It's 2025, and the phrase "going on a cleanse" is being thrown around more than ever. You might have seen juice diets, fasting, certain medical treatments, and more promoted on social media or some friends and family members participating.
But what do they really mean when they say this?
Well, cleanses are also referred to as detoxes, which are all about removing toxins from your body. Toxins can accumulate from various factors, one of which is the environment. The BMJ estimates that toxins affect around 5.13 million people each year, who die as a result of air pollution (just one toxin).
While air pollutants are just one, other toxins from food, chemicals, plastics, and more can do a lot of damage to your body. Which is why detoxing or going on a cleanse once in a while can have many benefits.
In this post, learn everything you need to know about detox, its benefits, and how to detox naturally to improve your overall health.
What is a detox?
In a general sense, detox is a natural process your body undergoes to remove harmful substances. The process mainly happens in your liver, kidneys, digestive system, skin, and lungs. Typically, your liver metabolises the toxins, and the kidney filters out the waste, which is removed in the urine. Your body has a natural detox system that is regularly in use to help maintain internal balance.
While it does a highly efficient job on its own, natural detox methods may speed up this process—more on that later.
What are the toxins in the body?
Toxins are substances created by animals, plants, and the environment that are toxic to humans. They're small molecules, peptides, or proteins that can trigger inflammation and diseases and slow down our body's processes.
Toxins can also be produced inside our bodies as a result of waste products from metabolic activities such as carbon dioxide, urea, and more. Complex sugars, trans-fats, heavy metals, coumarin, furocoumarins, and polonium can also be found in our bodies.
What are the benefits of a detox?
Depending on the detox you undergo, there are a lot of health benefits for your body, such as:
Increased energy
When your body has a lot of toxins, you may find yourself feeling more tired and sluggish. A good detox program can help you feel rejuvenated internally and externally. It can help your body's systems function better, helping you feel more energised and have vigour in life.
Support healthier skin
Toxins can cause your skin to be prone to breakouts, acne, and a bad complexion. Detoxes may help you have healthier skin by removing dirt, pollutants, and toxins that accumulate from free radicals. Together, they can potentially cause breakouts, dullness, and irritation. Detoxes could help hydrate your skin barrier, making it smoother, clearer, and fresher.
May help with weight loss
A poor diet often results in a buildup of toxins, which can cause weight gain. Going on a cleanse or detox may eliminate these toxins and help support your weight loss journey. It's not guaranteed, but it may help in combination with a healthy and active lifestyle.
Improved immunity
Too many bad toxins can often impact the efficiency of your immune system. If you get sick a lot, you might need a detox. A buildup of toxins can leave your body prone to colds, the flu, and viruses. The right type of detox can increase your intake of vitamins, keeping you healthy and energised.
Aid digestion
Many detoxes promote increasing fibre intake and probiotics, which help nourish and boost healthy gut bacteria. Healthy gut bacteria can improve digestion, reduce inflammation, and balance gut flora internally.
3 Natural detox methods for your body
If you talk to your friends and family members or even look up online, you'll find a TON of detoxes to try. But at Earth's Nurture, we only care about the natural and the safest things for our bodies. Some of the best detoxes are simple lifestyle changes you can make without going to extremes. Here are 3 simple detoxes to try from today:
1.Focus on a fibre-rich diet
Try to make nature your best friend when focusing on your diet. Cut out processed foods and fast food, and eliminate processed sugar as much as possible. Fill your plate with organic vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and lean proteins. Try to eat foods high in antioxidants like berries, leafy greens, fermented foods such as yogurt or sauerkraut, and superfoods. Having a fibre-rich diet can help aid regular bowel movements, promote healthy gut bacteria, and cleanse the colon.
2. Try cold water therapy
It's not quite a full detox, but like a detox, cold water therapy can help you feel more rejuvenated, increase your blood flow, stimulate your lymphatic system and mood. Research shows cold water immersion may help boost immunity, reduce muscle soreness and more. The best part? You don't have to go to extremes and spend a lot of money for an ice bath; just taking simple cold showers, as opposed to hot ones, can help support your body.
3. Frequent exercise
Doing at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week or more can help aid metabolism. Walking, yoga, running, swimming, and strength training increase intestinal muscle movement (peristalsis) and aid regular bowel movements, preventing waste build-up.
Summarising Detoxes
Overall, there are many different types of detoxes that you can try for your body. New ones are always coming out to flush out toxins. However, at Earth's Nuture, we recommend some of the best detoxes are ones you can do in-house, simple lifestyle measures, and changes you can make to help you get back on track with your health.
It's not guaranteed that you'll experience all the benefits of all detoxes, as they're completely subjective, and everyone reacts differently to them. What we can recommend is that if you focus on your diet, sleep, exercise, and cold exposure, you can definitely feel and be healthier.
Want to level up your lifestyle even more? Check out our 5 healthy habits for 2025.