There are many types of diets to choose from, so what’s so special about detox diets? First of all, detox is short for detoxification. The goal is to detoxify, or clean out your body. That’s why you will also hear about “cleanse” diets, which mean pretty much the same thing.
There is not one single detox diet, but many. They do, however, share some common traits. Let’s take a look at what you can expect from this type of diet.
Detox Diets and Weight Loss – When you hear the word “diet” you usually assume that it’s a weight loss plan. There’s nothing wrong with this, as many people have this goal. Indeed, if you are overweight this is something you should be focused on for health reasons.
Detox diets, however, are not necessarily about losing weight. Even when you do want to shed some pounds, a detox diet usually has broader goals as well. When you cleanse your body, you aren’t simply trying to get skinnier -you’re improving your health by getting rid of harmful toxins.
So people who are skinny, fat or somewhere in between can all benefit from a good detox diet. It should help to normalize your weight, but this is only one of the goals!
Energy and Well Being – Conventional diets don’t necessarily make you feel better. Some may actually drain your body of essential nutrients. Detox diets, however, are designed to make you feel better in every way.
One caveat is that there is sometimes a short period of time when you feel worse after starting a detox diet. That’s when your body is learning new habits. To put it bluntly, you may be addicted to certain unhealthy foods. In this case you may experience a type of withdrawal when you start eating healthier. This isn’t a bad thing, though it’s uncomfortable.
Youthful Complexion – Detox diets are good for your whole body, including your skin and hair. This makes them great for giving you a younger and healthier appearance. This isn’t to say that you can start a detox diet on Monday and look 20 years younger by Friday. If you stick with the diet for a while, this might happen though!
Emotional Benefits – When toxins are removed from your body, you feel better mentally and emotionally as well as physically. Unhealthy foods such as sweets and other junk foods tend to wreak havoc with your blood sugar and brain chemistry. So when you detoxify, you are less prone to mood swings and depression.
We aren’t saying that a detox diet is the cure for a serious emotional disorder such as clinical depression. It can, however, help balance out your emotions.
These are just some of the potential benefits of a detox diet. Before you go on one, however, you should do a little research. You want to find a program that’s right for you. Just because it has words like “detox” or “cleanse” in it doesn’t mean it’s great.
Fasting and Detoxing
There are different types of detox diet plans. Some are very short term, such as various types of fasts. These can help you cleanse your body every so often, but you should be careful if you’re not accustomed to fasting.
Start out with a short fast of no more than 2 or 3 days. Make sure you’re drinking plenty of fluids and not doing anything too strenuous. A juice fast is good for this, because you’re getting some healthy nutrients and not starving yourself.
You should not try to use fasting as part of a weight loss strategy. You will probably lose weight after fasting, but then you will gain it back again when you return to your normal diet. The objective of a fast is to clean out your body; the temporary loss of weight is only a byproduct of this.