What Is a Full-body Detox?
A full-body detox typically involves following a diet to remove toxins from the body. However, your body is well-equipped to eliminate these harmful substances without dietary intervention or supplementation.
The term toxin can refer to pollutants, synthetic chemicals, heavy metals, and processed foods, which can negatively affect health.
Many diets and supplements claim to ‘detoxify’ the body from these substances, but they are typically unsupported by research. A full-body detox is part of regular organ function, with the body naturally eliminating harmful substances through the kidneys, liver, digestive system, skin, and lungs.
This article discusses the many misconceptions around detox diets, and notes ways that you can support the body’s natural detoxification processes.
What is a full body detox?
Detoxification — or a full-body detox — is a popular buzzword. It typically implies following a specific diet or using special products that claim to rid your body of toxins, thereby improving health and promoting weight loss.
However, the body “detoxifies” itself naturally and doesn’t actually require special diets or expensive supplements to eliminate toxins.
Common misconceptions about detoxing
Detox diets often involve the use of laxatives, diuretics, vitamins, minerals, teas, and other foods thought to have detoxing properties.
The term “toxin” in the context of detox diets is loosely defined. It typically includes pollutants, synthetic chemicals, heavy metals, and processed foods, which can negatively affect health.
However, popular detox diets rarely identify the specific toxins they aim to remove or the mechanism by which they supposedly eliminate them.
Moreover, no evidence supports the use of these diets for toxin elimination or sustainable weight loss (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source).
Your body has a sophisticated way of eliminating toxins that involves the liver, kidneys, digestive system, skin, and lungs.
Still, only when these organs are healthy can they effectively eliminate unwanted substances.
So while detox diets don’t do anything that your body can’t naturally do on its own, you can optimize your body’s natural detoxification system.
1. Limit alcohol
Your liver metabolizes more than 90% of the alcohol you consume (3Trusted Source).
Liver enzymes metabolize alcohol to acetaldehyde, a known cancer-causing chemical (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source).
Recognizing acetaldehyde as a toxin, your liver converts it to a harmless substance called acetate, which it eliminates from your body (3Trusted Source).
While observational studies have shown that low to moderate alcohol consumption benefits heart health, excessive drinking can cause many health problems (6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).
Excessive drinking can severely damage your liver function by causing fat buildup, inflammation, and scarring (9Trusted Source).
When this happens, your liver cannot function adequately and perform its necessary tasks — including filtering waste and other toxins from your body.
Limiting or abstaining entirely from alcohol is one of the best ways to keep your body’s detoxification system running strong.
Health authorities recommend limiting alcohol intake to one drink per day for women and two for men. If you currently do not drink, it is recommended not to start as the risk outweigh any health benefits that come with drinking. (10Trusted Source).
2. Focus on sleep
Ensuring adequate quality sleep each night is a must to support your body’s health and natural detoxification system.
Sleeping allows your brain to reorganize and recharge itself, as well as remove toxic waste byproducts that accumulate throughout the day (11Trusted Source, 12Trusted Source).
One of those waste products is a protein called beta-amyloid, which contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s disease (13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source).
With sleep deprivation, your body does not have time to perform those functions, so toxins can build up and affect several aspects of health (15Trusted Source).
Poor sleep has links to short- and long-term health consequences, such as stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity (16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source).
You should regularly sleep 7 to 9 hours per night to help promote good health (18Trusted Source).
If you have difficulties staying or falling asleep at night, lifestyle changes like sticking to a sleep schedule and limiting blue light before bed are useful for improving sleep (19Trusted Source, 20Trusted Source, 21).
3. Drink more water
Water does so much more than quench your thirst. It regulates your body temperature, lubricates joints, aids digestion and nutrient absorption, and detoxifies your body by removing waste products (22Trusted Source).
Your body’s cells must continuously repair themselves to function optimally and break down nutrients for your body to use as energy.
However, these processes release wastes in the form of urea and carbon dioxide, which can cause harm if they build up in your blood (23Trusted Source).
Water transports these waste products, efficiently removing them through urination, breathing, or sweating. So staying properly hydrated is important for detoxification (24Trusted Source).
The adequate daily water intake is 125 ounces (3.7 liters) for men and 91 ounces (2.7 liters) for women. You may need more or less depending on your diet, where you live, and your activity level (25).
4. Reduce your intake of sugar and processed foods
People often attribute sugar and processed foods to many of today’s public health crises (26Trusted Source).
Research links high consumption of sugary and highly processed foods to obesity and other chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes (27Trusted Source, 28Trusted Source, 29Trusted Source).
These diseases hinder your body’s ability to naturally detoxify by harming organs that play an important role, such as your liver and kidneys.
For example, high consumption of sugary beverages can cause fatty liver, a condition that negatively impacts liver function (30Trusted Source, 31Trusted Source, 32Trusted Source).
You can keep your body’s detoxification system healthy by consuming less junk food.
You can limit junk food by leaving it on the store shelf. Not having it in your kitchen takes away the temptation altogether.
Replacing junk food with healthier choices like fruits and vegetables is also a healthy way to reduce consumption.
5. Eat antioxidant-rich foods
Antioxidants protect your cells against damage caused by molecules called free radicals. Oxidative stress is a condition that results from the excessive production of free radicals.
Your body naturally produces these molecules for cellular processes, such as digestion. However, alcohol, tobacco smoke, a low nutrient diet, and exposure to pollutants can produce excessive free radicals (33Trusted Source).
These molecules cause damage to a range of cells. Research suggests that free radical damage plays a role in conditions such as dementia, heart disease, liver disease, asthma, and certain types of cancer (34Trusted Source, 35Trusted Source).
