Detoxes are popular, there’s no denying that. People in the health and fitness world are seemingly always talking about the latest detox diet, ‘master’ cleanses and juice fasts. The pressing question, though, is “are all of these really necessary?”

Let’s take a closer look at detox diets, and whether we really need them.

How Do These Work?

Detox diets come in all shapes and sizes. Some, like juice fasts, require you to double down and survive on juices alone. Some others require you to abstain from eating altogether, or limit your choices to a few fruits and/or vegetables.

These are typically short term efforts that are advertised to help cleanse your system of the toxins in it. They are also known to get rid of abdominal bloating and the water weight that you’re holding.

Detox Diets Are Hard To Maintain

Most detox diets cut down the number of items on your ‘can eat’ list, limiting you to a few choices. The repetition can bring you down you, as can the significantly reduced calorie intake levels.

You’ll feel tired most of the time, as your body isn’t naturally used to such low food consumption.

Hard Talk: Do Detoxes Work As Well As Advertised?

There are two goals that detoxes are claimed to help you reach: weight loss, and cleansing your system.

As for weight loss, the general consensus is that you will indeed lose weight. Going on a short term detox diet will help you drop water weight. This means really fast weight loss; you may lose up to 3 kilos in as many days. However, once you resume your normal diet, it’s bound to come back. Also, when you shed weight so quickly, you also lose muscle mass.

Detoxification

Yes, detox diets and juice cleanses can flush out toxins, especially when you overclock your digestive system and make it work overtime. But here’s the thing: your body does all this for you.

Doctors advise us to take up only those detox diets that cut out processed, high-fat and sugar loaded foods. When you go on a clean eating-based detox plan, you can rest assured that it will work for you.

So, Do You Even Need Detox?

In general, no. Detoxes are known to cause more harm than good. Do them under the right conditions and for the correct reasons, and only rely on them rarely. And, when you do, go for a clean eating diet instead of a supplement-fueled extreme one.

References:

https://www.webmd.com/diet/a-z/detox-diets

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/18/detox-health-nutrition-diet_n_5173783.html