Detox proponents say the body is under constant assault from toxins such as smog, pesticides, artificial sweeteners, sugar, and alcohol. Without a periodic cleansing, these poisons accumulate in the body and cause headaches, fatigue, and a variety of chronic diseases.
But the science behind the detox theory is deeply flawed, says Peter Pressman, MD, an internal medicine specialist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The body already has multiple systems in place — including the liver, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract — that do a perfectly good job of eliminating toxins from the body within hours of consumption.
“There’s no evidence at all that any of these approaches augment the body’s own mechanisms,” Pressman tells WebMD.
Meanwhile, Oprah is championing a so-called detox diet called the 21 day cleanse. The goal is not to eliminate all foods as many detox diets suggest, but to cut out sugar, alcohol, gluten, caffeine and animal products. Quantum Wellness author Kathy Freston claims this lightens the workload so your body can heal, regenerate and perate at maxium capacity.
As ever, her trusty cook can whip up recipes that conform to any rules. If only! Someday I’ll have servents.
I believe Oprah has promoted some less than stellar diets in the past, such as the liquid diet — but with Potato Leek Soup, Tofu Scramble and Tempeh Scallopini on the menu, I can’t fault her for trying something new and seemingly healthy.
Will it make a difference and is the science behind it correct? Who knows! Basically, this is a vegan diet. The meal plan seems pretty solid, though, so even if it doesn’t exactly do what they claim, I don’t see how eating plenty of fruit and veggies can be a bad thing. Some of those recipes do look pretty good.
