Why is it that the health community today seems totally obsessed with cleansing? Everywhere, even in supermarkets and gas stations, potions, powders, teas, and supplements are heavily promoted as the best way to detoxify the body, lose weight, and help gain muscle. Despite the well documented and very real dangers of drinking frequent green smoothies, people line up at juice bars to drink them regularly.
Cleansing proponents point out the fact that both Eastern and Western cultural traditions considered cleansing a healthful practice typically performed seasonally. While this is true, the modern equivalent has become distorted into something else entirely with questionable long term value to the consumer and dangerous methods the common denominator.
My first encounter with cleansing gone awry was in college. A friend who was fixated on maintaining her ideal weight with as little fluctuation as possible credited her weekend use of laxatives as the best solution for clearer skin and zipping up ultra tight jeans.
I passed on that “tip”.
While cleansing can indeed help flatten the tummy and resolve breakouts, it must be combined with a healthy, nutrient-dense diet and nontoxic lifestyle else it can be seriously depleting. And, dependence on laxatives whether herbal or chemically based, is obviously not the way to maintain regularity!
Our World is No Longer Pristine – Anywhere
There can be no doubt that we live in a very polluted world. Ancestral cultures never had to worry about the chemicals in their food, water, and homes. They enjoyed a pristine environment, something we can only dream about today.
Dioxin, the chemical by-product of numerous industrial processes that is toxic to the human body, is stored in body tissues and considered a persistent environmental pollutant, has been found at the North Pole! There is a large vortex of garbage roughly twice the size of Texas swirling out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that keeps growing with each passing year.
Gently cleansing the body of toxins on a regular basis is an important activity given these dire circumstances. You can no longer avoid all toxins, only minimize exposure.
Cleansing and detoxification can be (and frequently is) a critical aspect of healing and resolving chronic or degenerative diseases. It is also important for maintaining health when no disease is present. However, care should be taken that cleansing doesn’t become an unhealthy preoccupation – the end-all, be-all, if you will, for achieving health.
The cleansing methods used must also be considered with a critical eye. According to John Kozinski, author of Cleansing Myths and Dangers, appearing in the journal Wise Traditions:
” … the most popular cleansing methods are worthless at best and dangerous at worst.” (1)
Considering Mr. Kozinski’s experience for nearly 3 decades with the Kushi Institute where he witnessed the catastrophic illness that can result from faulty cleansing methods and restrictive natural diets, this quotation is worth careful consideration before any cleansing protocol is undertaken.
Mr. Kozinski goes on to explain the most popular and yet highly damaging cleansing myths that persist within the health community and promoted by so-called “health gurus”.
Meat “Clogs” The Colon
A very common misstep in extreme cleansing protocols is to eliminate one or more categories of foods from the diet.
Red meat or even worse, all meat, is the category to usually get the ax first.
The truth is, meat, the very food some diet gurus are quick to condemn, is easily digested by the body – much easier than plant foods as it turns out. They don’t clog anything, especially the colon! If you think this idea is ludicrous, consider the digestion of a carnivore versus a herbivore. Herbivores require multiple stomachs and for some species, slow and repetitive chewing of their cud to facilitate adequate digestion. On the other hand, a dog can gulp down a pound of meat with a swallow or two suffering no digestive complications from the event. The gulped meat is easily handled by a single stomach!
Meat, which is a rich and complete source of protein, stimulates the production of stomach acid, a key component for complete and effective digestion. Consumption of incomplete sources of protein such as grains, legumes, and vegetables do not stimulate stomach acid to the same degree. Consequently, advocates of a plant-based diet frequently suffer from digestive disorders that stem from a lack of sufficient stomach acid production.
Eating some meat would be the best thing possible for these individuals, not avoiding it!
Don’t fall for the “meat clogs the colon” cleansing myth. The reality is that plant fiber is the food most likely to rot, ferment and feed pathogens in the large intestine.
