Beware of the Detox Diet

Most people I know have either done a Detox Diet or have seriously thought about doing one. They do it for two reasons:

• To get rid of toxins in the body
• Lose weight

I am guilty of doing what is called Master Cleanse. I decided to do this cleanse, not because I wanted to lose weight, but because I wanted to rid my body of toxins. It was a stressful time in my life and I was feeling fatigued. A friend recommended I do a cleanse to get back energy. So I bought all my ingredients and was ready to begin ridding my body of all the nasty toxins that had accumulated in my body....well that lasted all of about half a day. lol!! My sister Jasmine actually did the Master Cleanse for four days and quit when she felt like fainting! I know what you are thinking, no will power, no discipline, yada, yada, yada. I don't disagree. I quit because I got hungry. I quit because I felt worse than I felt before I start do it!

So, I started actually researching other ways to "detox" my body. The news was sad and scary. Sad because I couldn't seem to find a solution to my problem that wasn't close to what I had already tried. Scary because of all the horror stories I read about people attempting to detox. Enema?! Gross! Salt water flush for your colon?! Ouch! 

I know there are those out there who might claim to feel better after a cleanse, but the truth is that there is no evidence to suggest that the detox you just did had anything to do with it. It is most likely that you just stopped putting all that junk in your body for a while. The more I researched the more I realized that the only way to rid your body of toxins is to just not put them there in the first place! duh! The human body already has a detox system, liver and kidneys. 

For those of you who detox diet to lose weight: According to WebMD, fasting can actually slow down your metabolism over time! So if you have lost weight by doing this but then it comes back soon after, this is probably why. 

The bottom line is that eating a healthy diet such as:

• Drinking more water
• Cutting down on the alcohol and caffeine
• Eating less fat and animal protein
• Eating less refined or processed foods
• Eating more plant-based foods

Is much more practical and beneficial to your overall health. I strongly believe that you should not do ANY DIET without consulting with your doctor first. 

Sources: WebMD, personal experience