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In the past this website has always written in opposition to detox cleanses. What has changed and why do you now recommend it?
Thank you so much for posting your question. What's great about mydietexercise.com is that you get a wide variety of experts who may at times have differing opinions or perspectives on diet and exercise. This allows for readers to apply those recommendations or suggestions that make sense to them and leave behind those that don't. In the end, what's most important is that you follow what feels right for you personally.
With that said, I believe that detox cleanses can be great for many people if done properly and with the right intentions. Detoxing is not a quick way to lose weight and if you approach it from that standpoint, you will most likely regain any weight lost and could also cause more harm then good to your body. However, if you are cleansing in order to eliminate toxins (great to do 1x or 2x per year in my opinion) or to test your body's reaction to removing and then reintroducing certain food groups that you may be sensitve or allergic to, a cleanse can be a very positive thing.
As there are many many types of cleanses and detox appraoches to take, it's important to do the research or talk to a professional to determine what's right for you. If you are considering a cleanse, a good introductory book to read is The Detox Diet: A How-To & When-To Guide for Cleansing the Body by Elson M. Haas, M.D.
Thank you again for the question! It sounds like detoxes and cleanses would be a great topic for a future post.
Another way to strengthen the immune system is to not use germicidal soaps and to come in contact with germs at a lower level. (That's of course is how vaccinations work.) We keep our children too clean and we sanitize everything. Hence, we have seen a great increase in allergy prone children and weakened immunity systems. We don't let children become immune as they grow up. Also, too many sweets is probably another culprit. Remember Polio was a rich mans disease for the most part. Children at lower socio economic levels played in the street and dirt and people didn't even know that natural immunity was taking place. This is also another way vaccination works. Children with strengthened immune systems don't pass on illness to other children.
Good diet, exercise and being outside all work towards developing a strong healthy person.
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Good advice - I would especially emphasis the use of Vitamin D as multiple researchers have shown that you will simply not get flu of any type if you Vitamin D levels are where they should be. Vitamin D is also a good modulator of the immune system, boosting its cellular response whilst protecting against autoimmune conditions.
Regards, Marek - West London Nutritionist