It seems there are an unlimited supply of programs out there that promote quick weight loss with "detox" regimens. The promoters of these programs use scare tactics to make you feel like your body is being taken over by parasites and toxins and if you don’t do these detox regimens, you will never truly be healthy. But many dietitians and medical experts say these diets are pointless at best and dangerous at worst.
Like other fad diets, detox regimens promise quick weight losses that critics say are ultimately unsustainable. They're based on "junk science" rather than a true understanding of how the body works. Worst of all, extreme diets can cause serious side effects in vulnerable groups, such as children, pregnant women, senior citizen and individuals with certain medical issues.
Detox proponents say the body is under constant assault from toxins such as smog, pesticides, artificial sweeteners, sugar, and alcohol. Without a periodic cleansing, these poisons accumulate in the body and cause headaches, fatigue, and a variety of chronic diseases. The body already has multiple systems in place -- including the liver, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract -- that do a perfectly good job of eliminating toxins from the body within hours of consumption.
Most detox regimens urge dieters to strip down their diets to the basics of water and raw fruits or vegetables. Some diets also recommend laxatives, enemas, or colonic irrigation to speed up the detox process.
There's a grain of wisdom in detox diets… It is true that the average person doesn't drink enough water or consume enough fruits and vegetables. The problem is most detox diets are so restrictive that they're ineffective for long-term use. And any weight loss that occurs during the diet is likely to be temporary. When people think about losing weight, they think about losing fat... But this is water lost and water gained.
Detox dieters may report a variety of benefits, but none can be traced to the idea of detoxification. Fewer headaches can be traced to other lifestyle changes such as reduction in alcohol and caffeine intake. Clearer skin can result from improved hydration, and less bloating could be a result of eating less food.
The good news is that your body is amazing and has its own natural detoxifying process that works quite well. The liver and kidneys do a good job of processing chemicals and eliminating them in sweat, urine, and feces. For example, the colon's natural bacteria detoxify food wastes and its mucus membranes prevent bacteria and toxins from reentering the body. The liver combines its own chemicals with other chemicals, making water-soluble compounds that your kidneys can excrete in urine.
Are there specific benefits to a detox diet?
Proponents believe that occasionally cleansing the body with natural liver detox diets can clear the body of poisons that have built up. They also suggest that detox diets help with weight loss. Other claims range from greater energy and more clear headedness to the prevention and cure of chronic diseases.
Symptoms may improve with a detox diet, but there is no evidence that this is due to clearing toxins from the body. Instead, improvements may result from what is and is not eaten and drunk on these diets, such as:
• more water
• less alcohol and caffeine
• less fat and animal proteins
• fewer refined and processed foods
• more healthful, whole, plant-based foods
As it turns out, a balanced, proper diet is probably more helpful in the long than a detox diet. Perhaps taking the best of the detox diets – eating more fruits and vegetables and fewer processed, refined, and fatty foods, for example -- is the way to go.