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Detox Hype?

Many weight loss plans promote a detox period early on to cleanse your body from toxins and chemicals and get you primed for losing weight. But are they safe and do they really work? That’s what CBS’s “The Early Show” set out to examine. And as with many diet plans, there are good parts and bad parts and they are not for everyone.
 
Whether you try the Master Cleanse, an all-fruit diet or the Martha’s Vineyard detox diet, the key is be safe. Many of these diets cause you to lose weight too quickly, and they often don’t include the nutrients that you need for your body to function. These diets also starve your body and can cause headaches and nausea. However, many people do report feeling lighter, happier, energized and healthier in the short term with these diets so there may be something to eliminating things from your diet.
 
The best detox diets are ones that still allow you to eat a relatively normal diet. Cutting out a certain item for a period of time, like alcohol, coffee, meat, dairy, etc., is a better means of detoxing your body than cutting out entire food groups altogether.
 
Have you tried a detox diet? What was your experience like? [Cbsnews.com]

Posted: 4/24/08
Bikiniskigirl

I stopped drinking alcohol & caffeine for the month of January. The caffeine wasn't a big change since I didn't consume much to begin with. It was not drinking alcohol that was a *big* change. I love to cook for my boyfriend & a great bottle of wine with dinner was a daily ritual with us, often another one after dinner too. I honestly wondered how I could not drink all month but I did it.

I was expecting this great boost of energy, but just the opposite happened. I felt lethargic & even slightly ill, flu-ish. Friends said that was the toxins leaving my system.
I made "detox concoctions" such as ginger-lemon tea & cucumber water. We ate lots of fruits & vegetables; living foods, not processed.

February came & we with treated ourselves to an evening out. We had a couple cocktails & an appetizer (seared ahi), went to a movie, drank wine when we got home. The next day I felt poisoned. Not hungover, but truly as if I had consumed something toxic. It was then I realized that a month of not drinking made a big difference in my body chemistry.

I have decided to make drinking alcohol the exception rather than the rule. It's certainly a lot cheaper to go without. Although I didn't realize it while it was happening, the first 30 days without alcohol made quite a difference to my body.

Caroline

I went on a sort of "detox" diet when I stopped eating meat about a year ago. I would agree with the article that after going on the diet I felt lighter and more energized. There is a sense of empowerment that comes with self restraint and discipline. The effect has worn off since, but I still feel healthier than I was before.

Although, as a side note, it is a common misconception that vegetarians are naturally healthier. People forget that pizza, cake, ice cream, and many other junk foods have absolutely no meat in them. Even as a vegetarian it is sometimes difficult to eat vegetables all the time when there are so many carb options out there.