Comments on: Toxic Foods

By: Milk Thistle Liver Detox

Milk Thistle Liver Detox — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:15:55 +0000

Awesome post and thanks for detox diet recommendation. Very informative.

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:50:38 +0000

Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by ColbyWG: .@adamds takes food detox to a whole new level. Talking about 21 days and pH balances? Crazy… http://bit.ly/7UMvqK...

By: Adam Di Stefano

Adam Di Stefano — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:43:13 +0000

Thanks for the responses, all. A few points.

@Langdon – dude, you’re not kidding around with this stuff. I’m not at the foraging around level, yet, but when I am, I’ll look into your advice.

@David – I read Omnivore’s Dilemma and watched Food Inc both while I was on the Detox. It was excellent motivation to stay on track.

@Christine – I think you need to stop listening to those people and… well, listen to me instead. At no point during this detox did I have diarrhea. My own weight loss was marginal, because, I like you, am not exactly overweight.

I don’t doubt that many detoxes simply cause you to “cleanse” and then, two days after doing them, you’re back to the same old you. This particular detox, though, is almost a common sense detox. While it does cut out all the crap you eat in a fairly severe way, what it really does is teach you how to eat properly.

My detox ended on November 21st. It is nearly a month later, and while my diet is not as strict as it was on the detox, a few things have stuck: I drink way less alcohol, I barely drink coffee anymore, I’ve cut way down on red meat. I eat far more vegetables. I eat almost exclusively organic foods now.

So, what I’m saying is, I hear the counter-argument, but really, what this diet did for me was help me to get that lifestyle change you talk about.

By: ChristinePeterson

ChristinePeterson — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:19:53 +0000

Adam, when I read the first draft of this post a while back I was CONVINCED that I was going to do this. I was going to buy the book and do it. Then, I spoke to a few people about it and they all convinced me out of it… I do want to be more healthy, but I’m not sure if detox diets are the best solution. The best counter-argument I heard was that all detox diets are designed to flush your system; to basically give you diarrhea for a month. I’m already relatively thin and something like that would probably do me more harm than good.

If I’m going to be more healthy, I’m resigned to the fact that I’ll have to make a lifestyle change rather than a one-month thing. Which unfortunately probably will not come any time soon, given how much I <3 coffee and red meat. :-/

By: David Evans

David Evans — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:10:32 +0000

When I was in high school and college in the 70s and 80s none of my friends were fat or over weight. Now 25% of today’s high school students are obese, a medical condition that puts the person at high risk for diabetes and other horrible life threatening diseases. The Omnivore’s Dilemma is a fantastic book that looks at our food system. And Food Inc is a documentary film that also looks at the production of our food. Read or view both or just one of these and your detox will become a lifestyle change.

By: McKenzie Lawton

McKenzie Lawton — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:52:11 +0000

Great article. Frankly, I’m not too happy about the way I eat, especially lately. I’m not concerned about my weight but mainly my health. This diet, although it sounds extreme, seems like it at least did you some good. I’ll definitely consider it when I decide to get healthier.

By: Langdon Cook

Langdon Cook — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:50:44 +0000

Nice post. I started doing de-toxes with a bunch of friends more than a decade ago. They began as a dare one night over drinks and we’re still doing them now. You’re right that the end results aren’t particularly noticeable or miraculous, but given what we routinely put into our bodies and the level of contaminants all around us, common sense would say an occasional cleansing can only be a good thing. Try adding dandelion and other wild greens & fungi. They have high levels of nutrients and can be very good for liver & kidney function. Bottom line is that we need to re-claim the food system. An annual (or more frequent) de-tox is a good way to start. (Then you can start foraging weeds out your back door if you want to get really serious…stop by my blog for a peek.)

By: Jason Potteiger

Jason Potteiger — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:52:36 +0000

Great post! I’ve always been very skeptical of detox-ing. It always felt like something that belonged in the healing crystals/ things my ‘hippy’ mom likes category. It was refreshing to read a sober account of someone who went into it with an open mind. Further, I couldn’t agree more that Millennials are waking up to the truly negative effects some foods can have on us. As early as High School some friends of mine were already cutting soda entirely out of their diet and this past year the last person I would have expected told me: “You’re really not going to believe this, but I’m becoming a vegetarian.” Pepsi can rebrand and the BK Lounge can redesign, but I agree with you that we’re looking for quality in the long run.