What are DETOX diets’ advantages and disadvantages?

Is detox diet good for me? Is detox diet bad for body? If you are looking for an answer to these questions, then read on.DETOX is an abbreviation of detoxification. It is new age word to get you into shape. Drinking large amount of water and juices, consuming salads and laxatives, and taking enemas and subjecting your insides to colonic cleansing is a brief on the DETOX process. In the recent past DETOX has become a household word. Everyone is grabbing it up real quick, often without having a clear idea on it.

DETOX Diet!:

However, what we need to consider is, do DETOX diet deliver everything it promises and are they really safe? DETOX promise immediate sanitization of your body system- literally like cleaning out your dietary and lifestyle mistakes away. It also promises weight loss and even magical cures to many ailments. It’s supposed get your body rid itself of accumulated waste and toxins. So, does it really do this?

First let us try to be clear about what actually happens inside your body. Kidney, lungs skin and colon are toiling 24/7, 365 days a year to excrete toxins off your body. The toxins are actually in-activated by the enzymes that are secreted in our body, so as to aid easy disposal. However, few or many of us lack these significant enzymes to detoxify the body thus making us vulnerable to them.

Look out for these:

1•

Drinking plenty of water helps the kidneys work efficiently to cleanse the blood and excrete waste products. The ‘eight glasses of water a day ‘ idea is at the best a rough estimate. The exact amount varies with the individuals, the season and the nature of your activities. Before you turn your insides into a sloshing canal, remember that too much water can be waste. So how do we know how much to drink? Watch out for the color of urine. If you drink enough fluid your urine will be a light yellow. Scanty or dark colored urine often indicates dehydration. Take up your fluids accordingly.

2•

Strong stimulant laxatives can be counter-productive. They can damage the nerve cells in the colon wall, decreasing the force of contractions and increasing the tendency to get constipated.

3•

Techniques like enemas and colonic irrigation can also harm you. Not only are they uncomfortable, inserting the tube can even induce severe cramps and pain. If the equipment is not properly sterilized serious infection like amoebiasis can be contracted from others.

4•

There is a popular misconception that the fecal matter lines the large intestines and causes stools to harden, leading the body to re-absorb waste matter. There is another belief that fruits rot when eaten with other foods, like carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Fruits, according to the DETOX theory, are to be eaten separately. Otherwise they lead to the formation of toxic waste and cause you to put weight. Such theories are baseless and lack scientific perspective.

5•

Fasting to detoxify or lose weight is a questionable regimen. It does not really help, especially when followed by feasting. Nor do special detox diets followed for few days. What really works is adopting healthy eating and lifestyle practices.

So what are these healthy lifestyles?

1.

Eat organic produce and thoroughly wash and peel fruits and vegetables before consuming as they may contain resident agricultural chemicals.

2.

Don’t spend too much time exposed to solvents and paints, including drugs as they may contain chemicals that can be easily absorbed by your body.

3.

Prefer whole food over the processed food.

4.

Consume food that is rich in anti-oxidants like fruits and vegetables.