Detox Time?
Cue the "detox" commercials!
It's that time of the year 🙄. Detoxes, supplements, weight loss meds… the list goes on!
Today, we're talking detoxes! Are detoxes really needed?
The thing is, you already have everything you need to detox!
AKA: your kidneys and liver do the detox for your body!
So what does that mean? All these ridiculous items to purchase for a detox are a joke! But keeping these organs functioning properly and healthy is key!
The Standard American Diet (SAD) can unfortunately promote organ damage in the way of fatty liver and kidney disease. So, what to do to keep these organs healthy and running correctly?
We want to consume food items that will benefit our liver and kidneys so they can do their job adequately!
Do these things to help your liver and kidneys function properly:
💦Hydrate
Our bodies need a minimum of 64 oz water/d. Most individuals need more than the 64 oz guidelines. One good way to estimate your hydration needs is to consume half your body weight in ounces of water. Staying hydrated will help to filter out toxins. You can check out the Hydration Blog for more information on how to hydrate your body.
🍅Fiber
We need fiber to keep things moving out of our body! Fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, and while grains! 🍇🍎🥕 Not to mention the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are found in these foods!
Not sure how to incorporate fiber? Check out the Fiber Blog.
🧂Watch the Sodium!
Where salt goes, water follows. Yes, athletes do need more salt, but caution the types of foods you eat on a daily basis. If these food items are more heavily processed with salt, this could be a concern. Becoming aware of how much salt is in the foods you are currently purchasing can be helpful. How to do this? Read the Food Label for Sodium! For heart health purposes, we look to have around 140mg of sodium per serving. Of course athletes will need more than this, but starting to have a rough idea of how much salt you consume on a daily basis will be helpful.
💊Caution supplements!
Studies continually come out stating items are in supplements that shouldn't be and aren't on the label! Plus the ingredient that you may want to be in the product isn't even in there. If you are going to use a supplement, make sure it's 3rd party certified. (I have an entire blog on this - Supplement Blog).
🍷Caution Alcohol!
Alcohol is straight up hard on the liver. General guidelines are 1 drink/d for women and 2 drinks/d for men. And no saving up! Three drinks is considered binge drinking. It takes the body 7 hours to process the alcohol. So your body is focusing on naturally detoxifying the alcohol and not on the other processes to keep you healthy. (Don't shoot the messenger).
💤Sleep!
Your body undergoes restorative processes while you sleep. Getting 7-9 hours of sleep will assist with these processes. Along with not needing to increase caffeine intake and an increase in hunger/cravings that occur with decreased amounts of sleep. Sleep helps to detoxify the brain of the toxins that build up during waking hours. Not getting enough sleep has been shown to cause an inflammatory process in the body which is hard on all the organs. Sleep is one part of the “fountain of youth”!
To Sum it all up…
This is why at The Outdoors Dietitian we focus on more than just nutrition. Your body is a whole and if we aren’t looking at the whole picture, we won’t make the needed progress! This is a holistic approach to assist you in meeting your health and performance goals.
Resources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/kidney-cleanse#Overview
https://www.clinicaleducation.org/news/sleep-and-its-detoxing-effect-on-the-brain-and-body/