We live in an era where being healthy and fit is all the rage and that is amazing. We should all strive to be the best possible version of ourselves. However, human nature is such that we’re always looking for a shortcut to a certain goal, whether that’s money or health, it makes no difference. We’re positive that you’ve heard the words toxins, cleanse, detoxifying and so on, a lot of time during the last few years, possibly more. So, it’s safe to say we are part of the cleansing craze point in time.
Is the cleansing craze a new thing?
To be honest, cleanses are not a 21st-century thing, they have been around for a long time. The only difference is, now, we’re all connected through social media and similar stuff and we’re more exposed to it. People have been detoxing for ages, probably even in the ancient days. What we nowadays have, are these detox diets and drinks that promise you all kinds of benefits in a ridiculously short amount of time. We’ve seen them on the shelves at the pharmacy, the local Instagram model is advertising them daily, celebrities are claiming they have been rejuvenated after just a few days – after all of that, it’s impossible to wonder whether they work or is it just a scam?
How do they work?
The basic premise of the detox drink is that it helps the body flush out the toxins from your body significantly faster. Some even promise to do that in a day, all you need to do is drink them and drink about a gallon of water afterwards, maybe even more. So, is that really possible? Well, as far as science is concerned, absolutely not. First of all, our body is ‘cleansing’ all the time. You have liver, kidneys, skin and even lungs that are doing just that at every point in time. Can a drink or a smoothie help at least boost their performance? Let’s find out.
What are some of the most common myths associated with detox drinks?
There are a few common assumptions (let’s call them assumptions, for now) about them, most of them often advertised on the label and we’re going to talk about them right now.
1. Your body needs it
Okay, let’s assess what the toxins actually are because you’re not going to find out reading the label. Toxins are substances in our environment that contribute to disease. So, they’re everywhere – food, air, water etc. One thing to ask yourself here is, wouldn’t you already feel the effects of all of those toxins out there? If there was no other way to get rid of them, of course you would. To be fair, you probably wouldn’t be reading this. Your body does the cleansing for you. The major players in this game are liver, kidney and intestines. They do all the dirty work without any outside help and they’re going to continue to do it with or without the detox drink. So, the final verdict would be – no, you don’t in any way need them.
2. They can quickly flush all of the unwanted things out of your system and leave you squeaky clean
This is one of the major reasons for the entire craze. We live unhealthy lives in these times, but we want to do better. Sometimes there’s just not enough time to eat healthy and you might let loose sometimes to get rid of all the stress. However, it comes the time when you need to come back to your 100% and then you turn to detox drinks. You can find great, objective reviews of those drinks at medsignals.com and even info on where to buy Ready Clean and similar stuff. But, in the end, the verdict is going to be the same no matter the product – all you do is dilute your urine from drinking enormous amounts of water. You’re not going to flush out everything from your system in a matter of days, those things take time.
3. It will help you lose weight
This one seems like it couldn’t possibly be a myth – after all, you’re drinking healthy stuff, right? Detox drinks come in various forms, from pre-produced to just regular healthy smoothies you’ve read somewhere will help you lose weight. What happens here is, you’re never just drinking smoothies. If you were to do that, you wouldn’t be able to survive for a very long time. What happens is, you tend to switch a meal for a smoothie and therefore you take in fewer calories than you normally would and that’s when you start losing weight. So, there’s nothing miraculous about a green drink, it’s just not a burger or a ham and cheese sandwich.
4. It balances your pH levels
This is a new ‘feature’ of detox drinks and diets and it’s trending at the moment. What it claims to do is promote a better alkaline environment for your body and therefore offer better health. However, this is absolutely not true. It’s proven that you are in no way able to alter your pH levels by food or drinks.
5. It makes your skin better
This seems like it could be true. After all, you’re not taking in any harmful substances. But in reality, all you’re doing is drinking a lot of water and keeping your whole body as well as your skin hydrated. So, if dry skin was your problem, then yes, it helps. As far as anything else goes, sorry to disappoint you, it’s not going to help.
6. Detox drinks are healthy and helpful
The fact is, they sure do, just not in the way you might think. There is absolutely no harm in having a green juice, on the contrary, it’s a lot better than a soda. Most of them are rich in vitamins, fibre, minerals – all those things contribute to your health. Having a detox drink is in no way bad for you, it’s healthy. But that’s all there is to it. It’s a healthy drink, nothing miraculous about it. If you have a kale and spinach smoothie instead of eating waffles and syrup, you’re going to lose weight. If you drink a lot of water with a pre-made detox drink, you’ll be hydrated and overall feeling better. Just don’t expect it to be a magic eraser, there’s nothing that can do that, maybe in the future.
Hopefully, this article was helpful if you’ve been wondering what is it that you might expect from a juice cleanse or a detox drink. Stay healthy!
