<\/p>\n
Well the festive season has passed, and here we are in the New
\nYear, contemplating our lives and our navels. The question being is
\nyour navel in the same place as it was before the season of over
\nindulgence? If you have emerged from 2005 fighting fit and still
\nfitting snugly into your cycling shorts, then very well done. If
\nhowever 2006 finds you languishing in your emergency joggers(the huge
\nones at the bottom of the drawer) and still miserably picking over the
\nlast of the novelty-shaped cheese snackos, then YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Help
\n is at hand; at this time of the year the papers and magazines are
\ncrammed full of new diets, and the buzz word is DETOX. So should we
\ndetox?<\/p>\n
There are so many expensive products and plans on offer; 7
\nDay Detox diets, nutritional supplements, scientific-looking kits
\ncontaining herbs and exotic ingredients. They claim to eliminate
\ntoxins that have built up within our bodies and many contain ‘diuretic’
\nherbs to encourage urination, and get rid of them. This all seems like a
\n good idea, especially if we feel sluggish or guilty about
\noverindulging. Thank goodness there is a wealth of products to get us
\nback into tip-top condition ASAP.<\/p>\n
The problem is that there is
\nlittle scientific evidence that these things really work, other than
\nmaking us think that we are doing something healthy. The massive diet
\nand nutrition industries have created yet another myth, the Detox Myth,
\nencouraging us to spend money on pills, treatments, spa breaks, books
\netc, but the benefits of the products are questionable, and the claims
\nare not supported by science.<\/p>\n
Each day, normal bodily processes
\n(even stressful situations) produce ‘toxic’ chemical products which the
\nbody then uses, breaks down or excretes. If you eat plenty of whole
\nfoods and fruit and vegetables, stay hydrated, and exercise regularly,
\nyour body will work efficiently to metabolize and deal with bodily and
\nenvironmental chemicals, but this needs to be worked at every day of
\nyour life; and that is the naked truth of the matter. Most people just
\ndon’t want to hear it; it seems like too much hard work and that it why
\nthe quick-fix industries exist. They are selling us the belief that we
\n can behave exactly how we wish, and then spend money to make it better
\nquickly and without sustained effort.<\/p>\n