Admittedly, the headline sounds a lot like clickbait. But please stay and read on. Because this article wants to clear up all the rubbish that is being spouted online and in women's magazines. With all the wild myths and half-truths and the half-knowledge that can sometimes even pose a health risk. But let's start from the beginning. It's spring. And the tulips and daffodils are sprouting and right next to them a huge pile of rubbish about the buzzwords "detox", "detoxifying" and "detox cures". Basically, the idea of giving your body a break from sugar, alcohol, industrialised food and far too many calories is not a bad one. Keyword: Certain periods without food were nothing unusual for our ancestors. Prerequisite for fasting: You are healthy, alert and have spoken to your doctor about it.* Such a species-appropriate break from food has little to do with what is sold to you as a "detox".
The truth about detox cures: What you really need to know
Detox? Put it in the bin!
Let's keep it short: You don't need to buy juices, pills, powders or anything else. Because:
- There are no waste products.
- Your body detoxifies constantly and always.
"But the neighbour's cousin lost a lot of weight on a juice diet". Maybe, but:
- The cousin probably lost a lot of water and no body fat and also did more harm than good with the fructose tsunami that such a juice diet causes in the body.
- There are still no waste products.
Detoxification 2.0
However, there is one thing that has been proven to exist: the human body is burdened with toxins from the environment. This is called "body burden". We're talking about such unpleasant signs of civilisation as heavy metals, microplastics etc. Depending on where you live, how you organise your everyday life and what you eat, your liver, gallbladder and kidneys (and your intestines, lungs and skin too, by the way) have to work hard to get the toxins out of your system. What can you do to support them? Again, in a nutshell:
- enjoy enough nutritious food
- sleep well and enough
- increasingly avoid tobacco, alcohol and added sugar
- drink a lot (water!)
- get out into the fresh air as much as possible
- relax and take it easy from time to time
Do you notice anything?
None of these tips are particularly fancy or really new. Sorry if you were expecting a spectacular insider tip or the ultimate hack. The best things in life are free. Not free, but anything but free is a holiday at Pachers. The new Inspiration Hotel near Brixen in South Tyrol is a great place to try out the above tips in peace and quiet.
*A small disclaimer at this point: This article is for your entertainment only and is never and under no circumstances a substitute for medical advice.
