How many detox diets or miracle cleanses have you tried or considered trying? These buzzy wellness regimens make big promises, but the truth is, most are not backed by any scientific evidence. Well, there’s plenty of evidence that they drain your wallet—but that’s about it! Some may even cause harm to your body’s most important detox organ—your liver. The scientific community is generally against the detox diets you see on social media and even the detox pills you see at pharmacies [1].
Don’t get us wrong—detoxification is a critical part of wellness, and you should support your body’s ability to detox on a daily basis. But what’s the best way to detox?
In order to understand that, you’ve got to forget about the detox industry (the juice fasts and kale diets that cost an arm and a leg) and discover what’s actually going on in your body when it flushes out toxins. Then, you need to learn which nutrients fuel your body’s detox engines and make sure you get plenty of them in your diet.
What Is Detoxification?
Detoxification simply means the removal of toxins. When we talk about it in terms of wellness, it refers to the body’s natural process of eliminating harmful substances. How does your body get “toxified” in the first place? Many toxins come from external sources such as pollution, pesticides, processed foods, smoking and alcohol. Some toxins are also developed within the body, such as metabolic waste products.
There are some things you can do to reduce the accumulation of toxins in your body, but it’s important to understand that consuming and producing toxins are an inevitable part of life. This is why your body is equipped with plenty of tools for detoxification. However, just like any other part of the body, these organs and systems can only do their jobs if they are fueled with the right nutrients and healthy habits.
How Does The Body Detox?
Toxins are everywhere in your body. There are an unfathomable number of processes occurring in your body at any given moment, many of which produce toxic byproducts called free radicals. And that doesn’t include all of the toxins bombarding your body from the outside.
Luckily, your body has an entire detoxification vanguard represented by multiple organs and body systems. The general of your detox defense is the body’s detox organ: the liver. Your liver acts as a filter by breaking down toxic substances into less harmful compounds that can be eliminated when you go to the bathroom. It also produces bile, which helps remove waste products from your bloodstream. In support of the liver are several other organs and systems that live to cleanse.
- The Kidneys: The kidneys filter waste products from the blood such as urea, excess minerals, drugs and other metabolic waste. When your kidneys are happy, your blood is clean, which is pretty important because your blood transports nutrients and oxygen to all of the organs and tissue in your body.
- The Lungs: The lungs help to eliminate toxins every time you exhale. When you expel carbon dioxide, you also rid your body of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other airborne pollutants.
- The Skin: Your largest organ is in charge of removing toxins through sweat. Sweating can help release heavy metals like lead or mercury, as well as environmental chemicals. This is why saunas are effective at helping your body detox [2].
- The Intestines: The intestines remove waste products from digestion and from the liver. They absorb good nutrients from your food while removing harmful substances through bowel movements.
- The Lymphatic System: The lymphatic system is your body’s drainage network. The billions of processes happening every day inside your body create cellular waste that must be flushed out. This system also creates immune cells that fight foreign substances (aka toxins).
That’s a lot of detoxing happening all over your body, so you shouldn’t have to worry if one system can’t do its job, right? Not so fast. All of these organs work together to support overall detoxification in your body. So, if one goes awry due to a lack of nutrition or disease, your entire body can start to accumulate toxins. This can lead to chronic disease and even death. That’s why it’s so important to understand detox nutrition—the nutrients you need to support holistic detoxification.
Detox Nutrients For Natural Support
There’s no evidence that detox diets “cleanse” anything. You don’t need a $12 smoothie to rid your body of toxins. Science has already told us exactly what nutrients we need to empower our internal detox systems. These nutrients are called antioxidants. Antioxidants have one job—to remove toxins, foreign substances and free radicals from your body. They prevent oxidation caused by these substances that can harm your cells. These nutrients affect processes all over your body, and they also act as fuel for your detox organs.
