Thursday, March 5th 2009

By lindsay fleming

With the overwhelming number of diets available today, it can sometimes be hard to remember which kind does what. This article will take a specific look at detox diets: what they are all about, what types are there out there, and what outcomes can be expected. 

First of all, detox diets are based on cleansing the body of toxins and poisons. After undergoing a detox diet, your body should feel renewed and all organs should be functioning to their best potential. The primary building blocks of a detox diet are natural foods that will aid the function of  the lymph, kidneys and the liver. Most of them call for a diet of organic foods, whole, unprocessed foods, and a lot of water. 

One of the most well-known detox diets is the raw food diet. Like its name suggests, the raw food diet only allows you to eat unprocessed and uncooked plant foods such as fruits and vegetables.  It is believed that heating foods above 116 degrees Fahrenheit destroys the enzymes that help with food digestion and nutrient absorption. Generally at least 75 per cent of all food consumed on this diet must be living or raw. Some benefits of the raw food diet include: increased energy, improved skin appearance, weight loss and reduced risk of heart disease. If you have just started on this diet, it may take sometime before you begin to see the benefits, especially if you are used to being on a diet rich in sugars and caffeine. This is because your body will go through a detox period during which you may experience mild headaches, nausea and cravings. It should also be advised that people on the raw food diet have to pay special attention to deficiencies in calcium, iron, B12 and protein. Overall, the raw food diet has many benefits, but may be hard to maintain. 

The fat flush diet is another very popular three-phase body detox regimen. In the fat flush diet, the goal is to boost metabolism, reduce water retention, and promote fat loss. The first phase of this program, which lasts two weeks, limits you to 1100-1200 calories per day. A daily meal would include many intervals of cran-water flushes, hot water and lemon, and four ounces of protein at lunch and dinner along with fruits and vegetables. The aim of phase one is to reduce water retention and to lose weight, while phases two and three focus on maintenance. Exercise is a major component of this diet plan, as it requires 40 minutes of daily exercise. 

Some detox diets can be very extreme and must be used with caution. For example, the lemonade diet only allows you to drink lemonade made with spring water, lemons, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. Other than this lemonade concoction, you are only able to ingest a laxative tea twice a day and a sea salt wash. Most people only use this diet for four-five days, and although many benefits like eliminating waste from joints have been reported, these detox eating regimens should only be used moderately and in the short term.

According to medical professionals it is still questionable as to whether or not detox diets are actually able to cleanse the body. Therefore, like everything else, before jumping on the “detox bandwagon” do some research of your own to decide whether or not detox diets are right for your body.