Why A New Year’s Eve Detox Won’t Do You Any Good! DR MEGAN ROSSI says our bodies already have advanced detoxification processes

For anyone looking to rejuvenate healthily for 2023, my advice is simple: don’t start a detox.

This time of year, you’ll see ads claiming to “cleanse” or detoxify your body with a special diet of teas, supplements, or juice.

These products are not only redundant, but can also have the opposite of the desired effect, especially when you are losing weight.

I don’t want to discourage anyone who wants to be healthier – and I have suggestions to help with that, which evidence shows they work. First let me explain why the detox doesn’t work.

Our body regularly encounters toxins – in our food, through pollutants, even in the form of medicine. But we have very sophisticated detoxification processes to deal with it.

Much of the burden falls on the liver. It breaks down toxins such as alcohol and drugs, as well as parts of “bad” bacteria known as endotoxins, and old cellular debris, turning them into harmless byproducts.

The kidneys also play a role and “sift” waste which is then excreted from the body in the urine.

Down in the colon, a community of microbes (our microbiota) also ensures that toxins leave our intestines and do not enter our bloodstream.

Meanwhile, hair-like structures in the lungs remove physical particles, while other systems help remove airborne toxins.

Then there is posterior chamber support from systems such as the lymphatic network, which help drain waste and toxins from the tissue. And so it goes on, 24/7, day in and day out.

This process does not need to be enhanced or assisted unless you have a serious medical condition such as kidney failure (when you would need dialysis).

Many of the detox programs can actually undermine these systems and deprive them of the proper nutrition they need to function optimally.

Take the juice detox where you only drink fruit or vegetable juices. While juice contains water-soluble nutrients like vitamin C, it doesn’t contain enough fat-soluble nutrients like vitamin E, which is essential for fighting infection and muscle function.

And your gut bacteria won’t have the fiber they need to thrive either (and as a reminder, these bugs protect against infection and break down food, releasing nutrients).

Juice diets are also low in protein, which can lead to muscle wasting—slowing the rate at which you burn calories through digestion and respiration (your basal metabolic rate). So this can lead to weight gain over the long term, not weight loss.

Other liquid diets where you only eat broth, for example, are no better. Again, like the juice diets, they lack fiber and protein. And while you hope to shed pounds quickly with these approaches, each repeated rapid weight loss and weight gain affects your gut microbes in such a way that you become more prone to weight gain.

We first saw this in animal studies, including one published in Nature in 2016 that showed mice were more likely to gain weight after receiving fecal transplants from mice that had undergone several cycles of weight loss and weight gain. This apparently explains the result of human studies such as B. A 2011 University of Helsinki study of 4,000 identical twins, which found that the more twins dieted, the more likely they were to have a higher body weight.

But it’s not just detox diets: colon cleansing and detox tea are also bad news. They stimulate your bowel muscles and help move waste products along the colon. But the intestines can become dependent on this effect and without it you can develop constipation – which means you will be tempted to use these products again, creating a vicious cycle.

If you want to help your body, there are things you can do to make a positive difference.

An obvious step is to reduce the amount of toxins your body has to process. So if you’ve done too much this Christmas, don’t give your liver alcohol for a week to give it a chance to recover.

And ask your pharmacist or doctor to review your medications to see if you can stop taking medications that are not providing any benefit. Many people end up taking pills they don’t need for years and let their liver deal with the unnecessary excess – so it’s worth checking.

Another thing to consider is your exposure to pollution – walk and cycle on quieter, less congested routes.

But at the top of my list for a healthier 2023 is to aim to base as many of your meals and snacks as possible on foods in their natural state and limit anything that sounds like the ingredients were made in a chemistry lab.

Highly processed foods (mainly made with extracts of other foods and high in fat, salt, sugar and additives) stimulate inflammation in our gut microbes, which in turn leads to overeating. More and more research links additives such as emulsifiers to real damage to the microbiota. A 2020 study found that just 48 hours of exposure to emulsifiers “severely” affected microbes in fecal samples. Our team at King’s College London is investigating this further in a clinical study.

So fill your meals with fruits and vegetables, whole grains (eg oats and barley), legumes (eg butter beans) and herbs and spices – which your gut microbes will enjoy (and as a treat, your gut will too). ). try my Baked Cheesecake recipe above).

And feeding your gut microbes can lead to weight loss. A 2015 review of 15 studies in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that eating more plants, our gut bacteria’s favorite food, led to significant weight loss (5 kg on average) without portion or restriction. Number of calories needed.

Not only is it more beneficial to your well-being, let’s face it, it’s also way more delicious than drinking green juice for a week.

Try this: Raspberry Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake

I love cheesecake, but store-bought versions are notoriously high in saturated fat and added sugar. This recipe is a heartwarming treat with juicy berries, fermented dairy and a high-fiber, nutty base.

Serve 12

For the base:

• 100 grams of cooked quinoa
• 200 grams of walnuts
• 6 Medjool dates, pitted
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

For the cheesecake:

• 500 grams of ricotta
• 200 g live thick yogurt
• 2 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
• 3 tablespoons of honey or sweetener of your choice
• 3 tablespoons of flour
• Juice of 1 lemon plus zest
• 150 g frozen raspberries

Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas mark 5 and line the bottom and sides of a 20cm springform pan.

Blend the quinoa, walnuts, dates and ginger in a food processor until combined, leaving some texture in the crumbs.

Stir in the egg. Place in a cake pan lined with baking paper and press evenly. Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, puree the ingredients for the cheesecake, except for the berries, to combine. Scrape down the sides and flash for another minute.

Remove the base from the oven and pour the cheesecake mixture on top and sprinkle the frozen berries on top.

Turn the oven down to 180°C/160°C/Gas mark 4 and bake the cheesecake for 40 minutes or until the center is just set.

Switch off the oven, open the door and let the cake cool in the oven. Remove and refrigerate overnight.

Megan asked

I know we’re supposed to take vitamin D supplements in the winter, but what’s the best way to take them—and does the type of vitamin D matter?

Emma Eaton.

According to the most recent (government-funded) National Diet and Nutrition Survey, more than 20 per cent of adults in the UK are vitamin D deficient.

This is because there is not enough sunlight to stimulate our skin to produce vitamin D, specifically D3 (also called cholecalciferol).

The other type of vitamin D, D2 (also called ergocalciferol), is produced by certain plants, such as fungi.

Studies suggest that D3 is more effective at increasing your vitamin D levels, so this is the type of supplement you should prefer.

Because vitamin D is fat-soluble, time-wise, it’s best to take it with a meal that contains fat — such as nuts, seeds, yogurt, milk, avocado, olive oil, or salmon — to maximize absorption.

However, the key is to remember to take your supplement – perhaps the best way to do this is to make it a routine to take it with your first meal of the day.

Please contact Dr. Megan Rossi

Email rmegan@dailymail.co.uk or write to Good Health, Daily Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY – please include your contact details. DR Megan Rossi cannot comment on the personal correspondence. Answers must be taken in a general context; Always consult your doctor if you have any health problems.

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