Cleanses, specifically store-bought ones, are almost always bunk. No weeklong celebrity cayenne pepper diet or colonic lemonade spritz can rid your body of the gunk you’ve been exposed to—from alcohol and nicotine to pesticides and air pollution—says Mark Moyad, a urologist at the University of Michigan. Luckily, you’re already equipped with the three greatest toxin removers ever invented.
“The kidneys and the liver do an incredible job of cleansing,” says Moyad. “They filter and siphon everything.” That doesn’t mean a two-day juice fast or a one-month holiday from alcohol is a bad idea. Done right, it can lead to healthier habits. “It’s more of a psychological restart,” says Moyad. But don’t follow a program with severe diet restrictions for more than 48 hours. Doing so will prompt your body to release health-crushing stress hormones.