Weight Loss - Are Detox Diets a Good Idea? Longridge

Weight Loss

Are Detox Diets A Good Idea?

If you are like 80% of the population you probably consumed far too much food and drink over the Christmas holidays. If you feel heavy, sluggish or even guilty about the amount you ate and drank you are not alone.

Kundalini Yoga - to Detox and De-stress

If this sounds like you, you may have considered a detox diet to cleanse your body and start off your weight loss plan. But is it really a good idea? Is it necessary to take such drastic action to get back to where you were?

Most of the toxins we encounter do come from our diet and the food we eat. Consuming huge meals with bottles of wine causes our liver to work very hard in its attempt to process all those extra nutrients and toxins.

Unfortunately, eating more usually means we ingest far more additives and preservative than usual. Think back, how much food did you eat over the Christmas holiday that was healthy, natural and nutritious?

A detox diet for a couple of days seems the perfect solution for undoing all the damage inflicted on your body. Cleaning out your insides and boosting your energy levels with an abundance of naturally occurring vitamins and nutrients may appear attractive. But is it safe?

Luckily your body is already fully equipped to eliminate toxins from your system on a daily basis.

Detox diets can prove useful to give your body a rest; but they should never be used as a long term plan on their own.

Used over a short time (one or two days) they allow your body to cleanse itself.

Detox diets vary widely in severity; some fasting plans only allow water whilst others promote gentle cleansing by excluding alcohol, fizzy drinks, coffee, tea, all processed foods, fat and sugar and replacing these with plenty of water, natural fruit juices, fresh vegetables and meals based on fresh vegetables and fruit.

It’s generally understood that the more extreme the detox diet is the quicker it will work for you BUT the downside of this is you should expect to experience some very uncomfortable side effects such as headaches, diarrhea, nausea, fatigue and various skin problems.

It’s unwise to stay on any detox diet for more than two days or you will suffer from vitamin, mineral and protein deficiencies. It is NOT recommended you go on a diet consisting of water only. If you have any medical condition at all you must consult your doctor before attempting any form of detox diet.

The good news is a brief period on a detox diet will give you more energy, clearer skin, a lower stress level, a greater sense of well-being and a fantastic sense of achievement. And, it will also put you on the right path to follow a healt...