1. During detox the body is starved of nutrients.
FALSE! With a high quality detox made up of fresh, cold pressed fruit and vegetable juices, the exact opposite happens: the body is flooded with a plethora of vitamins, plant enzymes, minerals, phytochemicals and micronutrients. These valuable nutrients help the body at a cellular level, so are more beneficial than just following a healthy diet.
2. Detoxing is harmful to your health.
FALSE! Crash dieting or following diet crazes, such as drinking only tea or other home-made recipes such as water, maple syrup and lemon, are extremely harmful. Such radical methods cannot be called detoxing as they are just starving your body while not providing it with any essential nutrients. A proper detox gives your body all the vitamins and fresh goodness it needs, without leaving you really hungry or deflated.
3. Detox does not exist.
FALSE! Although undertaking a detox literally means to get toxins out of the body, it is now used in a mainly figurative sense. By detox it means you are giving your body a break from all the unhealthy habits our lifestyles follow, such as eating sugary food, drinking too much caffeine, smoking, stress at work etc.
4. By detoxing you are not getting enough proteins.
FALSE! The fear of not getting enough proteins has been manifesting itself in our minds for years. Many people also do not know that protein does not only come from meat and fish, but also is present in many fruit and vegetables (especially green leafy vegetables), as well as nuts, sprouts, seeds, and legumes. Our body can digest these much more easily than the proteins found in meat, as the amino acids found in plant proteins are less complex than those in animal proteins. This, therefore, allows our digestive system to take a break, which is one of the main benefits of doing a detox.
5. After a detox the yo- yo effect happens.
FALSE! The dreaded yo-yo effect arises only then when the body is starved of essential nutrients as the metabolism switches on the back burner because of this malnutrition. As soon as you then start eating ‘normally’ again, your metabolism is overwhelmed and starts to store the sudden supply of food as fat. After a proper detox, however, the body actually does the opposite; it was given ample nutrients and vitamins so the metabolism is activated and then works even more efficiently than before.
6. Smoothie is another word for juice.
FALSE! The terms smoothie and juice are indeed often used interchangeably, but they serve very different purposes. The main difference is that plant fibres (dietary fibres) are contained more in the juice, which the body has to digest. Vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytochemicals go directly into the blood and provide an instant energy boost. Smoothies and juices also have completely different manufacturing processes: a smoothie is made in a blender; a juice in a juicer. Also, many fruits like banana, peach or mango are not suitable for fresh juice as they are too thick, so these remain in the smoothie corner.
With thanks to Detox Delight, visit www.detox-delight.ae.