The Dangers of Detox Diets

[Britni24]

One of the latest hot dieting trends is the detox diet. Detox diets have been talked about as being the new “it” diet by many celebrities. With all of the hype surrounding these new detox diets it can be hard to know whether this weight loss method is right for the typical person. In fact, most people seem to know very little about the science behind detox diets other than that they are supposed to detoxify a person’s body and celebrities seem to strongly endorse them. Although detox diets may sound like a new wonder diet they are far from it.

Detox diets have been strongly promoted as being a way to cleanse the body and remove built up toxins that have accumulated over time. Additionally, detox diets have been advertised as being excellent ways to restore energy to individuals and provide rapid weight loss (Chung, 2012). However, there has been very little research conducted on this new dieting method to provide evidence for these claims. Research needs to be done on these new detox diets to provide individual’s with a clearer understanding of the pros and cons of this type of a diet. Although there is still very little research that has been done on the detox diets, there is some preliminary danger precautions that are being strongly given by many health professionals.

The detox diets are not generally recommended by doctors or dietitians because of the danger that they pose. Detox diets strip extremely important nutrients from an individual’s diet, which then pushes the body to destroy muscle to find the energy that it needs to function properly (Chung, 2012). A terrible dieting mistake that many people make is that they drastically cut out all nutrients and calories from their diet in an effort to lose as much weight as they can in the fastest amount of time possible. However, this type of a dieting method wreaks havoc on the body and typically only burns up valuable muscle mass, instead of the unwanted fat in the person’s body. Dieting in this way will not give dieters the results that they want.

Typically, a detox diet will encourage individuals to take a couple days or even a few weeks to participate in the detox plan. Most detox plans are liquid based and individuals are given a specific type of liquid to drink for a certain number of days. Many times they will be given a liquid to drink for the first couple of days and then a different liquid to drink in consecutive days that follow. Usually no other food is supposed to be consumed during the detox diet other than the detox drink that is part of the plan. There are some other detox diets that strictly limit the types of foods that are allowed in an individual’s diet. The detox diet is meant to be followed for a specific short term period of time. It is not typically a diet that individuals stay on for a very long time. However, some individuals may participate in detox diets multiple times throughout a year.

The belief system behind detox dieting is rooted in the belief that removing the majority of foods from an individual’s diet and replacing them with a very structured and specific list of items instead will allow a person’s body time to cleanse and restore itself. However, the American Dietetic Association has strongly spoken out against detox diets and said that the human body already has organs within it, the liver and kidneys, that cleanse the body each and every day (Chung, 2012). There is very little evidence at this time to show that detox diets actually do what they say they do. Additional research needs to be done on these diets to evaluate their validity and effectiveness. Additionally, many medical professionals at this time have warned that participating in detox diets can actually harm an individual’s immune system and place an individual’s health at risk as a result of experiencing an electrolyte imbalance (Chung, 2012). Dieters must be extremely careful when considering participating in a detox diet and should consult with their doctor before they begin any new diet.

References

Chung, J. (2012). Detox diet debunked. http://www.self.com.