Food Combining
It is important to realize that the concept of food combining is a theory! It is based on the premise that different foods have different digestive requirements. Competing digestive demands could then potentially cause ineffective digestion with food putrefaction in the stomach and intestines. It is the basis for many popular food philosophies such as the Trim Healthy Mama diet and cookbook series.
Specific food combinations that are to be avoided according to this myth are proteins like meat and starchy foods such as grains and potatoes.
The truth is that there isn’t any credible science to support this theory. Why this popular approach to cleansing of the digestion persists is a mystery given that it was based on incomplete science when it was first introduced in the 1920s by William Hay and then again by the book Fit for Life in the 1980s.
A quick look at ancestral cultures easily dispels the folly of food combining. Starches and proteins are regularly consumed together by traditional peoples across the globe. My own primary ancestry from Northern Europe considered sourdough bread and a thick slab of raw cheese to be a preferred lunchtime staple, a meal to provide lasting energy working in the fields until sundown, not a food combination worthy of an afternoon nap because digestion has ground to a halt.
If food combining had any validity whatsoever it would be reflected in the dietary patterns of healthy, degenerative disease free societies such as those written about in the classic Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.
Acid-Alkaline
The acid-alkaline approach to cleansing is another unproven theory that damages the health of so many unsuspecting consumers.
It is based on the notion that lots of green juicing or consumption of other primarily alkaline foods is necessary to maintain proper blood alkalinity.
While this might sound compelling, a basic knowledge of physiology renders it for what it is: a myth. The kidneys are responsible for the pH of our blood, not our diet.
Further, measuring the pH of our urine or saliva does not accurately reflect the pH of the blood. These two articles by Chris Kresser clearly explain the scientific reality behind this cleansing myth. (3, 4)
If you enjoy juicing, then do it, but don’t practice it too excess thinking this will somehow alter your body’s pH and is a beneficial cleansing process to undertake for long periods of time. It’s not.
Severe Calorie Restriction
One cleansing myth that is very persistent and widespread is the use of fasting or calorie restriction with green smoothies or other liquid meal replacements (like SlimFast or the Master Cleanse, aka Lemonade Diet) in order to speed up the release of toxins and weight loss.
Here’s the myth: fasting or restriction of calories does not in any way cause your body to start dumping toxins. What does happen is that stress hormones shoot through the roof when you commence a cleansing protocol like this which temporarily speeds up the body’s biological functions including bathroom visits. This increase in stress hormones doesn’t last long, though. Eventually, the body adjusts to this metabolic roller coaster, and what Mr. Kozinski calls the “stress honeymoon” is over.
Another possible scenario that can occur is if a person is under constant stress so that no additional stress hormones are produced by fasting or calorie restriction. In that situation, elimination and other bodily functions can actually decrease with increased toxicity and a worsening of overall health.
Don’t fall for the calorie restriction approach to cleansing. You might lose a few pounds quickly, but the trade-off to health is devastating. This approach has the potential to further disrupt metabolism and harm health with a potential surge in stress hormones. You don’t need that especially in 2020!
Best Approaches for Gentle Cleansing
Just because some popular and dangerous cleansing myths abound doesn’t mean that cleansing is a bad thing. As mentioned above, gentle cleansing is frequently necessary to resolve disease and experience optimal health. Below is a brief summary of gentle cleansing options to consider to get started.
- Nutrient-dense diet: providing all your body needs nutritionally is all that is necessary to cleanse naturally. Your body knows what to do already when it is provided the proper nutritional building blocks especially with the liberal use of bone broths and fermented foods.
- Detox bathing: Epsom salts, apple cider vinegar, salt/baking soda are some of the basic bathing techniques that when used regularly, gently assist detoxification via the skin.
- Detox wraps: Another way of using the skin, the body’s largest organ, to gently remove toxins and especially heavy metals.
- Enemas (coffee and plain water): an age-old technique for cleansing making a strong comeback in recent years especially for holistic cancer treatment.
- Rebounding: This is possibly the very best gentle exercise for stimulating the lymphatic system with the help of gravity to flush toxins from the system.
