| Health Risks Of Cleansing Diets |
| Written by James Black | |
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While cleansing diets can provide rapid weight loss and other health benefits, they can also be risky for some dieters. Understanding how cleansing diets work, what you're missing when you're on a cleansing diets and details about your individual health is important to deciding whether a cleansing diet is right for you. In a cleansing diet, there's usually a period of fasting followed by another period in which you abstain from most foods, consuming only raw vegetables and fruits or liquid concoctions. The diet may also be complemented by a regimen of laxatives or enemas. The object of the diet is to lose weight and to purge the body of toxins that accumulate in the body through everyday exposure to fertilizers, pesticides and other harmful substances present in our food and environment.Cleansing diets derive from ancient Greek and Egyptian medical theories that food consumed can create toxins that impair the body's optimal functioning and contribute to obesity. Advocates of cleansing diets believe that the body's natural elimination system doesn't purge enough of these toxins, and that they accumulate in the lymph, digestive and gastrointestinal systems. One of the more popular cleansing diets include the Master Cleanse diet, which allows dieters only to consume six to 12 glasses a day of a mixture of lemon juice, maple syrup, water, and cayenne pepper. Other cleansing diets are more lenient, and ask only that dieters consume large amounts of water or fruit and vegetable juice with meals. Cleansing diets are a very controversial subject in the mainstream medical community, as there is little scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of cleansing diet, or the existence of or need to eliminate toxins described by cleansing diet advocates. Many argue that the body already has a more than sufficient ability to purge itself of waste via the liver, kidneys, lungs and other organs of elimination, thus making a detoxification or cleansing program unnecessary. Toxin build-up symptomsSupporters of cleansing diets say that a build up of toxins can cause several adverse health conditions, such as:
Potential side effects of detox dietsMainstream medical professionals have identified a number of potential side effects and negative impacts that can result from a cleansing or detox diet. People thinking about using a detox diet should carefully consider these potential problems before committing to a cleansing diet.Fluid loss -- When you use a cleansing diet, much of the weight loss you experience can be attributed to loss of muscle and fluid. If you lose a lot of fluids, you can become dehydrated and experience other symptoms such as mood swings, irritability, electrolyte imbalance and fatigue. In some extreme cases, this can contribute to cardiac arrest. Nutritional deficits -- When you fast and then abstain from most foods, you're missing out on much-needed nutrients and essential vitamins and minerals. This can have a number of impacts, including weakening your body's ability to fight off inflammation and infection. Metabolic slowdown -- When you severely restrict calories by skipping meals, you can actually make it harder to lose weight and keep it off because your metabolism also slows down to compensate for not receiving enough calories to perform everyday functions. Also, your body begins to cannibalize muscle for energy. Weight regain: Oftentimes, folks on a cleansing diet regain weight after resuming normal eating habits. And because your metabolism has slowed, you may end up regaining more weight than you lost. While the downsides of cleansing diets may seem off-putting, it's important to note that many people, including celebrities, have successfully used cleansing diets to rid themselves of excess weight. Whether a cleansing diet is right for you depends upon the diet you're embarking on, your own personal health and your ability to adopt healthier eating and lifestyle habits after you finish the diet. Some people with health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, increased risk for stroke, or women who are pregnant or nursing should avoid cleansing diets. Before starting a cleansing diet, you may want to undergo a full physical to determine whether you have any health problems that would put you a risk for serious illness if you started a cleansing diet. If you're medically cleared, and believe that it can be effective, then try a cleansing or detoxification diet. |
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