'Tis the holiday season and I'm happily imbibing in seasonally appropriate gustatory delights. Is this healthy you ask? To which I reply, I have to eat and drink every day to maintain homeostasis, I may as well ingest pumpkin-spice, peppermint-chocolate, and apple-cinnamon flavored sustenance while I can. With carrots on the side, of course.
Though my "everything in moderation" dietary school of thought keeps me from suffering much angst when confronted with the holiday smorgasbord, I'd say I'm in the minority. Many folks are concerned about overindulgence and unhealthy eating during this time of year. After the holiday decorations are packed away, people everywhere will be seeking retribution for their self-labeled dietary transgressions. So, before you add "go on a cleanse" or "detox" or "juice fast" to your New Year's resolution list, I have excellent news for you.....
You have a liver! And this means, unless you have liver disease, your liver is already working night and day to keep you detoxified. One of the liver's main functions is to break down potentially harmful substances you ingest into excretory products. Take note: these products are excreted. That means your liver turns waste products in your blood into substances that leave your body through your poop or pee. The waste products don't just sit there and accumulate.No need to trigger the cleansing process by drinking massive quantities of lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Thank you, metabolism.
If you are pooping and peeing on the regular, then congratulations, your body is already doing what it can to protect you from toxins. While you may have completely valid concerns for your dietary habits, don't be fooled into focusing on tasks your liver and other organs are already taking care of. That's just wasteful.
References
http://www.livescience.com/34845-detox-cleansing-facts-fallacies.html
http://www.nlfindia.com/liverZone/functions.asp
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0015941/
http://www.livescience.com/48767-juice-cleanse-myths.html
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/dec/05/detox-myth-health-diet-science-ignorance
http://www.bidmc.org/YourHealth/HolisticHealth/DietCenter.aspx?ChunkID=100544
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