A nutrition and diet expert from Yeditepe University Hospital answers all the questions about detox, which can be defined as getting rid of harmful toxins that enter our body through various ways.

Akoren emphasized the importance of detoxifying our body from harmful toxins to protect our health and stated that detox is a mental, emotional, and physical cleansing process.

How Do We Take Toxins Into Our Body?

Toxins found in the air, in our food, in our drinks, and in the environment enter our bodies. If the immune system is low, these toxins can accumulate in our body through the skin, breathing, body secretions, digestive and excretory system.

How are Toxins Removed From Our Body?

The human body has developed highly complex mechanisms for eliminating toxins. Many organs and systems such as the liver, excretory system, gastrointestinal system, skin, and lungs play a role in this mechanism. Short-term detox applications help these mechanisms and organs and facilitate the excretion of these toxins from the body.

What is Detox?

Detox is a dietary strategy that is thought to facilitate toxin excretion and weight loss, thus supporting health and well-being. Detox can be considered as mental, spiritual, physical purification. While mental and spiritual purification requires a process; bodily purification occurs naturally by the body through our lymph circulation every day. Detoxification approaches are often utilized in ways that promote the excretion of chemicals and metabolites in urine and feces or excretion from sweat or sebaceous glands.

What is the Purpose of Detox?

It is to protect our health by purifying our body from toxins, to prevent acidification of liquids in our body, and to maintain acid-base balance. In a healthy body, blood and body fluids are expected to be slightly alkaline. Alkaline body fluid and oxygen in the blood are also the basis of a strong immune system. Acidification of blood can damage our organs and brain cells.

What are the Nutrients that Support Detox?

Some nutrients are suggested to have detoxification properties: Coriander, malic acid (found in grapes and wine), citric acid (found in citrus fruits), succinic acid (found in apples and blueberries), citrus pectin (found in the peel and pulp of citrus fruits), and Chlorella (a type of green algae). It is thought that these nutrients may be useful in removing toxic metals by exhibiting natural chelating properties.

When Should I Detox?

The need for detox varies depending on the person and their health condition. Detoxing during seasonal changes can be beneficial for our body.

Who should not Detox?

• Pregnant and lactating women,
  
• Patients with high blood pressure,
• Patients with gout,
• Those with impaired cardiovascular health,
• Those with blood sugar irregularities,
• Diabetics,
• Little children,
• Those who work physically hard,
• Elderly people with health problems,
• Those with anemia,
• Those who have to take regular medication should not detox

How Many Days Can I Detox?

Detox programs for more than 3 days can be harmful to health. A one-day detox program is usually enough.

What are the Risks of Detox?

The main health risks of detox diets are related to severe energy restriction and nutritional deficiency. Prolonged fasting can cause protein and vitamin deficiencies, electrolyte imbalance, lactic acidosis, and even death. For this reason, individual and uncontrolled detox attempts should not be made; it is necessary to be subject to examination and monitoring by health professionals.

Green Detox Recipe

• 2 liter of water
• 1 lemon juice
• A pinch of fresh mint,
• Fresh ginger (1 hazelnut size),
• 1 cucumber

They are all blended. Drinks pleasantly.

Spinach Detox Recipe

• 1 cup of yogurt
• Half a lemon juice,
• 4/5 leaves of spinach,
• A pinch of parsley,

They are all blended. Drinks pleasantly.

Remedy Tea Recipe

• 2 teaspoons green tea or cherry stalk tea
• 3-4 cardamom,
• 2 cm bark cinnamon,
• Root ginger the size of a hazelnut,
• 3 cloves.

Distil the French Press by pouring 4 cups of water. You can drink hot or cold.

Beet Detox

• Half of 1 medium red apple
• 1 red capia pepper
• 1 small beet
• 2 cucumbers
• Half a bunch of parsley 
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1 bottle of natural mineral water

You can consume all materials by passing them through the blender.

Ginger Edema Thrower Tea

• Half a bunch of parsley 
• 1 small apple
• 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 3 cloves.
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Add the above ingredients to 1.5 liters of water and boil and strain. You can consume it either cold or hot.