Expert dispels myths about detox

Many people before the New Year try to get in shape quickly - for example, to lose weight, eliminate toxins or cleanse the body, for which they resort to detox. However, there are some myths about it. On December 23, Maya Zvyagintseva, head of wellness direction of the Green Flow hotel chain, told Izvestia more about the latter.

"Some people believe that these are procedures that remove toxins, and even call it a purification or cleansing process. These are not quite correct formulations. In fact, the body handles these processes on its own thanks to the liver, kidneys and lungs. Detox does not directly excrete anything. These are only activities that support and facilitate the work of the body," she said.

According to her, at the same time as misunderstanding, one can still come across completely unacceptable methods for this, she said. For example, juice detoxes. Instead of supporting health, the person drastically reduces calories, goes into a nutrient deficit and gets excess fructose. This will only lead to insulin spikes and fatigue. Fortunately, such methods are increasingly being criticized. Another dangerous method of detox is complete starvation, the expert warned.

Zvyagintseva noted that detox should be balanced and include physical activity and thoughtful nutrition.

"Movement should support the body, not exhaust it, so more often use yoga, breathing practices and walks in the fresh air to gently stimulate metabolic processes," she specified.

The diet includes light meals based on seasonal vegetables, herbs, detox soups and smoothies with superfoods. Such a diet reduces the load on the digestive system and saturates with vitamins and minerals, concluded the expert.

In November, Ekaterina Kashukh, a gastroenterologist and expert physician at the Hemotest laboratory, told Izvestia about the importance of an individual approach in choosing breakfast. According to her, there is a well-established opinion in dietetics that it is important to eat breakfast, because the morning meal helps a person not to gain weight. The fact is that if you skip breakfast, then by lunch will wake up a strong appetite. And since many people eat lunch in the middle of the day and not always full, then by dinner there is a risk of overeating.