Select your type of detoxification<\/p>\n
Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Mother Nature has regained popularity among Indonesians,
\nparticularly with those who are health conscious.<\/p>\n
Despite its novelty, the body purification program called
\ndetoxification, or detox, in the form of cleansing diets and
\ntreatments, has become another choice to those who wish to
\nimprove their well-being.<\/p>\n
The detox program refers to the cleansing of certain parts of
\nthe body, like the bowels, kidneys, lungs, liver because these
\norgans are all involved in the body's natural detoxification
\nprocess.<\/p>\n
The detox diet starts with fasting and consuming fresh fruit
\nand vegetables during the breaking of the fast. Therapy, like
\nchelation and colon hydrotherapy, can ensue.<\/p>\n
The diet comes in different types and last from as short as
\ntwo days to a few months. Most focus on consuming plenty of fresh
\nfruit, vegetables and drinking water to help the human body go
\nthrough a rejuvenating process, while shedding the hazardous
\ntoxins and those extra kilos, according to Bertha Herlina, the
\ndirector of Provitalitas anti-aging clinic in Kelapa Gading,
\nNorth Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"The diet is easy and you can do it at home. Though you may
\nhave to adjust yourself to this diet, after a few days you can
\nslowly introduce a healthier diet to your eating pattern,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
She said that the detox diet is more effective if accompanied
\nby eight to nine hours of sleep and adequate physical exercise
\n(preferably outdoors and every morning to get a little sunshine).<\/p>\n
Since the diet requires fasting to obtain optimum results,
\nBertha encouraged people to consume natural fruit\/vegetable
\njuice. \"During fasting, it's not advisable to do strenuous
\nactivities as you will feel a little weak. Drinking a glass of
\njuice will increase your energy,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She added that it's better to drink a mixture of fruit or
\nvegetable juices. The fruit and vegetables most commonly used for
\nthis purpose are banana, strawberry, pineapple, pear, papaya,
\nstarfruit, melon, watermelon, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower and
\ncelery.<\/p>\n
\"Do not add sugar or salt to the juice. If you don't like the
\ntaste or smell of the drink you can add lime juice, cucumber or
\nginger. The main purpose is to get the natural flavor of the
\nfresh ingredients so the body can benefit from the nutrients,
\nwhich are usually lost through cooking,\" she said.<\/p>\n
A day before fasting, people are advised to eat light, easily
\ndigestible meals like vegetable soup, salad, toasted wholewheat
\nbread, fruit juice or vegetable juice. It is also advisable to
\ntake psyllium husk (for fiber) with a glass of water and go to
\nbed early.<\/p>\n
\"Stay away from coffee, tea, chocolate, alcohol, sugar, fatty
\nfoods and red meat,\" Bertha warned.<\/p>\n
In day one and day two, you can start by drinking two to four
\nglasses of water, mixed with the juice of one lemon and one
\ntablespoon of honey. They can be consumed directly or gradually
\nwith half hour intervals.<\/p>\n
\"Drinking plenty of water can flush the system. It will also
\nprompt you to urinate or defecate, thus ridding the body of waste
\nand impurities,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The diet plan consists of drinking fruit and\/or vegetable
\njuice every two hours and a glass of water in between. For
\nexample: melon juice at 6 a.m., papaya with lime juice at 8 a.m.,
\napple juice at 10 a.m., carrot juice at noon, watermelon juice at
\n2 p.m., cucumber and broccoli juice at 4 p.m., pineapple and
\napple juice at 6 p.m., cucumber and beet juice at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n
\"Just as in eating meals, don't drink too fast. It is
\nimportant to enjoy every sip of it so it can be properly blended
\nwith saliva to help the digestion process,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Day three is the transitional period for the digestive system
\nafter taking a break, to start digesting more solid food. You can
\nstart eating fresh fruit, vegetables and legumes, but remember to
\navoid meat.<\/p>\n
Start with two glasses of water with juice of one lime. A
\nglass of apple, pineapple or papaya juice for breakfast. A
\nportion of fresh apple, watermelon, pineapple or papaya as a
\nsnack.<\/p>\n
You can eat one portion of fresh salad, consisting of lettuce,
\ncucumber, carrot and alfalfa with olive oil and lime juice as a
\ndressing. For an afternoon snack drink a glass of apple,
\npineapple, melon or papaya juice. Dinner consists of assorted
\nsteamed vegetables, like cauliflower, broccoli, carrot, beet and
\ngreen beans, a portion of vegetable broth, a portion of red rice
\nand a portion of fresh juice, like carrot or a mix of cucumber
\nand celery. Warm tea is served right before going to bed.<\/p>\n
\"For detox, juice made using a juicer is best served in the
\nmorning but for the afternoon, make your juice with a blender
\nbecause you need the natural fiber,\" Bertha said, adding that
\nfiber would enable proper bowel movements to prevent waste and
\nimpurities.<\/p>\n
Many experts express doubts about the effectiveness of such
\ndiets mainly because they are not supported by prior scientific
\nresearch.<\/p>\n
A nutritionist from Omni Medical Center (OMC) Hadi Sui
\nexplained that the human body carries out its own natural
\ndetoxification process with the liver as the main detoxifier
\norgan to protect itself from hazardous elements.<\/p>\n
Hadi, like other doctors, said that although eating plenty of
\nfresh fruit, vegetables and drinking water, is highly
\nrecommended, the human body needs more than just that.<\/p>\n
\"Many detox diets involve fasting and eating fresh fruit and
\nvegetables. However, fresh fruit and vegetables alone are not
\nenough, especially when you go on a long period of dieting.