Eating a diet rich in antioxidants can help your body counter oxidative stress caused by excess free radicals and other toxins that increase your disease risk.
Focus on getting antioxidants from food and not supplements. Taking too many antioxidant supplements may increase your risk of certain diseases. (36Trusted Source, 37Trusted Source, 38Trusted Source).
Examples of antioxidants include vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
Berries, fruits, nuts, cocoa, vegetables, spices, and beverages like coffee and green tea have some of the highest amounts of antioxidants (39Trusted Source).
6. Eat foods high in prebiotics
Gut health is important for keeping your detoxification system healthy. Your intestinal cells have a detoxification and excretion system that protects your gut and body from harmful toxins, such as chemicals (40).
Good gut health starts with prebiotics, a type of fiber that feeds the good bacteria in your gut called probiotics. With prebiotics, your good bacteria can produce nutrients called short-chain fatty acids that are beneficial for health (41Trusted Source, 42Trusted Source).
Antibiotic use, poor dental hygiene, and diet quality can all alter the bacterial balance in your gut (43Trusted Source, 44Trusted Source, 45Trusted Source).
Consequently, this unhealthy shift in bacteria can weaken your immune and detoxification systems and increase your risk of disease and inflammation (46Trusted Source).
Eating foods rich in prebiotics can keep your immune and detoxification systems healthy. Good food sources of prebiotics include tomatoes, artichokes, bananas, asparagus, onions, garlic, and oats (47Trusted Source).
7. Decrease your salt intake
For some people, detoxing is a means of eliminating excess water.
Consuming too much salt can cause your body to retain excess fluid, especially if you have a condition that affects your kidneys or liver — or if you don’t drink enough water.
This excess fluid buildup can cause bloating and make clothing uncomfortable. If you consume too much salt, you can detox yourself of the extra water weight.
While it may sound counterintuitive, increasing your water intake is one of the best ways to eliminate excess water weight from consuming too much salt.
That’s because when you consume too much salt and not enough water, your body releases an antidiuretic hormone that prevents you from urinating and therefore, detoxifying (48Trusted Source).
By increasing your water intake, your body reduces the secretion of the antidiuretic hormone and increases urination, eliminating more water and waste products (49Trusted Source, 50Trusted Source).
Increasing your intake of potassium-rich foods — which counterbalance some of sodium’s effects — also helps. Foods rich in potassium include potatoes, squash, kidney beans, bananas, and spinach (51Trusted Source).
8. Stay active
Regular exercise — regardless of body weight — is associated with a longer life and a reduced risk of many conditions and diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and certain cancers (52Trusted Source, 53Trusted Source, 54Trusted Source).
While there are several mechanisms behind the health benefits of exercise, reduced inflammation is a key point (55Trusted Source, 56Trusted Source).
While some inflammation is necessary for recovering from infection or healing wounds, too much of it weakens your body’s systems and promotes disease.
By reducing inflammation, exercise can help your body’s systems — including its detoxification system — function properly and protect against disease.
You should aim to do at least 150–300 minutes a week of moderate intensity exercise — such as brisk walking — or 75–150 minutes a week of vigorous intensity physical activity — such as running (57Trusted Source).
9. Other helpful detox tips
Although no current evidence supports the use of detox diets for removing toxins from your body, certain dietary changes and lifestyle practices may help reduce toxin load and support your body’s detoxification system.
Eat sulfur-containing foods. Foods high in sulfur, such as onions, broccoli, and garlic, enhance the excretion of heavy metals like cadmium (58Trusted Source).
Try out chlorella. Chlorella is a type of algae that has many nutritional benefits and may enhance the elimination of toxins like heavy metals, according to animal studies (59Trusted Source).
Flavor dishes with cilantro. Cilantro enhances the excretion of certain toxins, such as heavy metals like lead and chemicals, including phthalates and insecticides (60Trusted Source, 61Trusted Source).
Support glutathione. Eating sulfur-rich foods like eggs, broccoli, and garlic helps enhance the function of glutathione, a major antioxidant produced by your body that is heavily involved in detoxification (62Trusted Source).
Switch to natural cleaning products. Choosing natural cleaning products like vinegar and baking soda over commercial cleaning agents can reduce your exposure to potentially toxic chemicals (63Trusted Source).
Choose natural body care. Using natural deodorants, makeups, moisturizers, shampoos, and other personal care products can also reduce your exposure to chemicals.
While promising, many of these effects are only evident in animal studies. Therefore, studies in humans are needed to confirm these findings.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best way to detox your body?
Your body naturally clears itself of toxins. You can support the process and your overall health with some lifestyle practices, including avoiding or limiting alcohol, getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, and eating certain foods, among others.
How can I detox my whole body at home?
Your body has a sophisticated way of eliminating toxins that involves the liver, kidneys, digestive system, skin, and lungs. Still, only when these organs are healthy can they effectively eliminate unwanted substances.
What are 3 signs you need to detox?
If you’re experiencing unexplained symptoms, such as bloody or dark urine, painful urination, yellowing skin and eyes, lasting fatigue, or frequent bruising, it could indicate a problem with one of your body systems responsible for clearing toxins from your body and typically requires a medical evaluation and care (64Trusted Source, 65Trusted Source).
How long does it take to detox your body?
A full-body detox is part of regular organ function, with the body naturally eliminating harmful or toxic substances through the kidneys, liver, digestive system, skin, and lungs.
The bottom line
Detox diets are said to eliminate toxins, which supports improving health and promoting weight loss.
While these diets are popular, they are not necessary. Your body has its own highly efficient detoxification system.
That said, you can enhance your body’s natural detoxification system and improve your overall health by staying hydrated, consuming less salt, staying active, and following an antioxidant-rich diet.
