The Truth About Detox Dieting

Can you believe that nearly 30 million dollars is spent every year on "detox products?" Whether for weight loss or body cleansing from "toxins" in the environment, the claims usually sound too good to be true. And they are.

Nature has a built-in system for detoxing our bodies from compounds entering the body, either accidentally or intentionally. This system is a combination of actions of the liver, kidneys, lungs and skin. If you have normal function of these organs, you're in good starting shape.

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The phrase "detox diet" means many different things to different people. Often it's wrongly used for a "quick fix" for weight loss. While fluid loss gives the sense of "lightness" and weight loss and a sense of well being, it's just not a fix for everything.

For many, a detox diet is the familiar, celebrity tested-plan of a combination of water, maple syrup, cayenne pepper and lemon juice, popularly referred to as "master cleanse". A mix of these--about 110 calories per 8 ounce cup, consumed 6-12 times a day--is the basis of this plan. Do the math and you'll see that the calorie consumption is as little as 660 calories a day, without protein, vitamins or minerals. Made popular by Beyonce who famously lost weight using this "diet" for a film role (and regained the weight afterward), it's not meant to be used for more than a week or so.

While a healthy person can exist on a fast like this one without health-damaging effects for a few days, long-term use can lead to protein and vitamin deficiencies. Short term issues like headache, fatigue, lack of focus, aches and irritability are related to the lack of calories and caffeine withdrawal among other causes. Plus, it's quite likely that Beyonce also had the benefit of medical supervision to monitor her health, as most celebrities do, when weight-related changes to develop a film character are required.

Plans vary from all sorts of juice, vegetable and other semi-fasts, with lists of "good and bad" foods to be eliminated. Often red meat or dairy are excluded, as well as caffeine and alcohol. It's the extremes of these plans that are the problems.

Other detoxing involves "colon cleansing" to flush out harmful bacteria and contaminants from the digestive tract. The problem here is that none of these cleansers can tell the difference between healthy bacteria and unhealthy ones - so you can put your health at risk with these. Our digestive tracts are full of "good" bacteria to keep us healthy.

My bottom line? Avoid all of these, and use common sense.

If you want to try a safe and health-promoting "cleanse", try these 6 simple steps:

1. Stick with unprocessed foods
2. Eat at least 7-9 servings of produce a day (fresh or frozen)
3. Choose vegetable proteins over red meat, poultry, or fish
4. Gradually cut back on Caffeine (to avoid severe headache)
5. Eliminate alcohol
6. Drink 1/2 your body weight for ounces of daily water (150 pounds, drink 75 ounces water) or at least 64 ounces.

One more thing: if you're considering eliminating dairy products from your diet make sure you get calcium from other sources including dark greens, and get enough vitamin D with 10 minutes outside in the sun (without sunscreen), or consider supplements for these two essential nutrients.

Have you had an experience with a detox diet? Drop a line to share your own pros and cons.