34 WELLNESS FOR ALL

dAiLy dEtOx

Hydration Diet — she had followed went disastrously wrong. Mrs Dawn Page, 52, had been told to drink three litres of water a day and reduce her salt intake, but this resulted in severe sodium deficiency, epileptic fits and eventually, brain damage.

According to Canadian nutritionist Dr. Jayda Siggers, even detox diets can have negative side effects, such as muscle aches, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, low energy, low blood sugar — and even electrolyte imbalances or malnutrition, if followed for extended periods.

Get started, gentlySo if you’re thinking about embarking on a detoxifying regime, avoid the negatives by starting slow, and building up gradually. If you have been piling on the calories for a long time, a “binge detox” or sudden change in lifestyle is likely to do more harm than good.

Ms Pooja Vig, founder of The Nutrition Clinic at Camden Medical Centre, does not advise embarking on detox programmes that involve drastic measures or one that requires

starvation. Programmes like the Master Cleanse — a modified juice fast that permits no food — are not something that a person who enjoys good food and respects her body would do, Ms Vig is reported to have said (in a report in The Business Times in March 2012). Over-the-counter products and spa treatments also do not have a lasting effect, she said.

According to her, a more realistic and effective approach involves a long-term change in the way one looks at food, supported by a short-term plan to kick start new eating habits by phasing out bad foods and introducing good ones.

There are a wide variety of detox diets — from the Grapefruit Diet to the Master Cleanse — but these to some degree, follow the same essential principles: “Calorie restriction, combined with an allowed small amount of fruit, vegetables, water and/or supplements. While watching what you eat is never a bad thing, especially if you are trying to lose weight, it is important not to go overboard”, says Dr Siggers who co-founded the Clean

Quick-fix cleanses are — more often than not — just empty claims. Get the real benefits of detoxing by doing a little every day instead. By ElisabEth lEE and Fairoza Mansor

detoxthe daily

Lose weight fast! Eliminate fattening toxins! Jump-start your metabolism! Keep the kilograms off! Detox diet

supplements that promise to eliminate toxins and boost health line the shelves of any pharmacy you might care to walk into. Elsewhere, detox therapies and promises abound — but like any other quick fix, these methods can come at a cost — and not just to your wallets.

While some methods can be relatively harmless, such as foot pads that claim to ‘detoxify’ the soles of your feet, others can be potentially lethal. These include procedures such as colonic washouts, which if poorly performed can leave you with a perforated bowel, and chelation therapy which is not approved for over-the-counter use by the US Food and Drug Administration, and can be hazardous if done improperly.

Even detox diets, when taken to the extreme, can be hazardous to health. A woman in the United Kingdom was awarded more than £800,000 pounds (about S$1.6 million) in damages after a radical detox diet — The Amazing

Issue 4 35

36 WELLNESS FOR ALL

dAiLy dEtOx

Plate Cleanse (cleanplatecleanse.com), a guided whole-foods cleanse that comes with weekly nutrition plans and online support.

However, before embarking on a detox or a cleanse, it is advisable to consult a nutritionist first.

Think long-term changeJust as a mass spring-cleaning of your kitchen once a year won’t do much for

household hygiene the other 364 days, an annual detox is going not

going to accomplish much. So instead of alternating

hedonistic periods of feasting with puritanical periods of self-restraint, why not try a year-round detox instead?

The benefits are many. For one, the rapid weight loss associated with a “binge detox” diet is usually followed by an equally rapid weight gain once the diet stops. Most of the initial weight loss in any diet is water, and not fat, say doctors. With a year-round detox and a sustained, sensible diet plan on the other hand, any weight that comes off is far more likely to stay off.

EMbracing a daily dEtox routinE MEans you rEap thE bEnEFits daily — think shiniEr hair, clEarEr skin and a happiEr livEr.

detoxmyths

debunked

1 The body cannot detox on its own. This is false; your liver, kidneys and colon help remove waste and toxins

all the time. The body fi rst transforms toxins into non-toxic metabolites, says Dr siggers, before excreting them via the liver, kidneys, lungs and skin.

2 eating just fruit and veggies is a good way to detox. While fruits and veggies are great for you –

nutritionists recommend getting at least fi ve servings a day – they are lacking in protein and vital minerals. A diet that only comprises fruit and vegetables

can result in nutritional defi ciencies if adhered to for long periods of time.

3 Your colon needs to be cleansed. Colonic irrigation is an expensive way to detox – but many doctors aren’t

convinced that it works. While being constipated is certainly no fun, paying to have your bowels irrigated with gallons of water is just throwing money down the toilet.

4 Detox patches remove toxins. Your body does a great job on its own, so these patches are

unnecessary. While a detox patch might make you sweat more, scientists say the effect is very small and makes little difference overall.

5 Detox supplements and tonics work. The effectiveness of most over-the-counter pills and supplements

have not been scientifi cally verifi ed. What’s worse is that too high a dose of these “supplements” can affect your health or interact with your other medications, reducing their effectiveness.

Detoxification, explains Dr Siggers, is based on the idea that “your body needs help getting rid of unwanted toxins from contaminants in processed foods and the environment”. In theory, once free of toxins, your body functions better and you boost your metabolism thereby shedding those unwanted kilos.

What’s more, that healthy post-detox glow becomes something you can look forward to every day. Embracing a daily detox routine means you reap the benefits daily — think shinier hair, clearer skin and a happier liver.

To get started, Dr Siggers suggests these 5 ‘Rs’ — five easy ways to introduce detox methods into your daily life: • rest your digestive system with a

12-hour overnight fast.• reduce processed foods, as well as

foods you are allergic to, or intolerant of.

• reinforce your body by ensuring a balanced diet incorporating vital minerals and vitamins.

• remove toxins by drinking plenty of water and eating high-fibre foods.

• restore your body’s natural detox supplies by incorporating probiotic

supplements and fermented foods into your diet. Think yoghurt, miso or tempeh. If a year-round detox sounds too

daunting, start by doing a little every day and then gradually building up. At first, aim for an 80/20 balance, suggests Dr Siggers. Try detoxing for just 80 per cent of the time, and spend the remaining 20 per cent indulging yourself with a treat — perhaps a little sweet dessert, or a glass of red wine.

So don’t wait until your next round of morning-after regrets — get started on a year-round detox and see how easy it is to feel healthier and happier, all the time.

detox

Issue 4 37