[dropcap]Y[/dropcap]esterday, while I was at the pharmacy purchasing medicines for my mother, I spotted an at home detoxification kit sitting in one corner.
The price tag? PHP2,000+
Then, I wonder who would want to purchase such?
What is Coconut Oil Detox?
Do we need to undergo detoxification to achieve a healthy body?
Detoxification is a way to cleanse our body and eliminate waste materials.
But it is naturally done by our body through our liver, kidneys, intestines, lymphatic system and skin.
Those at home detox kits that you find from pharmacies and health stores are designed to get rid of toxins through the use of herbs.
With herbs, natural detoxification occurs, as promised by this type of product.
Most of the detoxification kits available contain fruit and vegetables extracts, laxatives, liver tonics, and some weight loss herbs.
Is it backed by science?
It is rarely backed by science. In fact, some of them may contain unregulated ingredients.
Plus, they are expensive.
Lemon juice, for instance, is a natural cleanser but it is not costly. You can purchase it at a fraction of the price when you choose to have it from local supermarket.
Are at home detox kits dangerous?
Not all detox kits are created equal.
Some of them contain safe ingredients; while others have elements that can potentially harm your health.
For instance, you can find a kit with licorice. It is a beneficial ingredient but not for people with health problems, like hypertension. Licorice may also interact with the medicines you are taking.
Another problem that may arise with at home detoxification kits is that you are required to restrict your diet.
Remember that doing so for a given length of time can put yourself at risk of developing health problems.
If you eliminate any of the main food groups for longer period of time, you might lose carbohydrates stores.
You might also lose water and essential electrolytes that your cells need to function well.
Plus, your immune system may be impaired.
What to do instead?
What you must do instead is to follow a healthy balanced diet.
Avoid cigarettes, caffeine, sugary foods, fatty foods, and junk foods.
Exercise will also help in eliminating waste materials from the body.
By doing these, you are boosting your body’s natural cleansing abilities.
5 Things You Must Know About Detox Diet for Weight Loss
How about coconut oil detox?
When I talked about the at home detox kit to my friend, she said something about coconut oil detox.
That was the first time I heard of such homemade detox.
So I Googled it. Here are the things I found out.
Not the best way to detox
It is also not a panacea, just like what every advocate of the system wants to prove.
But it does make you poop several times a day.
In-depth look at Coconut Oil Detox
When you first start coconut oil detox, you will experience the so-called die off symptoms.
Benefits of coconut oil detox
#1 Candida elimination
This at home detox does not contain sugar and other carbs.
Because Candida species like sugar as their food, they can die in your system.
If you suffer from Candida infection, your conditions may improve.
After a coconut oil detox, you may experience reduction of fatigue, sugar cravings, recurring sinus infections and poor concentration.
Candida infection is usually caused by the lack of balance between good bacteria and fungi in the body.
With coconut oil’s antifungal properties, it can be an effective way of cleansing the entire system.
Many of those who have followed a coconut oil detox reported to have completely recovered from Candida and fungal infections within and after the cleansing period.
#Banish digestive problems
If you are one of those who suffer from digestive problems, such as IBS and leaky gut syndrome, then you might find coconut oil detox as a useful way to banish them.
How to perform this at home detox?
It is said to be a simple process.
You just need to replace your regular food with coconut oil for three to seven days. If you can do it, then proceed.
Each morning, take one to two tablespoons of coconut oil. You will have to take up 14 tablespoons of it each day.
If it is your first time to take coconut oil, it is best to let your body adjust to it by taking one to two teaspoons of this oil three times a day.
You should only proceed to this detox when you feel that you are already comfortable taking it.
If you cannot tolerate ingesting it, you can mix it with lemon water or yogurt. To sweeten it, you may add Stevia.
However, if you can tolerate its taste, then you can take it plain.
You may also eat fresh coconut milk while you are on coconut oil detox.
What type of coconut oil?
Although you can use any type of coconut oil for this purpose, advocates of this homemade detox recommend using organic, extra virgin coconut oil.
You need the unrefined version of it to ensure that you are truly getting the oil’s maximum benefits.
What are the symptoms you might experience?
As soon as you begin the coconut oil detox, you will experience the die-off symptoms.
These symptoms will include flu-like symptoms, such as the following:
- Dizziness
- Foggy thinking
- Headaches
They will not make you feel good about what you are doing, i.e. detoxification.
But they are said to be a sign that your body is eliminating the harmful toxins from your system.
The symptoms can last up to five days.
To ease them out, you can gradually take coconut oil before starting this type of detoxification.
The first few days
The first day is the worst when you start this at home detox system. Your headache is worsened but it will be gone after a few minutes or hours.
On the second day, it will be the same as your first day. You will also start getting used to the taste of the coconut oil.
For some people, they could not handle the coconut oil in their mouth as they double the amount of oil needed to be taken on the second day. They started to feel sick.
To really see or experience the benefits of a coconut oil detox, you need to follow its instructions carefully.
