The range of detox products is huge. Supposedly, they can rid the body of harmful substances or cleanse the intestines.
So-called detox products have no scientifically proven benefit. On the contrary, such a one-sided diet can also be dangerous for stressed individuals. A healthy body can rid itself of toxins thanks to the liver and kidneys. Claudia Vogt, nutritionist at the USZ, therefore has a clear opinion on detox products: “Detox is an invention of the industry to pull money out of people’s pockets. The only thing that is really purged is the wallet.”
Yo-Yo effect is guaranteed
For the body, it is pure stress when it is fed only powders and pills as food for three weeks. It reacts like in a famine. It quickly loses a few kilos. But the effect is not sustainable. Due to the stress, mainly water and muscles are lost during this time. The body hardly taps the fat reserves, since this is connected with a higher expenditure. So the yo-yo effect is guaranteed. It can hit pre-stressed people even worse. “Detox can be really dangerous for them. Because of the missing nutrients, gout attacks can occur during this time, for example,” explains Claudia Vogt.
Rethink lifestyle habits in the long term
Much more meaningfully than a short and violent conversion it is to be reconsidered its life habits on a long-term basis. This includes orienting oneself to the classical nourishing pyramid and integrating much movement into the everyday life. Also very important: The goals set must be realistic. People who are not keen on sports will hardly be able to motivate themselves to jog every day. But anyone who walks part of their way to work every day in the future has already achieved a lot.