If you want to detox like a pro, eat a diet rich in antioxidants and avoid things that expose you to free radicals, including stress, smoking, pollution and processed carbs and sugars. We don’t have time to talk about every antioxidant, but these are some of the most important detox nutrients:
- Vitamin C: You probably know that vitamin C is a big immune booster. But did you know that it’s also one of the most powerful antioxidants? It supports the production of glutathione, which is a key detoxifying agent in the liver. Vitamin C also has the power to resurrect oxidized antioxidants like Vitamin E, which is critical to another detox system, the skin [3]. So, you get a lot of antioxidant bang for your buck from a vitamin C supplement.
- Selenium: Selenium is a trace mineral that plays a vital role in liver function. Not only is it a powerhouse antioxidant, but it also protects the liver from inflammation, limiting damage as you age [4]. You can think of selenium as the liver’s personal bodyguard and caretaker. It’s present in many animal products, such as meat and eggs. But you can also get a full daily dose from a comprehensive multivitamin.
- Glutathione: Glutathione is produced by your body to neutralize toxins and protect cells from damage. And it’s an absolute beast of an antioxidant. Unlike other nutrients that might support one or two detox organs, glutathione contributes to eliminating toxins from the liver, lungs, intestines and kidneys. Glutathione can even directly neutralize dangerous substances on its own [5]. It’s basically the Rambo of detox nutrients. Your body makes glutathione, but concentrations decrease as you age [6]. A glutathione supplement can help keep levels high.
- Curcumin: Curcumin has been used for millennia as a detoxifier, and scientists now know why. It has an incredibly broad range of body-wide effects, benefiting the brain, muscles, heart, gut and liver. Curcumin might be the most important antioxidant because it’s been found to have a significant impact on oxidative stress (aka removing toxins), and it may boost the power of other antioxidants, helping them do their jobs even better [7]. Curcumin is so important for detoxification that Manna chose Liposomal Curcumin as one of the three most important supplements for foundational nutrition—the nutrients you need to support daily well-being.
Much like your body’s detox organs, detox nutrients work together to contribute to holistic detoxification. Their synergistic effect means it’s super important to include them all in your diet. But that can be a hassle.
Luckily, you can take a Liver Support supplement that includes the most important nutrients for your body’s detox hub. A liver support supplement plus a healthy diet gives you the best chance of covering your detox bases (without having to drink juiced kale).
Detox The Natural Way
Modern consumerism has turned detoxification into a billion-dollar industry. But science reminds us that no diet or detox pill is as effective as your body’s natural detox mechanisms. To detox the right way (and the only way confirmed by science), all you need to do is eat a diet rich in antioxidants and avoid smoking, excessive drinking and exposure to pollution and chemicals.
If you eat a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats, you’ll experience the benefits of a true detox diet. If you don’t manage to eat a cornucopia of produce daily, take a liver support supplement and liposomal curcumin to provide your detox organs with the essential antioxidants they need.
FAQ
Detoxification refers to the body’s natural process of eliminating or neutralizing toxins through the liver, kidneys, lungs, lymphatic system, and skin. This process helps to cleanse the blood and remove waste products and harmful substances that we encounter through environmental exposure, diet, and normal cellular processes.
Key nutrients that support detoxification include:
- Antioxidants: Such as Vitamin C and E, which help protect cells from oxidative stress.
- Selenium: A trace mineral that supports liver function and helps protect against oxidative damage.
- Glutathione: A powerful antioxidant produced by the body that neutralizes toxins and supports liver health.
- Curcumin: Provides broad anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits, supporting detoxification in the liver and other organs.
Most commercial detox diets are not supported by scientific evidence and are often criticized by the medical community. These diets may promise quick weight loss or health improvements, but they can be restrictive, unsustainable, and sometimes harmful. A better approach is to support the body’s natural detoxification systems through a balanced diet rich in antioxidants and other nutrients.
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/detoxing-your-liver-fact-versus-fiction
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5941775/
- https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-C
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9137657/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4684116/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15036413/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7694612/
