At the most basic level, detoxing or cleansing is designed to rid your body of toxins. These toxins don’t have to be substances like drugs or alcohol even though we use the same terminology. Toxins could come from anywhere: pollution in your environment; chemicals, preservatives, or pesticides in your food; or a host of other places. The idea is that your body can build up reserves of all sorts of toxins that can affect how well you function. By detoxing, you’re cleansing your system and flushing them out. Usually this involves fasting or sticking to a strict diet for a set period of time to allow your body to get rid of anything harmful.
Most detox programs target the liver, kidneys, and gut, which act as your body’s filtration system and can get clogged with debris just like your shower drain. A detox cleanse can help flush out the bad stuff from these areas to help them filter more properly. Think of it as Drano for your body.
Cleansing enthusiasts claim that by going through regular detoxes, their bodies are able to function at a higher level. Sometimes toxins can build up in people’s bodies over time and they don’t even realize that they’re feeling bad. Maybe you have chronic headaches that you can’t explain or you’ve been feeling sluggish for a few weeks. Maybe you find that it’s harder to get through your regular workouts or you feel more bloated than usual. Maybe your allergies are a little bit worse lately. A detox cleanse, in theory, could help you feel better because you’re essentially resetting your body. But your reason for doing a cleanse doesn’t need to be so thought out. Maybe you partied a little too hard on vacation or drank too much at your friend’s bachelor party and you just want to feel better—that’s a good reason too.
Before you start any cleanse, you should consult your doctor. They’ll be able to let you know if you have any health issues that you should keep in mind when cleansing. Keep in mind that not everyone is a fan of cleanses, so listen to what they have to say with an open mind. If you move forward with the cleanse, no matter what type, there are side effects. Be prepared to be irritable and moody at some point. You may also feel lethargic or even have flu-like symptoms the first few days. This is all part of your body going through withdrawal from things it might be used to (like sugar and carbs). The more decadent your lifestyle is before the cleanse, the harder the cleanse might be for you. Cleanses only work if you stick with them, so choose one that you think you can follow. For example, if you’ve never done one before, don’t try to do a three-week juice cleanse right off the bat; start with a couple days to see how you like it.
All cleanses work on the same goal: eliminating the bad things from your diet. How you do that is up to you.
These detoxes are the most popular and usually involve eliminating all solid food from your diet in favor of fresh juices. You’ll typically drink five or six juices a day for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on what kind you’re doing. While you get lots of nourishment from the juices, they can be hard for some people who miss the sensation of chewing (some cleanses will let you eat certain low-calorie foods like celery to help with that).
This is the OG detox cleanse where you literally eat nothing for a set amount of time. These days, you hear a lot about intermittent fasting, which is when you only eat for a set window each day (typically afternoon). Other fasting cleanses allow you to eat certain foods only at night. Theoretically, you are resetting your body to listen to itself more and use up stored nutrients instead of constantly eating new ones. The key, in all cases, is to drink a lot of water.
These diets ask you to eat a very restricted diet, usually only lean proteins and certain vegetables. They were once used to help figure out what foods someone was allergic to (after you reset your body, you gradually introduce certain food groups). These days, this diet is used in detoxing as well, especially if you’re concerned about how your body reacts to things like gluten or sugar.
Like the name suggests, this type of cleanse specifically targets the colon and GI tract and is meant to deal with issues like constipation, bloating, and irregularity. These cleanses come in all forms, from high-fiber shakes to just drinking salt water (which cannot be absorbed by the body). It’s best when done under the supervision of a medical professional, since damage to your GI tract is a possibility and can lead to bigger issues down the road.
This type of cleanse also targets a specific area of the body: the liver. Your liver helps filter out the bad stuff that comes into your body, flushes out waste, and helps process nutrients. Liver cleanses are especially attractive to people who drink a lot of alcohol or live an especially unhealthy lifestyle. Liver cleanses will often involve a restricted or juice diet and may also require additional supplements. Keep in mind, though, that the science is still out on whether these truly work or not.
Like fasting or a juice cleanse, this detox program restricts your diet for a set period of time. In this case, you only drink bone broth, which was made popular by the Paleo movement. These cleanses are short, usually lasting only a couple of days, and are thought to completely reset your body while still giving it some of the nutrients and protein it needs to function.