No Waste Elimination — The major boast is that a cleanse detoxifies your body by eliminating waste. You often hear people talk about how much came out of them when they did a cleanse… the reality is that it’s a glorified, and very harsh, purge. The thing is that, if you are generally healthy, your body eliminates waste very efficiently, anyway! Just make sure to eat your insoluble fibres (from foods like whole wheat flour — unless you have a gluten or FODMAP intolerance — beans and peas, vegetables, and nuts), drink lots of water, try to get your sleep in, and some moderate exercise (think about taking a daily walk), you should be fine! If you’re doing all of these things and you’re still not regular, then you may have a more serious issue and it is better to go to a doctor than try a cleanse.
4) Loss of Energy And Muscle — Most cleanses are accompanied by a fast of some sort. While fasting is not harmful in and of itself, you should keep in mind that prolonged fasts mean that you’re going for an extended period with no nutrition going into the body. This may result in muscle loss which may result in mobility loss. Think about falling and not being able to get up when you get older… scary thought, huh?
3) Counterproductive for Weight Loss — While losing weight may be your goal, remember that fat cells (adipocytes) don’t go away. This means that while you may lose some fat (along with the muscle mentioned above), you are ready and able to regain that fat as soon as you resume your regular diet (due, in no small part, to the potential loss of muscle mass). Weight loss from a cleanse is temporary, at best, while an overall change in diet (nutritional habit) and exercise is longer-term and, overall, healthier!
2) Damage to Digestive Tract — Like I said earlier, a cleanse is a very harsh purge. While a single purge presents its own set of problems (malnutrition, blood pressure issues, etc.), and should probably only be used in extreme cases (constipation), multiple purges, especially with harsh ingredients, may cause long-term damage. Damage to intestinal lining and interfering with your gut microbiome are 2 of the severe medical health issues caused by the use of cleanses. Oftentimes, someone who does a cleanse for a health issue ends up with worse symptoms and still ends up going to see a doctor.
1) Disruption of Regular Life — Aside from all of that, cleanses also generally interrupt your normal life. You spend inordinate amounts of time sitting on the toilet, you may feel weak and tired, you may lose your zeal to do certain things, you may lose focus/ability to concentrate, your cognitive ability may lower… Even if it’s just for a few days, your overall life, be it at work, with friends and family, or both, will suffer while you go through your cleanse.
With all of these issues, is it really worth it? Personally, it’s not something I would want to do, nor would I recommend! Instead, just try to live a generally healthy lifestyle and you ought to be fine. And remember: a happy digestive system is a happy you!