Sweethearts of celebrities and bloggers, detox juices and diets invaded the market and people’s lives! But what is detox diet? How it works? Learn more here! Starting a dietary reeducation through the detox diet is one of the best ways to go to eliminate excess toxins in the body, to initiate changes in diet and to prepare the body for new eating habits. The term Detox has been used so much by several products, from food to hair creams that that doubt remains, what is a detox diet?

But what is a detox diet?

Detox means the elimination of certain toxins and free radicals from the body. A detox diet is diuretic, nutritious and detoxifying and eliminates these substances that are not easily excreted by the body.

When is the Detox Diet indicated?

The detox diet is indicated for people who consume industrialized foods, excess of sugars, excess of fats, alcohol abuse, frequently, people who live in places with stress, pollution and who smoke are also indicated to follow a diet detox. Other situations that can be done on a detox diet are when we exaggerate for a certain period of time, such as trips and holidays. The detox diet is also welcome from time to time, to really clean up the body.

Detox diet and cabbage

The detox diet is currently more associated with the use of kale and other dark vegetables in detox juices. But is this really right?

Cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, mustard, watercress, radish, arugula, among others have a substance called glycosinolates. This strange name substance has sulfur compounds that modulate the transformation of xenobiotics, transforming fat-soluble substances into water-soluble substances to be eliminated by urine and feces, that is, they help to eliminate the substances that our body has difficulty to eliminate alone.

It is important to remember that for your juice to be detoxifying it is much better that you use organic foods, since the ones we consume are usually rich in pesticides!

How should the detox diet be?

The detox diet should be done for a period of time, usually it is done for 1 week (7 days in a row).

Some foods should be excluded, such as: processed foods, fats, white flour, sugar, caffeine (coffees, maté teas, energy drinks), dyes, alcoholic beverages. It is not necessary to exclude gluten or lactose if you do not have an allergy or intolerance.

The foods that should be consumed are:

• Whole foods: breads, pasta, biscuits, rice, quinoa, oats, whole flour. They are rich in fiber and B complex vitamins.
• Fruits and vegetables: also sources of fiber and rich in various vitamins and minerals. They are important for various functions of our body
• Legumes: group of beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, soybeans. They are rich in fibers and provide vegetable protein for tissue construction and maintenance
• Fish and white meats: they have protein like red meat but they have less fat. The fish still provides omega-3, which is an excellent health fat.
• Herbal tea: They have a diuretic effect helping to retain and eliminate liquids.

You can use detox juice during the week of the diet.

The juice must be composed of:

• 1 liquid (base): water, green tea, hibiscus tea, coconut water
• 1 dark green vegetable: chard, broccoli and cauliflower leaves, spinach, kale, parsley, watercress, mint.
• 1 to 2 servings of fruit: 1 apple, 1 slice of pineapple, 1 orange, 1 tangerine, 8 small strawberries, 1 lemon.
• To sweeten: sweetener, honey, agave. Avoid sweetening, prefer only the sweet of the fruit itself
• You can add ginger, chia, flaxseed or cinnamon.

Benefits of the detox diet:

• They balance the functioning of the organism: it eliminates free radicals and toxins that overload the organism.
• Eliminates liquids: contains diuretic foods and increased consumption of fluids helping to eliminate them.
• Improves health of skin, nails and hair: due to the presence of antioxidant vitamins and minerals.
• Improves the intestine: As the diet is rich in fiber it helps in the functioning of the intestine
• Increases metabolism: because it has thermogenic foods helping to burn calories.
• Improved disposition: due to the high content of vitamins and minerals
• Combats premature aging: by eliminating free radicals.

What doesn’t the detox diet do for you?

Fast and definitive weight loss: The detox is focused on antioxidant foods to improve the body as a whole, as in this diet there is a restriction of several foods harmful to health, weight loss occurs naturally, but it is not an obligation to lose weight on the detox diet ok?  Cleanse the whole body: The diet helps to cleanse the body in a healthy way, but it will not eliminate all toxins from years of excess.