Will a water detox do you any good?

DRINKING water naturally boosts your metabolism, keeps you hydrated, and flushes your body by means of urination and perspiration .

And in addition to the growing popularity of many modern diets and detox programmes, detoxing with water as opposed to teas is being touted as a simpler and possibly more effective way of flushing toxins from the body.

Nutritionist Donovan Grant explained that our bodies are roughly 60 to 75 per cent water, which helps with almost all bodily functions, especially the regulation of the kidneys and liver.

“The kidneys and liver are very important in terms of detoxing the body, and if there isn’t much water in the body they won’t be effective,” he said.

But he noted that a major problem is that many people don’t drink enough water and hence run into problems.

“Without water in our system we will get into trouble, and the body needs balance. What may happen is the body draws water from our blood, as that is 85 per cent water too, thereby increasing chances of clotting. You may even end up being constipated,” he cautioned.

But, he said, based on how our diets have changed, water alone may not work for detoxing.

“People in the olden days who had different diets could easily do that, but based on changes in the diet with the inclusion of more carbohydrates, our system backs up a bit more and constipation sets in. There are various other complications which require us to do a bit more to detox than simply drinking water,” he said, adding that including lime, lemon, watermelon, cucumbers and/or grapefruit in water helps to flush the system.

Grant added: “While on my programmes, I suggest that people do a liquid or water day to help flush the system. So you have green juices, your detox waters, etc.”

He maintains that being properly hydrated is essential for good kidney and liver function, bowel movement and keeping the skin tone even and free of blemishes.