Top dietitian tells us about myths around products that ‘cleanse’ your body after ‘false’ health claim advert is banned

A TEA brand will no longer be able to use the word “detox” in its name.

The Advertising Standards Agency has enforced EU regulations and ruled that Pukka’s “detox” tea, flavoured with aniseed, fennel and cardamom, is misleading. Of course, the company is far from alone in using the word to hook consumers – it has become a selling point that dominates the food industry. But what does it actually mean?

We asked a top dietitian to tell us all about products designed to “cleanse” your system and the myths surrounding them. So grab a cuppa and read on.

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GOING “on a detox” means nothing. It doesn’t make medical sense. It’s a clever marketing gimmick for selling diets and associated products.

There are all kinds of products out there, from pills to teas, and Pukka isn’t the only one using this tactic.

A lot of the public think they need to be buying these things or adhering to these diets to try to get rid of “toxic waste” that builds up in the body.

This is a myth. Our bodies are perfectly capable of detoxing themselves.

Our kidneys, liver, skin and gut do this constantly and there is no evidence that anything can help you detox.

It’s not that toxins don’t exist — they do, particularly in alcohol and medication — but the liver and kidneys work to break them down and excrete them, and your skin does this through sweat.

They do this every day unless you’re very ill, such as if you have kidney disease. We don’t need to do anything to stimulate that process.

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So why is it that the idea has become so popular? For a start, it’s new and fashionable. A detox makes people feel like they’re doing something positive.

The message is that just eating a healthy, balanced diet — every-thing in moderation and including only the occasional treat — isn’t as palatable.

Instead, people prefer black and white rules and to latch on to quick fixes.

It’s easy to see why. It’s great to think you can drink tea and, in two weeks, feel a million dollars.

It’s the all-or-nothing approach — eat badly and then do a magic detox.

It’s not that people are stupid.

Companies producing the products know exactly what their customers want, but lots of the claims they make are exaggerated and not based on science.

There are things we can do to make our bodies function better, such as eating at least five portions of fruit and veg a day and watching our caffeine and alcohol intakes.

In fact, these so-called detox products can have a negative impact on our health, since many of them contain a laxative called senna.

From a dietetic point of view we would only ever recommend them to people with chronic constipation. They definitely shouldn’t be taken all the time or even for a prolonged period.

In the short term, they will leave you dehydrated because they make every-thing, including water, move through the body a lot faster.

In the long term, they can cause the bowel to malfunction and you could lose control of going to the toilet.

From a psycho-logical perspective, the idea of detox can be very damaging, too.

For many, it’s syn-onymous with weight loss, but that’s not what it’s going to do.

If you’re still eating the same amount of calories as normal, laxatives will not promote weight loss.

They just make you feel like you’ve got a flatter tummy.

If you see weight loss on the scales that’s because you’re losing quite a lot of water, not fat.

This can cause people to become obsessed with having that flat stomach. Yes, it might make you feel more empty but that is not normal.

It’s perfectly normal to eat food, to feel full and for your stomach to stick out a bit more.

People often say they need to detox when all they’ve done is overeaten.

You’re much more likely to lose weight if you adopt a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

Furthermore, many of these products come at a much higher price than normal alternatives.

There is a lot of emotion around food and a lot of guilt and fear.

We must realise we don’t have to feel guilty all the time and are allowed to overindulge occasionally.

“Clean eating” has exacerbated orthorexia, the idea of good and bad food, and the concept of detoxing builds on that.

That can lead to eating disorders in people who are susceptible to them.

Food needs to be enjoyable. It’s a big social aspect of our lives and, as soon as we start classifying food as good and bad or clean and dirty, we end up socially isolating people.

Who meets up and has a detox tea? Nobody. You meet up with your friends and have a coffee.

It’s good to want to choose healthy foods most of the time but there needs to be a balance.

You need to be enjoying your life and not worrying constantly about what you’re eating.

If you feel like you’ve overindulged, consider how much you enjoyed what-ever you had and the next day eat a little bit more fruit and veg.

That’s more sensible than obsessing — and falling for detox.

Detox teas and products fuel the idea that people can have quick fixes, which as a dietician really annoys me. Nothing is a quick fix. But I’m sure, once detox falls out of favour, there will be another meaningless term to replace it.

The main advice I can give is not to be scared of food — and don’t be fooled by the myths.