While a diet of carrot and celery juice certainly sounds appealing, I can’t help but think that there must be an easier (and more palatable) way to go about this whole detox thing.

The problem is that there are so many miracle diets and treatments out there that you never know if they are actually going to work, or if you’ll spend days running to and from the toilet while collapsing from exhaustion.

Never one to seriously consider limiting my food intake, I decided to test out these Chinese detox foot pads. I had it on the good authority of a friend that they really do work.

The basic principle is that the ingredients in the pads emit Far Infrared Ray (yes, I too have no idea what these are, but they do sound scientific don’t they?), which draw the toxins out of your body. Apparently, during the day the toxins in your body travel down towards your feet and so you stick the pads on to the soles of your feet while you sleep.

The visual evidence is compelling. The dry white patches are sticky and brown in the morning. As your detoxification process progress, the toxic emissions are supposed to decrease and the brown stickiness is supposed to become dry whiteness.

The only problem is that in my case, they stayed brown and sticky throughout. The only change I noticed was that the skin on my feet started peeling off.

Being the truth-seeking journalist that I am, I conducted some tests and discovered the brown stickiness only appeared if the pads were on my feet.

So, while I didn’t experience the benefits of a complete detoxification (perhaps because my body was just so full of toxins) I can’t completely dismiss the pads as a hoax either.

Foot pads, like sauna treatments and massages are rather innocuous and if they are a complete waste of time, very little damage (and suffering) has been done. However, many people embark on far more strenuous and risky detox programmes, which can include anything from fasting to colon irrigation, without any knowledge of possibly damaging side effects.

We chatted to general practitioner Dr Carey about whether detox programmes are really necessary and what the healthy alternatives to a diet of lemon juice are.

Reasons to detox

The general principle behind detox diets seems to be that our bodies can’t cope with all the toxins that modern life throws at us — pollution, cigarette smoke, pesticides, preservatives, caffeine and alcohol.

These toxins are said to cause a myriad of problems from fatigue and headaches to weight gain and lowered immunity. The idea is that by detoxing, you’ll lose weight and feel great. The problem is, that maybe people detox to lose weight (hence the many varieties of starvation).

Scientifically speaking…

According to Dr Carey, if we are relatively healthy, our bodies should be able to deal with toxins all on their own — that’s what your liver, kidneys and skin are for.

“Some detox programmes are really bad for you. It is never good to starve your body and things like colonic irrigation can be very dangerous. Many diets suggest that you take certain ‘detox supplement’. Generally, these have not been proven to be safe. The best option is a healthy lifestyle.”

Healthy habits

While we can’t necessarily control the levels of pollution, we can definitely limit some of the toxins that get into our bodies. The most obvious measures are to cut out smoking completely and to cut back on alcohol and caffeine. By eating organic foods and reducing your intake of ‘junk’ or processed foods, you’ll decrease your intake of preservatives and pesticides.

Those well-worn words of wisdom — eat lots of fruit and veggies and drink at least two litres of water a day — have some validity. While you could probably cut back on ‘unhealthy’ red or fatty meat, it is important to get in all your food groups. Rooibos tea, which is full of antioxidants (but no caffeine) is a good alternative to coffee.

A healthy lifestyle is not only about what you eat. Exercising regularly will speed up your metabolism and help you to eliminate toxins through sweat. Plenty of sleep and de-stressing exercises such as yoga or meditation will also lead to a healthy happy body (and mind).

Spring resolutions

So, I’ve decided to toss those foot pads aside and make a serious commitment to my health. I plan to eat more fruit, drink water instead of tea and opt for organic food. Spring is all about fresh beginnings, so banish all thoughts of a quick fix from your mind and commit to habits that’ll leave you healthy and happy.
RSS
Digg
de.li.cious
facebook
Levelling the playing fields The South African soccer field has traditionally been a male bastion but we are moving forward.
Hottest six-pack in SA? Who does the hottest six-pack in South Africa belong to? Read this to find out...
'The woman on p194' What do you think of the appearance in a fashion magazine of a model who fills more of the page?