When you take coconut oil and swish it around your mouth, you may experience whitening of your teeth after a few days. The reason for this is that this oil is considered as a natural teeth bleaching agent.
What is in coconut oil?
It has fat-soluble vitamins. Coconut oil has vitamin A that boosts your immune system. The vitamin E content has antioxidant properties that can provide your body with enough protection against the harmful effects of UV rays.
The vitamin D content of coconut oil can strengthen your bones and teeth.
Then, the vitamin K is great for your body’s blood-clotting ability.
However, there are no scientific studies that could show that this oil is great for increasing good cholesterol (HDL) while reducing the bad stuff (LDL).
Unpleasant side effects of coconut oil detox
You will experience unpleasant side effects if you follow this homemade detox the wrong way.
#1 Diarrhea
You may experience diarrhea-like symptoms. The reason for this is that you are required to increase your oil consumption, which will surely stimulate your bowel movement.
The MCFA in it can soften stool while loosening your bowels.
Thus, add it in moderation.
Some of those who live in the Pacific can take up to 10 tablespoons of coconut oil as part of their healthy balanced diet. The problem is that they are used to it and we are not.
Thus, it is best to introduce it to your system slowly.
However, some followers of this detoxification method experienced constipation, rather than diarrhea.
#2 Acne
Even though coconut oil detox may help clear up your acne, some people may experience acne breakout. They even get worse acne when they start to use this homemade detox.
Why? According to its advocates, the coconut oil purges out the toxins from the body, including those toxins hiding underneath your skin.
As a result, you will feel worse before you get better. After having acne breakouts, you may experience having clear skin.
Will it help with weight loss?
It may help with your weight loss goal. But you must always remember that losing weight is more than just taking this oil.
The coconut oil may provide you the essential nutrients your body needs. But you must also include other healthful foods in your diet.
In addition to taking coconut oil, you must make sure that you increase your consumption of fruit and vegetables.
Then, you must get plenty of exercise. It does not matter what type of exercise, as long as it allows you to sweat for 30 minutes or more.
But the most effective form of exercise to shed more pounds is to perform high-intensity workouts, at least three times a day.
Since coconut oil detox’s goal is to help your body in eliminating harmful toxins, it may help you get adequate sleep. You will need it to reduce stress.
Bear in mind that stress can be an obstruction in helping you lose weight. Resolving it can give you great benefits.
But you must remind yourself that every person is different. Not all of us are meant to have a body like Gisele Bundchen or Chris Hemsworth.
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Thus, you must not compare yourself to others.
If you really want to lose weight with coconut oil detox, you must stay active while eating the right foods. Then, get sufficient amount of sleep, i.e. eight hours a night.
Do we recommend coconut oil detox?
Since none of us at Vim Chi have tried this at home detox yet, we cannot recommend it. We are not an advocate of detoxification but we believe that it may somehow help our system in getting rid of the bad substances to achieve a healthy body.
Coconut oil detox is not a quick fix. It may require you to restrict your calorie intake, so you will lose weight. But the thing is the weight loss result is temporary.
After the process, you may still gain weight. This is something you do not want.
Conclusion
Stop believing the hype about coconut oil detox. It is true that this oil is one of the healthiest that you can use for your cooking and diet.
It may help in boosting HDL and metabolism.
It may improve your health, as long as you pair it with a healthy balanced diet.
When you are following this homemade detox, you must not eat meat or reduce your intake. If you need to consume meat, make sure that it is from a grass-fed animal.
Then, you must increase your fruit and vegetable consumption.
We still do not know whether or not coconut oil detox is effective or is as good as other people claim it to be.
We cannot prove whether or not it can offer great results.
But what we do know is that ingesting coconut oil cannot hurt us, as long as we take it in moderation. With the added benefits, it surely is a great addition to our diet.
Personally, I add coconut oil to my smoothie. I like the taste of my smoothie when I use a tablespoon of coconut oil. But I use it sparingly.
There are plenty of foods around that can help in eliminating harmful toxins from your body. They taste good without the excess calories.
Coconut oil can be a great source of energy. It consists of MCFAs, which are directly sent to the liver, rather than staying in the system for long. Thus, it can be an ideal fat to cleanse your body.
It may speed up the healing process as it flushes out toxins.
Then again, coconut oil detox is not the only solution of achieving a healthy body. Rather, it is a part of the solution.
Thus, when you do follow a coconut oil detox, make sure that you incorporate it with a healthy balanced diet and a healthy workout.
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isn it a bit absurd claim to do an in depth review of a detox protocol none of you had the courage to try? You do a full review only say at the end that you cant say if it works or not…doesnt make sense at all.people cme here for answers information before trying it.
Hello Carlos,
Thanks for visiting. We apologize if you’re not satisfied with our answer. When we wrote the article, we based in on studies and other people’s opinion and reviews, as we were trying to get to know the process. However, we did try it after but it didn’t work for us. It’s probably because we only tried for a short period.