- Juicing: A proven way to gently detox according to Natasha Campbell-McBride MD as long as it is not excessively pursued and nutritious foods are not excluded from the diet which weakens the body over time.
- Diatomaceous earth: Hair analysis and other tests from a professional can determine whether heavy metal toxicity is a problem or not. In lieu of expensive tests, a tablespoon of food-grade diatomaceous earth per 100 pounds of body weight per day in a glass of water can be used to detox by pulling toxic metals from the digestive tract.
Of course, cleansing for pregnant women is best avoided. With the exception of the adoption of a nutrient-dense diet which is the gentlest and most basic cleansing approach of all, detoxification protocols for breastfeeding women or children should be commenced under the advice of a health practitioner.
References
(1) Cleansing Myths and Dangers
(2) Correcting Organ Imbalances with Traditional Foods
(3) The Acid-Alkaline Myth Part 1
(4) The Acid-Alkaline Myth Part 2
More Information
How to avoid Detox Symptoms
Natural Deworming
Gentle Detox for Pregnancy
Detoxification with Castor Oil
How to Do a Hair Detox
Excellent and well written article, Sarah! You hit the nail on the head. I’ll definitely be referring to this in the future!
Hi Sarah,
I am curious about the “food combining” deep rooted religious belief not to mix milk (dairy) and meat. My thought is that dairy coats meat if eaten together causing the meat to stay in the gut and putrify. What do you think?
This is a myth that isn’t backed up by anthropological data. The Massai tribe of Africa ate milk and meat together all the time. These foods were a staple of this ancestral diet. They were healthy and virtually free of any chronic disease. More information on this culture is in the book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.
Sarah, do you have any info that supports or refutes the concerns about aluminum content in DE, such as in this discussion? curezone.org/forums/am.asp?i=1473831
Apple cider vinegar and baking soda is a great natural shampoo for the hair. It your hair feeing like a soft
I have heard that enemas destroy the very individualised good bacteria of the colon. Any comments?
Enemas do not harm good flora. They don’t go deep enough into the colon.
sarah ive been taking diatomaceous earth for 2 weeks and my dogs also all of the sudden I came down with a bladder infection ive not had a bladder infection for about 5yrs so ive been taking homeopathy for it which I think that’s why ive not had any in awhile but now it wont heal it I think it is going into kidney infection im not sure but I think me using d e has reeked habit on me is this common I was only taking a teaspoon a day have you ever heard it to cause any problems like that also I have 13 dogs ive been feeding it to 3 of them have ballooned up it looks like they are retaining water or just gaining weight im a nervous wreck thinking ive hurt me and my animals with using this is it because I didn’t use it long enough or I just cant handle it anyone have this problem with this what really concerns me is my homeopathy wont work at all it seems like it blocks it
I had some interesting outcomes to the many different diets I have tried. I started with the protein diet when I was 18 to lose weight. I started developing inflammation problems because of too much meat and protein I’m guessing. Then I tried the food combining diet which worked really well at first but then I was having a harder time digesting things like butter. So I went one step further and was on a raw diet for 5 years, the first 3 years I was very healthy, I glowed. Then I noticed my body core temp dropped and I always felt cold and my digestion became even weaker. I started craving meat! I have 7 kids, the 2 kids I had during this time both had problems with the enamel on their teeth while the first 2 I had before the raw food diet had perfect teeth. So I knew something was missing. I went to a scd diet and my body had ceased being able to digest animal fats without help from digestive enzymes. I also started having inflammation problems again from too much meat. I finally found the RBTI diet. A healthy mix of everything, even fasting. Dr. Reams believes your health starts with your ability to digest a large meal and have a good core body temperature. He beieves you eat like a queen for breakfast, a king for lunch and a pauper for dinner with no snacking in between. He does beleive a body that is too acidic is usually sick and everything is based on numbers that you test for yourself. (It’s very person specific) with basic guidelines. Some people were able to drink raw milk and some weren’t. Some people were able to eat more meat then others. But he believed that your body should have a resting period in between meals and that if you ate 2 meals a day that would be even better. They would be large meals and you eat until you’re full! This gets your digestive juices flowing and stomach acid turned on. He believed in fruit and beans/grains for breakfast, with nothing sweet after 11 or 12, not even fruit. Then your heavy meal of meat with a salad or something that would help with the digestion of the meat and your beans or whatever and then either no dinner or a light dinner where you can juice or have cooked vegetables with butter if you can have it. But no sweets in the evening. So we pretty much have everything turned around here in America with our desserts at night and large meals at n ight and snacks every couple hours. If you look up Reams you will see how successful he was because they shut him down for curing cancer without being a licensed doctor. Sorry so long, this way of eating has changed my life and I’ve tried everything! Oh, and if you eat wheat it must be the original wheat they had in the bible, Einkhorn wheat and properly prepared.
