‘Tea, supplements and juices don’t detox, the liver, kidneys and lungs do’ Discuss...

Someone posted on social media this last week about detoxing.  She said that a tea or some supplements or juices don’t detox the body but that our liver, kidneys and lungs do.  In fact, when someone asked this nutritionist if certain organic teas and juices could help along with offering other benefits, her answer was ‘Nope, they are enjoyable to drink, but they do nothing to detox or cleanse the body, the body is way smarter than that.’ 🤔

Detoxification is the body’s way of processing and eliminating substances which are toxic 🏴‍☠️. These may be things which the body has absorbed along with food you have eaten or through your skin. They may have been inhaled. They may by excesses of hormones or other substances which your body produces on a daily basis, but your body is now out of balance and needs to get rid of some, or they may be substances which have been used or produced during normal metabolism and are now not required and need to be expelled. It’s a complicated process and our body is amazing in its ability to do this along with all the other amazing things it does!

Don’t get me wrong, the term ‘Detox’ can make me cringe! 😣 Some of the adverts I see on social media are incredible with what they claim.  Anyone who says you can out-supplement a bad diet - who suggests you can take a tablet or a juice or tea and detox your body - is exaggerating at best. 

However, I wholeheartedly disagree with this nutritionist!!  Yes, the lungs, kidneys and liver detox the body, but if you fill your body with toxic food - processed food 🍕, sugar 🧁, alcohol 🥂 etc - then those organs will be constantly struggling, become unhealthy, and fail to detoxify efficiently.  If, however, you fill your body with nutritious 🍏, natural, home-cooked food with lots of colour 🍓🍆, good quality protein 🐟, tons of green veg 🥬, then the body will work more efficiently at all it’s processes including detoxification.  It’s just like putting cheap fuel in a Ferrari - it won’t like it!  But put the right oil and the right fuel in it and it will purr! 🚗

This doesn’t mean that I believe that any old tea ☕ or supplement or juice 🥤 will help YOUR body to detox.  Each individual is just that - an individual!   To improve the overall health of the individual, you must look at the body holistically.  Look at lifestyle, diet, exercise, sleep, stress.  Look at the symptoms - are you struggling with IBS, acid reflux, bloating?  Are your hormones giving you jip?  Do you suffer from joint pain?  How is your sleep and are your energy levels low?  Are you anxious, angry or low?  

YOUR body may need a specific supplement, or may benefit from drinking certain herbal teas, or you may need to cut out sugar or eat more vegetables or fruits, in which case a juice or smoothie may help.  A detox for you may be different to a detox for someone else, and buying off a shelf or on-line from someone who doesn’t know you and hasn’t asked you any questions about your health may or may not help.  However, purchase a targeted high quality nutraceutical 💊 (a pharmaceutical grade supplement), or drink a specific tea ☕ targeted at your specific symptoms, or make a green smoothie 🍵 with lots of vegetables, herbs and antioxidant rich berries 🍇, and these may well help your body come back into balance and detoxify better (along with many other benefits as the person on SM suggested!)

So next time you see an advertisement for a tea which will help you lose weight, or a supplement which will improve your joint pain, or a juice which will help you to detox, remember that the company advertising it has no idea who you are, how old you are, what your current nutrition is, any symptoms you may have, if you are on medication…  They also may have produced the specific supplement or tea on the cheapest budget possible rather than going for quality, in order to make a fast buck…  See where I’m going with this?😂

If you are interested in understanding more about your nutrition, your sleep patterns, your exercise regime, your lifestyle, and how they are affecting your health, both physical and mental.  Follow me on social media (https://www.instagram.com/sarahshawwellbeing/ https://www.facebook.com/sarahshawwellbeing ) My DMs are always open if you would like to know more about what you can do to lead a healthier life, or book a nutrition and lifestyle consultation at https://www.sarahshawwellbeing.co.uk/nutrition-and-lifestyle