This story was originally titled "Let's Talk Detox," in the April 2008 issue. Subscribe to Canadian Living today and never miss an issue!

Hardly a day goes by when we're not reminded about one of the many sins we commit when it comes to eating. Certainly there's gluttony (too much of a good thing), love of processed foods (too much of a bad thing) and toxicity (ingesting chemicals with our foods).

We're also incredibly busy, often too busy to take care of ourselves with healthy homemade meals. That's why, says Carolanne Nelson, a registered dietitian and assistant professor in the department of family and nutritional sciences at the University of P.E.I., many of us jump at the promise of quick-fix periodic purification programs for our bodies – and consciences, perhaps. Proof: Sales of detox products for the past two years at Canada's largest natural health products chain, Nutrition House, were $1.5 million. And the plethora of detox diet books is almost certainly predicated on demand. It doesn't hurt sales either that savvy marketing plays up the weight-loss benefits of detoxifying; clearly, some of us are hoping to purge more than toxins.

Dana Schnirer, a scenic coordinator and artist in Calgary, is a devotee of a detox diet called Renew Life – produced by an American company of the same name. Dana, who is already a healthy eater, doesn't struggle with the reasonably well-rounded diet recommendations, just the supplements; the company offers various formulas that, depending on the kit used, contain herbs – including laxatives – that purportedly detoxify the body. "When you first try it, you have to get used to being near a toilet during a certain time of day," says Dana. Despite this downside, she swears by the program and uses it annually. While she loses about three to five pounds every time, it's the boosted energy, the vitality, from the combined herbs and diet that she really enjoys. "You just feel lighter, like nothing you've ever experienced before."

Do we really need to detox?
The liver, the body's key detoxifying organ, actually does a terrific job of cleansing the body all on its own, says Dr. Kevork Peltekian, a liver specialist and associate professor of medicine at Dalhousie University in Halifax. A healthy liver processes most of the things we throw at it, sorting out compounds and chemicals, and sending unwanted stuff to our intestines to expel as stool, or to our kidneys to excrete as urine.

Because there is no scientific research showing that any detox regimen (fad diets or herb kits included) delivers on its promises, you'll be hard-pressed to find any traditional health-care provider who supports detoxifying (though most naturopaths encourage supervised detoxifying). That said, the basic premises of any detox regimen – upping fluid intake and cutting out bad habits such as processed foods, cigarettes and alcohol – are positive measures we can take to give the body the only break it really needs to feel better, says Nelson. As for a few of the more popular detox kits and books, read on to find out if they hold up to our expert scrutiny.

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