Hi,
I’m not a believer in cleanses, and the comparison of digsetive systems between cows and dogs is very interesting. In this regard, meats are good for the digestive system because they are demanding a lot of work…
However, I disagree on the non-benefits of fasting for cleanse. Fasting induces autophagy, which is basically a cleansening at a cellular level – plus it’s good for the liver, the master cleansing agent. Also, losing weight can be considered helpful in a cleanse (provided lean muscle mass is maintained), because fat tends to store lipo-soluble toxins, and losing some bodyfat will help release those toxins so they can be eliminated.
Also, I love herbal/digestive bitters: they help with the digestive process from saliva production to elimination, stimulate the liver, protect/restore it (not all herbs, but chrysantellum, milk thistle, artichoke leaf and others), and ultimately boost the body cleansening process overall.
Good point on the bitters … they do help tremendously for some folks particularly who have difficulty digesting fats comfortably.
Although I understand what you are getting at (avoid extreme “one-sidedness” and fad cleanses), I am disappointed in this article. You usually use more research to back up your facts and this article is certainly lacking that. I practice food combining now since I lost 40 lbs. when I learned how to do it properly. Just because something is “traditional” that doesn’t make it right. People form bad habits all the time – just because it is common, doesn’t mean it is a healthy practice. With your sweeping generalizations you are going against what has already been proven, not necessarily with any “studies” (which you didn’t quote anyway) but by thousands of people who have had success at healing from digestive disorders, cancer, and autoimmune disorders, for example. Have you ever seen “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead?” How did that guy completely heal from an autoimmune disorder and get off all his prescription drugs if he was doing something wrong by juicing exclusively and refraining from meat for a time? Have you not considered Max Gerson’s research and patients? Have you heard of Sherry Brescia and her website, which has hundreds of testimonials about how people are able to recover from all sorts of discomfort and diabetes etc. through the use of food combining? I am not saying that we should all be vegetarians (she doesn’t advocate that either, by the way)…and don’t get me wrong, I appreciate you! I am a big fan. And I have learned so much by watching your videos and reading your blog. I thank you for all you have done/shared. But sometimes you are so dogmatic that it’s a turn off. We need to realize that there are so many different kinds of bodies in the world – maybe some of us do better with different ratios of meat and veggies. Yes, eating nose to tail causes us to consume broth and not as much meat as the typical American, but I do notice personally how too much meat tends to make me constipated. I am currently on the GAPS Intro protocol with my three children. We are doing the best we can and we also juice every day, but we still get constipated. I don’t know how much longer we will be able to keep this up. And I am guessing I am not the only one who has to deal with that. We are trying to heal leaky gut. It has often bothered me that vegetarians are so dogmatic and on the other side WAPF people are too, but how can they both be right? How can there be healthy people with dramatic healing stories on both sides? (My only answer to that is an educated guess – both groups are essentially food combining if you think about it…vegetarians are avoiding concentrated animal protein and most WAPF or GAPs people don’t eat that much starch.) Let’s be humble enough to congratulate the successes and healing of other people even if they didn’t use the method you teach or agree with your food “doctrine.” Respectfully submitted, CD.
