There are a lot of detoxing diets around as well as items or foods that claim to “detox” the body. Detoxification is designed to rid the body of unnatural chemicals and pollutants that are said to damage the liver, damage the kidneys, and help you lose weight.
Unfortunately, if detoxification were really all that helpful, everyone would be doing it.
Doing detoxification the wrong way can be damaging to your health. Before you get out the juicer and gather a bunch of healthy vegetables to eat at your next meal, you should really think about these myths and facts about body cleansing and body detoxification.
- Detox Myth #1: Detoxification is the quickest way to lose weight. The truth is that while detoxes actually do help you lose the weight very quickly, most of the weight lost is body water and the weight will come right back on as soon as you stop doing it.
Detox can also help you lose stool through diarrhea and that will cause your weight to drop fast but as soon as you eat, the stool will build up again. You can lose only so much weight when participating in a cleanse diet. It is much better to lose weight the conventional way—through eating a low calorie diet and exercising in order to lose the pounds. It is much easier to stick to a diet this way as well.
- Detox Myth #2: Detox diets are better for you than a diet consisting of exercise and eating a fewer number of calories. While a diet claiming to be a detox diet is able to get rid of a few toxins from the body, it won’t help you lose a lasting amount of weight. It is much safer to eat healthy unprocessed foods and get to the gym for some exercise.
- Detox Myth #3: You don’t have to exercise with a detox diet. While it is possible to lose weight with a detox diet without exercise, you are losing muscle mass by engaging in a detox diet and avoiding exercise. If you want to gain or tone muscles, going to the gym or exercising at home or outdoors is the best way to keep those muscles healthy.
- Detox myth #4: You need to take it many strange juices and avoid eating food when detoxing. There are many healthy foods that will cleanse your system without needing to take in only expensive juices or eating so little food that you quit eating solids. Instead of juicing your way through a detox diet, you should eat a lot of sesame seeds, leafy green vegetables, and lemons (in a recipe or as the juice).
Green tea is another inexpensive thing to add to your diet that will clean your body out without starving yourself; it is a natural detoxification drink for those who really want to detox but don’t want to buy a juicer and juice up veggies and fruits.
- Detox Myth #5: Drinking an excessive amount of water will detoxify the body. This is a myth that has some partial truth to it. Water does help the kidneys and liver function better but if you drink too much of it, it can be dangerous to your body.Too much water can negatively affect the electrolytes of the body and can cause your kidneys to work overtime trying to get rid of the excessive amount of water you are trying to take in as part of a detox diet. Drink plenty of water while dieting but don’t go overboard.
- Detox myth #6. You only have to go to the sauna to detoxify the body. While saunas are an excellent way to get rid of toxins after working out at the gym, this isn’t a way to have longstanding detoxification. If you spend too much time lounging in a sauna, it is just too easy to become dehydrated. In addition, trying to use sweat to get rid of your toxins, you can block your ability to detoxify your body over a period of time.
While many people take on these types of detox diets with the best of intentions, you need to know that it is possible for them to be dangerous to your body if you don’t do them right.
Start your healthy diet and exercise plan the right way, by lowering your caloric content, continuing to eat healthy foods in moderation, and exercising hard at the gym or in your home (or outside) in order to keep your muscle mass up or to tone your muscles as you help your body lose weight.