However, another component to immunity is a reserve of antioxidants. Copyright © Jess Wilson. Are all ckeanse claims true?

Body cleanse for improved nutrient absorption -

Detoxing is a trend that has grown in popularity over the past few years. While the concept of removing toxins from the body has been around for ages, popular methods of drinking certain teas , taking herbal supplements or consuming specifically formulated detoxing products have taken the health and wellness space by storm.

However, scientific evidence is lacking regarding what detoxing is and how effective it may be. It's often said to promote gut health and weight loss, boost energy, help mental clarity and increase nutrient absorption. While many methods of detoxing are promoted online and in the media, there is no official definition of a "detox diet"; it is an unregulated term.

In fact, this is partly what leads to the confusion and stress surrounding how to "properly" detox. Many people find conflicting information about the best way to detox since there are many different methods people swear by. Some of the most popular methods include some combination of the following recommendations:.

While some of these recommendations may have health benefits on their own, detox protocols can often lead people to unnecessarily restrict foods for a period of time , which comes with potential health risks.

Below are some things that can happen to your body when you go on a detox diet. Some detox protocols recommend doing things that disrupt your fluid balance, which can be very dangerous, per a review in Cureus.

Things like drinking large amounts of fluids daily or taking over-the-counter medications are definitely not a good idea.

Taking laxatives without medical supervision can be harmful—especially if you're not replenishing fluids adequately. Drinking lots of water in a short time may sound harmless, but it can also be dangerous because it could disturb your electrolyte balance.

Some protocols may intentionally cause you to have many loose stools in an effort to "cleanse" your gut or, specifically, your colon the latter portion of your digestive tract. While this may technically empty your colon, having a healthy or "clean" colon is not necessary.

Actually, eating a healthy, balanced diet, staying hydrated and avoiding excess added sugar and alcohol can all help keep your gut healthy. Your body naturally gets rid of harmful toxins and has mechanisms in place to facilitate this, including regularly forming and passing stools.

You can support this process by living a healthy, active lifestyle and limiting toxins where you can. Many cleanses or detox protocols require you to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables. This can lead to an increased intake of essential vitamins and minerals that many people's diets do not usually have.

While this can be a positive takeaway, these diets are typically short-term—and so are the healthy habits they recommend. Instead of detoxing or cleansing to increase your fruit and veggie intake , focus on making healthy eating a way of life by implementing small, achievable goals into your day-to-day.

Add spinach or kale to scrambled eggs, fresh berries to salads or make smoothies with fresh fruits and vegetables. These are simple ways to increase your fruit and vegetable intake that can be done safely long-term in a non-restrictive way.

With growing concern over what's in our food, it's not surprising that the concept of detoxifying the body is growing in popularity. Toxins from industrial processes can end up in the air, water and soil and, therefore, our food. These toxins can include heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants POPs , also known as "forever chemicals" because they do not degrade over time.

There is validity to concerns over these compounds entering our bodies—studies have demonstrated the harmful toll these take on our bodies with consistent exposure over a long period of time. According to a publication in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , long-term exposure to POPs may be linked to an increased risk of stroke, obesity and diabetes.

Detox diets are often said to help you lose weight, too. However, this is likely because they tend to be restrictive. If you are advised to avoid multiple food groups, you'll likely cut out many calories. Additionally, many detox protocols advise avoiding alcohol and processed or fast foods, which tend to be sources of excess calories in the American diet.

It's important to note, though, that while you may lose weight during a detox diet, most of it is probably water weight or even muscle, especially if you're restricting calories too much or overexercising.

Furthermore, a review, published in Frontiers in Nutrition , shows that detox diets can generate stress, raise your cortisol levels and increase your appetite. The combination of these factors can make losing weight more difficult and can increase your risk of binge eating and weight gain.

Detoxing might seem like an attractive idea in a health-conscious world. Without a healthy digestive system, you will experience discomforts that may hinder you from doing your everyday responsibilities in life.

Worse, you may develop diseases that require medication and maintenance. One way to prevent such things is to have a habit of cleansing your gut.

Some acute digestive problems are caused by consuming unhealthy foods, overeating, stress or infections. These are pretty much the minor ones; however, if left unattended, they may develop into chronic diseases.

Hence, the first step to a healthy gut is gut cleansing. Gut cleanse is also commonly known as colon cleansing. It is often associated when a person is being prepared for medical procedures like colonoscopy. However, it is also being used for detoxification purposes—making your gut clean.

Although the idea of colon cleansing and gut cleansing is the same, they have two different procedures. The colon cleansing term is typically used to refer to the process being done before a medical procedure.

Large amounts of water around 16 gallons or 60 litres are being flushed into your colon through a tube inserted into the rectum. The water is left to sit in the colon for a short time before being removed—this is called an enema. However, with gut cleansing, the term is used more for consuming food and liquid, changing lifestyle and taking supplements or herbs to cleanse the gut.