I’m glad it worked for you, but food combining is a band-aid for issues with the gut. It doesn’t solve the real issue of digestive imbalance. It has no basis in science and testimonials don’t make it real. Testimonials combined with scientific backing is much more compelling. My husband tried food combining nearly 25 years ago before we knew anything about ancestral diet … was a total waste of time.
Maybe this could better say, it was a total waste of time for him. I am a huge WAPF follower, and I do believe that every person would benefit from well sourced meat, and that there are some basic fundamentals about running a healthy human body. I have had numerous healing experiences from following their dietary suggestions. But I agree with the above poster, we must be careful with the expectation that what will heal one person will heal every person. I’m a holistic nutritionist, and I have learned a lot about this expectation, and have been humbled in my path to providing true health counseling to others. I’m not a big fan of food combining for my purposes, but if it helps a person feel better and improve their health, who are we to put it down? I am a big fan of a monthly 24 hour fast, and even a seasonal 24 hour meat fast. I have found the concept of fasting, when not taken to extreme, to be a very healing protocol. Maybe that is the true take away here, like the points about juicing: cleansing in moderation is good. Extreme cleansing can be dangerous. And what helps one person cleanse best may not be the best cleansing technique for another.
I’ve been dealing with chronic stomach pain, gas and bloating after eating since I was a teenager (I’m 41 now). I went paleo when I was 37 and all of my gut symptoms went away…until I ate gluten by mistake a year-and-a-half ago. I’ve been struggling to recover ever since because I found I couldn’t eat the same paleo diet again without the constant gut problems. I’ve been through AIP, GAPS, low-FODMAP, nutritional ketosis, WAPF, and SIBO diets, none of which provided lasting (if any) relief without introducing other problems. Low-carb seemed to be the common denominator when a diet worked, but it’s impossible to stick with for more than about 5 weeks. My cycle gets screwed up, I never have a lot of energy to exercise, and I just don’t feel good in general. I finally gave up all the extreme diets about 2 months ago and just started eating semi-low-carb WAPF. Still, I had constant problems, until I started food combining. It’s nothing that strict, other than eating fruit on an empty stomach and all my carbs in the morning. But OMG I can’t believe how much better I feel. So, Sarah, please don’t discount something just because Weston Price didn’t write about it. People in traditional societies didn’t have to recover from a lifetime of the modern American diet, birth control pills, vaccines and antibiotics. Lack of scientific evidence to support the theory of food combining, and the fact that it didn’t work for your husband, is not actually proof that it doesn’t work.
Thanks for this article, although I’m also not in 100% agreement. Having had experience with the Gerson Therapy (as a caregiver), as well as cleansing diets for about 12 years, the acid/alkaline approach is not a complete myth, In Gerson’s book “Results of 50 cases” he deals with the issue of degenerative disease and the body misplacing electrolytes, specifically sodium, which in cancer patients, remains in the cells and tissues. This creates an acidic environment within the cells, which causes disease. His juicing protocol, with coffee enemas, is specifically designed to reverse this condition, as this type of diet floods the body with the alkaline electrolytes – potassium, magnesium, calcium, and he specifically reduces sodium in the diet.
The body will always maintain an equilibrium in the blood, so what we should be looking for is the acid/alkaline balance in the cells. (So I agree that blood Ph and saliva Ph testing is not accurate). This is the reason elderly people in the West get Osteoporosis and hardening diseases. The body is pulling calcium from the bones and dumping it into the tissues and cells to buffer the cellular pH.
I have known many people experience great health benefits from using a cleansing diet with juices, coffee enemas, lots of vegetables etc for a period of time (Gerson goes for the first 6 weeks with absolutely no animal protein)…and I agree that it is not healthy to maintain this for extended periods. The use of cultured dairy, and liver (dessicated capsules) is then used for the remainder of the protocol.
I would recommend reading “Results of 50 cases” by Max Gerson, and “Acid/Alkaline” by Herman Aihara.