We live in a dangerous world. Toxins lurk in our homes and offices, as everyday items such as personal-care products, furniture, toys and electronics give off toxic chemicals that leach into our bodies. And the foods we eat on a daily basis are packed with additives that also have toxic elements.

So, what can we do with this knowledge? For one, we can choose to make whatever changes are necessary to ensure that we are exposed to fewer toxic chemicals. For instance, avoiding plastics in the home and workplace containing bisphenol A (a.k.a. BPA, a hormone disruptor linked to birth defects and obesity) and choosing to eat better foods can all reduce our toxic load.

Another option we can choose is to undergo some sort of detoxification program relating to our diet. In fact, going on a “detox” is a rather trendy thing to do these days.

“Pretty much everyone asks about a detox,” says Anneke Vink, a registered dietitian with Dani Health and Nutrition Services in Victoria. However, she points out, our bodies themselves are detoxifying machines; the liver, kidneys and blood already do a good job of processing chemicals and eliminating them through a number of channels, such as our breath, sweat and urine. In fact, there’s no scientific documentation to support the necessity of regular detox programs, she says, because our bodies do a fine job without interference.

That’s not to say there isn’t some benefit to looking seriously at your current diet, Vink adds, and making the appropriate changes to help your system run more smoothly.

Our reliance on processed foods and our tendency to overeat is an unhealthy combination that taxes our bodies. For instance, the latest literature supports the fact that diets high in saturated fats can be just as damaging to the liver as alcohol abuse. Vink’s recommendation: focus on whole foods, drink lots of water and don’t eliminate anything essential to the proper running of the body. “Making healthy changes to the diet,” she says, “is such a huge and practical thing.”

Some health practitioners take the “diet cleanse” approach a step further. Samantha Ristimaki, a doctor of naturopathic medicine (ND) who practises out of clinics in Toronto and Oakville, Ont., says that taking a few weeks once or twice a year to eat simply, while eliminating processed foods and reducing dairy and wheat, can provide a jump-start to good health. This relatively simple approach allows your body to process what it has kept in storage over time (the body stores in its fat the toxins it can’t immediately get rid of).

“Think of it as ‘spring cleaning’,” she says. “You’ve stored stuff in your house and you’re always cleaning; but if you take time to do a great big cleanup twice a year, you’re not going to accumulate a lot of junk.”

What concerns Vink and Risti-maki is the temptation among some people to pick up one of the many detox kits that can be bought over the counter in health-food stores and pharmacies. Many of these kits take a far too aggressive approach to detoxing, with herbal supplements that speed up the excretion of stored toxins.

The result is that the liver can’t process the waste fast enough and this can lead to a toxin overload in the blood, says Ristimaki. When you take this approach, you’re actually more vulnerable to oxidative damage because you’ve created a “free radicals gone wild” environment in your body: “Your body packed [those toxins] away in storage for a reason.”

That’s the explanation for the malaise, headaches and nausea many people feel when undergoing one of these detox plans, she explains: “It’s a sign that your body has too many toxins flying around.”

Furthermore, many of these kits also rely on herbs and pills with diuretic or laxative properties, which can actually do more harm than good, creating a dependency — and Ristimaki recommends we avoid them completely.

The best bet, she says, is to take a slow and steady approach to detox, focusing on high-quality foods. Although certain foods may be “off limits” during a detox, she says, calorie counting or portion control is counterproductive.

In fact, a common misconception when it comes to detoxing is that the more restrictions it enforces, the better. In fact, some of the more popular detox programs — the lemon detox diet that Beyoncé allegedly used to drop weight quickly, for instance — veer too close to fasting mode for Ristimaki’s comfort. Fasting works against what detoxing is designed to do, which is to rid the body of toxins, she says, because it actually shuts down some functions.

@page_break@Although Ristimaki recommends certain supplements to her clients, she only does so once the healthy approach to their diet is well underway. “Play with the diet first,” she says. “If you start to throw in herbs and your body is not ready for it, you’re promoting liver function too aggressively.”

Natasha Turner, an ND in Toron-to who wrote The Hormone Diet, also believes that individuals serve themselves well by pursuing a detoxification twice a year, in the spring and autumn. However, she suggests, a more aggressive approach can have a big payoff.

“The changes I’ve seen with patients over the years is incredible,” she says. Improved energy, focus and digestion, paired with a decrease in joint pain, headaches and fatigue, are all common benefits of a detox, she says, adding that food cravings also disappear.

Turner’s recommended approach is a little stricter than those that other health practitioners promote. Anything that can be allergenic or inflammatory to the system is removed for the detox. This means gluten, dairy, corn, red meat, peanuts, citrus fruits, sugar, alcohol, caffeine and artificial sweeteners are all off the table with the program she recommends. But she also suggests against portion control or calorie counting.

“Cutting out the stuff we tend to overeat is enough,” she says, adding that individuals undergoing a detox should never go hungry. Rather, they should be eating every couple of hours or so.

Turner also prescribes specific supplements, including fibre, to speed up the detoxing process — so long as your immune system isn’t already compromised.

The initial side effects often associated with detox programs — fatigue, irritability and headaches — are actually good signs that the body is ridding itself of toxins, Turner believes. Caffeine, for instance, can be a big hurdle, in terms of withdrawal symptoms. But, she says, the negative side effects only last a few days.

“The worse you feel, the more indication you really need to do it [and] stick with it,” Turner says. That said, she cautions that a detox should never make you vomit, experience a fever or suffer from a rash. If that happens, it’s important to stop the detox and see a doctor.

Because Turner’s regime is a little more restrictive than some, it’s necessary to reintroduce the eliminated foods one at a time, as outlined in her book. That way, it’s easier for you to see whether any food sensitivities exist.

The effect of detoxing is difficult to measure, which is a big reason why there’s debate as to whether it’s even worthwhile, she says. But one way to measure your body balance, Turner says, is using pH strips. Available at health-food and drugstores, pH strips measure acidity. A balanced body is one with a neutral pH — slightly alkaline at 7.0 to 7.4. (The pH scale runs from 1 to 14.)

Says Turner: “It helps with your energy, your metabolism and your focus.” IE