\nThere are essential nutritional elements that should be supplied
\nthrough other foods as well,\" he said.<\/p>\n
But certain claims such as getting a brighter skin is provable
\nsince fruits contain vitamins that are good for the skin. Fruit
\ncan also help one lose weight because of the low calorie intake,
\nwhich makes this diet attractive.<\/p>\n
\"Also, there is no scientific proof that headaches and feeling
\nweak are signs of the purification process. In my experience,
\nthose are normal complaints among people who change or limit
\ntheir diet. Claims that the body can rid itself from accumulated
\ntoxins have so far not been explained,\" Hadi explained.<\/p>\n
Experts have warned that people with illnesses, pregnant women
\nand underweight people are not advised to follow this detox
\nregime without prior consultation with their nutritionists.<\/p>\n
The detox treatments, like colon hydrotherapy, is performed by
\nirrigating the colon with warm and sterile water through the
\nrectum, aided by massaging the abdomen to help remove waste and
\nplaque lining the colon wall. This treatment enables the organ to
\ndigest food better and absorb nutrition properly.<\/p>\n
While in chelation therapy, the synthetic amino acid is
\ninfused to the body to remove plaque inside blood vessel walls
\nand eliminate them through urine.<\/p>\n
Like the detox diet, there has been little scientific data on
\nthe safety and the effectiveness of these treatments.<\/p>\n
\"Chelation works the way antioxidants do and there are already
\nplenty of antioxidants in fresh fruits and vegetables,\" said
\nIndra Marki, an internist from OMC.<\/p>\n
He suggested a balanced and healthy food diet for the natural
\ndetoxification process instead of therapy.<\/p>\n
An unbalanced eating pattern, with too little protein results
\nin an impaired metabolism and leads to the creation of harmful
\nketones. When it happens, it places greater burdens on the liver.<\/p>\n
As regards to vitamin overdose, the body excretes vitamin C
\nvia urine, while the remaining vitamins are accumulated and, in
\nserious situations, could cause undesirable effects such as
\nvomiting and nausea.<\/p>\n
\"That is why, instead of adopting the detox diet and
\ntreatments for several days only to resume one's old eating
\nhabits, one should ideally start a healthy and balanced eating
\nhabit and combine it with adequate sleep and exercise as part of
\none's lifestyle. This will further support the natural
\ndetoxification process,\" said Indra, who is also an internist at
\nCipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital.<\/p>\n
The following are a list of organs involved in the natural
\ndetoxification process:<\/p>\n
Liver: The organ filters blood that passes through the intestines
\nbefore reaching vital organs such as the heart and lungs. Toxins
\nand other unwanted elements in the blood are excreted out of the
\nbody.<\/p>\n
Kiddneys: This organ removes waste products from the blood and
\nseparates nutrients from waste and discharges the latter via
\nurine.<\/p>\n
Intestines: The small intestine absorbs nutrients from food, the
\nunabsorbable elements are carried to the large intestine, where
\nwater and nutrients are excreted through the anus.<\/p>\n
Skin: Waste products, mainly urea and ammonia, are excreted
\nthrough perspiration.<\/p>",
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