The Difference Between a Detox and a Cleanse

The terms “detox” and “cleanse” have been used synonymously in the health community. All the while, they don’t necessarily mean the same thing. So we took it upon ourselves to help separate the two terms and explain the difference between the terms “detox” and cleanse.

Cleanse

When someone wants to do a cleanse, they are talking about cleansing their gut. The digestive tract could be full of toxins, leaving you feeling bloated and constipated. To combat that, you could conduct a cleanse to rid your body of those toxins. More often than not, there are a couple of foods that you should avoid/cut out of your diet:  dairy products, eggs, gluten, soy, refined sugars, meats, processed foods, and/or alcohol.

After you do this cleanse, you can then replace this with foods that are good for gut health such as high fiber foods like chickpeas, broccoli, artichokes, beans, whole grains, etc.

Detox

Detoxing, on the other hand, has to do with your liver and kidney health. These two are the main organs in the body that help detoxify the rest of your body. There are a couple of ways to reduce toxins in your body in changes that almost everyone could take part in. Eliminating cigarette usage or cutting out refined or processed sugars are just two ways that people can help detox their bodies. The same with a cleanse, after clearing your body of these toxins, you should incorporate healthy foods into your diet. Lemon, garlic, kale, pineapple, and ginger are some of the foods to strengthen your liver and kidney functions.

Both of these are not easy and will require some time. It’s important to listen to your body when something feels off. Drink plenty of water, exercise and get an adequate amount of sleep. Add these steps into your daily routine and you’ll be on your way to a healthier life!

Moises Mendez

Moises is a full-time freelance writer based in New York City. He graduated from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. He reports mainly on arts and culture.

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