Detox Diets Are A Waste Of Money And Time, Says Andrew Wadge, Chief Scientist, Food Standards Agency, UK

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Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 29 Dec 2007 - 8:00 PDT

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Come January 1st and millions of us feel we have been overdoing the feasting and would like to purify our bodies. It is tempting to go for the latest detox diets, but they are a waste of time and money, says Andrew Wadge, Chief Scientist, FSA (Food Standards Agency, UK) in his blog called Hungry for Science.

Wadge says the best thing to do is drink one or two glasses of water, get some exercise, and then enjoy home cooked meals. He adds that tap water (in the UK) is fine and is more sustainable than bottled water.

Wadge then goes on to explain that the human body has its own very efficient detox mechanism - the liver. There is a great deal of nonsense talked about detoxing. Wadge advises people to dump the detox diets and supplements and use that money to get yourself something nice, such as a Neil Young or Steve Earle album.

Some Detox Approaches Available Today

There are some alternative medicine approaches which are said to take the toxins out of your body, either with the use of herbs, or electrical or electromagnetic treatments. The theory is that if we release toxins too quickly they can damage the body and cause malaise.

A popular detoxification method is the detox foot patch which is presented with various herbal formulations. You apply the patch to the sole of the foot at bedtime. The toxins are said to come out of the body and into the patch. This foot patch is popular in Japan and is starting to make inroads into the US market.

There is no scientific proof that the patch removes toxins, or that it does so better than the liver and kidneys do automatically (please send me proof if you find any, I would like to publish it).

Detox Diets

This involves a change in eating/drinking habits in an attempt to detoxify the body (remove toxins). It is said to improve health, resistance to disease, mental health, digestion, bodyweight, and levels of energy. The person on a detox diet should consume mainly fruits and vegetables, non-processed foods, drink more water, and refrain from certain drinks, such as alcohol and coffee.

Some examples of Detox Diets

-- Master Cleanse
-- Raw Foodism
-- Fasting
-- Water fastig
-- Juice fasting
-- Food combining
-- Calorie restriction
-- Natural Hygiene

Hungry for Science, Andrew Wadge, Food Standards Agency

Written by - Christian Nordqvist
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