On the other hand, gut cleansing is actually unnecessary since your digestive system and bowel can clean that part of your body on their own. They can technically eliminate bacteria and waste material from your body. But, of course, it would not hurt to help your digestive system in cleansing, especially if you feel bloated, experiencing different stomach issues and have not pooped for days.

Keeping your gut healthy can improve your overall health as it plays a vital role in absorbing water, minerals and essential vitamins for your body to function healthily. By gut cleansing, you can aid your body in eliminating unnecessary substances or toxins in your digestive system, making you feel light and good about your overall health.

With this way, you take supplements that help in cleansing your colon orally. The idea is to aid your colon in expelling its contents. Powdered or liquid supplements can be found in different health food stores, supermarkets and pharmacies.

These can be enemas, laxatives and herbal teas. This procedure has similarities with enema, but it needs much more water. During colon irrigation, a small tube is inserted into your rectum in which a low-pressure pump or a gravity-based reservoir flushes several gallons of water.

Then, your abdomen will be massaged so you can release the water like a regular bowel movement, making you flush out fluids and waste. The session typically lasts for an hour [ 1 ]. While colon cleansing is much more on the medical side, you can simply do your cleansing by changing your health habits in what we call gut cleansing.

Here are some of the steps in gut cleansing:. As the concept of cleansing is to flush out some fluids or wastes, drinking plenty of water is essential. Water helps in digestion and bowel movement and ensures that you get all the nutrients from your consumed food. Not just that, water can also help in lessening bad bacteria causing intestinal issues [ 2 ].

Stress can cause you a lot of health problems and yes, including digestive system issues. In fact, reducing your stress can help in improving your gut microbiome.

As much as possible, prevent yourself from taking sugar, saturated fats and preservatives if you want to improve your gut health. On the other hand, when you are doing a gut cleansing, you must strictly avoid all these three substances. This is because sugar, saturated fats and preservatives put toxins in your gut.

Having better sleep can enhance your overall health, including your gut health. In fact, there is a study proving that having enough sleep has an effect on your diverse gut microbiome. When you get better sleep, your gut can have diverse and abundant bacteria, making your digestive system efficient in functioning [ 3 ].

Eating the right food is also a must in gut cleansing. Preferably, you must eat broccoli, cauliflower, dark leafy greens, ginger, oatmeal, some teas, in-season fruit and bone broth. Some fermented foods, such as kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha and yoghurt must be added to your meals as well.

This is because they can aid in adding good bacteria to your gut. Fibre can also help as it can manage your bowel movements.

In order to successfully cleanse your gut, you have to create when and how you will do it. Your timeline should depend on your lifestyle and schedule, as it can be really tricky. Your bowel movement may change and can disrupt your normal days. So, creating a timeline and method is a must. As mentioned above, taking oral supplements or herbs can help in cleansing your colon or gut.

You can also try to find brands in the market that work for you. This can help in your cleansing on a regular basis as you can just simply take them anytime, anywhere [ 4 ].

Basically, people who have poor gut health should do a gut cleanse every once in a while, depending on their condition. There are signs that you can observe to know if you need gut cleansing:.

When your poop does not look right, it is a sign that you have poor gut health. But how do you know that your poop is normal, right? Basically, it is more on the frequency of your bowel movements. The normal pooping times should be around three times per day to three times per week.

However, it is still different for all of us. Some common symptoms telling you that you need gut cleansing are frequent inflammation, poor nutrient absorption and cell dysfunction. Serotonin, a happy hormone, is a major factor affecting your mood, sleep and appetite, and it is primarily made in your gut.

Your gut helps supply tryptophan—a nutrient needed to make serotonin—into your brain. Hence, your diet plays an important role in making you feel good and also in supporting your mental health.

Detox diets are a popular clenase of "resetting" your nutdient, but imroved there enough scientific evidence to support their use? Shavonne Morrison is Digestive health practices registered dietitian, freelance Probiotic Foods for Digestion cleande and blogger. Cleane passionate Nitric oxide for athletes nutrition and delicious food and has spent five years studying health and nutrition at Texas Tech University. While obtaining her degrees, she discovered her passion for nutrition education and embraced her creative side by starting a food blog, Wellness for Womanhood, and pursuing freelance writing. Detoxing is a trend that has grown in popularity over the past few years. While the concept of removing toxins from the body has been around for ages, popular methods of drinking certain teastaking herbal supplements or consuming specifically formulated detoxing products have taken the health and wellness space by storm. Get clinically proven results for your hair, skin, nails, joints and gut with impgoved. Packed with powerful ingredients and offered in Ijproved powders, capsules or gummies. From Body cleanse for improved nutrient absorption energy and detox and digestion support to gut health and whole-body balance — our Organic SuperGreens products give you the benefits of juicing without the hassle. Discover superfood protein powders with easy-to-digest ingredients, designed to help you support your metabolism, build lean muscle and be greater than your goals. Put your gut health first.

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How to Help Your Body Absorb Nutrients