Detox Supplements: Are They Worth it?
Detox Supplements: Intro
Detox supplements.
By now, it’s likely you’ve either:
Heard of detox supplements.
Been thinking of doing a 7-day juice cleanse or a 28-day juice diet.
Or have already completed a liver detox tea or cheap juice cleanse.
Although ‘detoxing’, ‘juicing’, or ‘cleansing’ may sound slightly different in some ways, you can rest assured that it’s pretty much the same, and this article covers all three.
Anyway, let’s get stuck into why you’re here - are detox supplements worth it?
Detox Supplements: What They Claim to Do
I’ll be honest when I say I have 0 ideas what detox supplements are meant to do (more on this later).
But some guesses are:
It’s intended to ‘cleanse all the gunk inside of you’, e.g. junk food and alcohol.
It’s meant to complement other healthy habits you’re currently implementing.
Although is this really the case? Well, the short answer is no.
Suppose you instantly get defensive when you read that. In that case, it’s likely because you either sell detox supplements, you’re currently taking a detox product (perhaps not for the first time, Google sunk cost fallacy), or you’ve been recommending it to others.
But hear me out first, and let me tell you why it’s not worthwhile.
Plus, you don’t have to agree with any of this by the end.
“Detox Supplements Help You Lose Weight.”
Although there’s no denying that detox supplements, whether a 7-day juice cleanse or some herbal detox tea, will help your weight go down in the short term, the issue comes to light in the long term.
How so? Because whatever weight you do lose will only be temporary.
Let me explain.
First of all, you must understand how weight loss happens.
Weight loss can only be achieved via a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit is when you eat fewer calories relative to the number of calories required for maintaining your current body weight.
A deficit can be created by reducing the number of calories eaten and/or increasing expenditure.
This means you’ll be less hungry throughout your weight loss journey, making it much easier to stick to.
The issue with a 7-day juice cleanse and every detox product is that they put you in an extremely severe calorie deficit, e.g., perhaps no more than 1,000 calories per day.
Why is this an issue? Because you’re not taking any time to learn new sustainable habits, meaning that once the 7-day juice cleanse is over, you can expect to gain the weight back. Causing you to restart at square one again.
Understand;
When it comes to wanting to make permanent, lifelong progress, whatever habits you adopt should be ones you can realistically adhere to for at least 6-12 months.
Drastically going from 0-100 with your nutrition for only 7, 30 or 50 days will do nothing for you in the grand scheme of life. Remember, your fitness shouldn’t be a 30-day challenge - it’s a lifestyle.
Although, more on this later.
It’s Meant to ‘Cleanse All the Gunk Inside of You’, e.g. Junk Food and Alcohol.
This is perhaps where the term ‘detoxing’ comes from. You think drinking what is marketed as these organic cleanse teas or some detox product will literally “clean out your insides.”
This is also false.
How so? Because your liver and kidneys do a fine job of ‘detoxing’ your body. That’s literally what they are for.
There is 0 need to be taking any detox product, regardless of how it’s been marketed to you.
Do you notice the theme here? Because it smells like a scam.
It’s Meant to Complement Other Healthy Habits You’re Currently Implementing.
First, if you’ve started implementing healthy habits, I want to say congratulations.
Although, in case you haven’t guessed by now, detox supplements are a made-up solution to a made-up issue.
So instead of wasting money on a detox product, if you’re looking to implement healthier habits, instead look at:
Prioritising fruits and vegetables.
Exercising 3-5x weekly and ideally including some resistance training.
Drinking more water than you are now.
To name a few.
That’s not to say you must implement all these habits at once, as that can feel overwhelming and could result in you giving up altogether. Still, you’d do exceptionally well to at least start with one or two.
Now that you understand what you’re better off doing, the potential downsides of a 7-day juice cleanse, a 28-day juice diet, or any cheap juice cleanse are worth mentioning.
Detox Supplements: What are the Potential Downsides?
So, what are the potential downsides of taking a detox product and supplements?
Well, this might surprise you, but for something marketed as ‘healthy’ and an ‘organic cleanse’, - the negative impacts are vast and dangerous.
How so? Firstly, please bear in mind that everything that’s stated below is 100% said out of love:
There is zero evidence to suggest that ‘juice cleansing clears the body of toxins’ or anything along those lines.
Only living on juice, or mostly juice, will lead to serious nutritional deficiencies.
Suppose your detox product allows you to eat food still, but you must supplement with morning and evening tea. In that case, you’re probably just drinking a laxative with fancy colours and branding.
Returning to the nutritional deficiencies, when you blend fruit, you remove most of the fibre - meaning you could easily be lacking in fibre too, which is okay if you enjoy feeling constipated.
Due to the reasons above, you won’t feel great when taking any liver detox tea. This is ironic, considering you’re doing this because you want to feel healthier.
Fatigue, moodiness, difficulty thinking, stomach pain and plenty of hunger pangs, to name a few.
Taking a detox product or undergoing a 7-day juice cleanse can reinforce the thought that overeating should be punished. For example, suppose overeating on a few nights results in buying and taking detox supplements rather than eating more healthily. That’s another issue, as you’re going from one extreme to another.
You’re wasting your money.
“But Leo, I’m on the Fence About What You’re Saying. I’ve Taken Detox Supplements and Done an Organic Cleanse, and it Worked; I’m Even Thinking of Returning to it.”
I see where you’re coming from, and it’s understandable—but think of it this way: If you’re “always having to go back” to something, is it working for you?
Because if something works, then there’d be no need to be ‘always going back to it’. You would’ve likely seen results in the first few attempts.
Although unfortunately, this is how many detox supplements and herbal detox companies make money because they’re not designed to work long-term. They’re made to trap you in a vicious cycle of short-term results and long-term failure.
You associate these short-term results with “what works” but then “blame yourself and your lack of willpower” when you regress to square one over the long term.
In reality, it was never to do with yourself and your lack of willpower; it was the fact that these organic cleanse brands intentionally set you up for failure. This results in them having recurring customers and more income.
Think about it; how can you ever sustain results for the rest of your life when you’re not taking the time out to figure out sustainable habits because you keep opting for what you think are quicker shortcuts?
Detox Supplements: What Should You Do Instead?
Good question.
You’d do well to start implementing some of the positive habits mentioned above, e.g. more walking, strength training, extra protein, fruit and veg.
Although better yet, start with having more specific goals in place, such as:
Walk 2.5k steps more on average.
At least three pieces of fruit and veg a day.
Sometimes, saying you want to start implementing better habits is a nice thought, but saying you want to implement better practices and then actually coming up with specific goals is an entirely different thing - with the latter proving to lead to much better consistency levels.
The trick is not to overcomplicate it too much because the more rules you set, the harder your fitness journey is to stick with, which is another reason you’re having a tough time with an extreme 28-day juice diet.
The key to change is sustainable habits.
Detox Supplements: Ending
There you have it for today’s ‘detox supplements: are they worth it?’ article; hopefully, this has helped you move forward.
If you’re still feeling stuck by the end of this and you:
The steps that come after.
Need some guidance and accountability.
Someone else to take away the guesswork.
Then check out and inquire about my 1-2-1 online fitness coaching by clicking here.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Speak soon,
Leo
P.S. If you enjoyed reading this article and know someone who wants to take a detox product, please share this article with them. Let’s help them break the vicious cycle.