Read This Before You Go On Your Next Detox Diet
The world we live in today is fast. We can access information on the internet in the blink of an eye. News stories can trend around the world within minutes. You can communicate via Snap, text, Facebook, or Twitter in just seconds. Even our food is fast, whether we pull into a drive-thru or nuke it in the microwave at home.
Like everything else, we want to reverse the effects of these bad food choices quickly. Many of us take to the internet to find the latest detox program which promises to flatten our bellies, burn fat, lose weight, and restore vibrant health in a few days. Traditional medicine says that these programs don't work while naturopathic doctors swear by them. Who's right?
Actually, they both are. Registered dietitian Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D., defines a detox diet as a period of fasting which is "followed by a strict diet of raw vegetables, fruit and fruit juices, and water." Often these diets encourage the use of herbs, supplements, and colon-cleansing that helps remove waste from the body.
Like many in the practice of traditional medicine, Zeratsky asserts that there is little evidence to support the claim that detox diets actually deliver results. She is right about that. Few medical studies have been done to assess the effectiveness of detox diets. And yet, detox advocates claim more improved health, focused thinking, increased energy, clearer skin, flatter stomachs, weight loss, and better sleep.
Registered nurse, naturopathic doctor, and owner of Martha's Vineyard Holistic Retreat, Roni DeLuz, Ph.D., N.D., believes in the power of detoxing and nutrition as a cure for obesity and disease:
"What led me to open my retreat was being sick for many years living in Thousand Oaks, California when I came down with a mysterious illness which led me to over 50 doctors but not getting better – just collecting drugs and getting worse to the point that my entire body hurt, even my eyeballs." she said in an interview with African American Golfers Digest. "After many years of suffering, I went back to school to become a naturopathic doctor. Eventually, I learned that the body can heal itself if you give it the nutrition plus the detox the body needs and customize herbs and micronutrients it needs to heal."
Detox diets require that participants eliminate the foods that caused the weight gain and chronic health conditions in the first place. Some common culprits include meat, dairy, processed foods, fast food, and sugar. Refraining from consuming harmful foods will allow your body to normalize blood sugar, blood pressure, and fluid balance significantly over a period of time.
The goal of the detox diet is to eliminate the bad, infuse the body with the good, and create the optimal environment where your body may resume normal activity. The liver, kidneys, and skin were designed to effectively filter and remove toxins from blood, tissues, and organs. The key to keeping them functioning well is to avoid overloading your body with foods that hinder their function. Eating live foods like fruits, vegetables, and drinking fresh juice are staples in detox diets as they aid the body in nutrient absorption which support the body's elimination processes.
While there are many who focus on the short-term side-effects of fasting, especially during a detox diet, proponents stress that the headaches, low energy, breakouts, and overall malaise are attributed to toxins being released from the tissues into the bloodstream for elimination. Traditional medicine says that this could be a sign of trouble.
Recent medical studies have shown that intermittent fasting has a multitude of health benefits including longevity. According to Scientific American, "One of intermittent fasting's main effects seems to be increasing the body's responsiveness to insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar. Decreased sensitivity to insulin often accompanies obesity and has been linked to diabetes and heart failure; long-lived animals and people tend to have unusually low insulin, presumably because their cells are more sensitive to the hormone and therefore need less of it."
So, what's the verdict? The happy medium here is to first see your doctor for an accurate assessment of your overall health. Consult a nutritionist about any vitamin and mineral deficiencies you might have and start consuming foods that will address them. Then, gradually eliminate the junk from your diet, drink plenty of water, exercise, and get plenty of rest.
Make a lifestyle change first. Once you have made the commitment to a healthy lifestyle, periodic detoxing will be more beneficial as opposed to being a quick fix.
