Detox diets

Sounds spiritual! Doesn't it?

Well,
the detox diet is not like
the middle path popularised by Lord Buddha.

It is just yet another weight loss programme.
Endorsed by celebrities and naturally worshipped
by their fan following,
detox diets are getting popular.

The basic principle behind the diet is literally
"to detox" the body.
This means that
we prevent toxins from entering our body
and flush out those already present.

If one wants to follow the detox diet,
you have to watch the food
you eat and supplement this diet
with herbal medicines.
Besides,
there are a number
of detox methods available.

They range from the mild and pleasurable like
saunas, massages and body brushing
to the extreme and unpleasant ones
such as colonic cleansing,
bowel enemas and fasting.
Herbal supplements like
milk, thistle, detox drinks and 'liver' tonics
are often recommended.

The idea is to
purify and purge your body
of all the "bad" stuff.
Although,
the diets vary,
most involve some version
of a fast that is giving up food
for a couple of days.
After which,
you gradually reintroduce
certain foods into your diet.

Many of these diets
also encourage you to undergo colonic cleansing,
otherwise known as an enema
(an enema flushes out your rectum
and colon using water).

Foods,
which are usually permitted,
are fruit, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds,
herbal teas and massive amounts of water.
Wheat, dairy, meat, fish, eggs, caffeine, alcohol,
salt, sugar and processed foods are banned.

Typically,
you are on a completely liquid diet
for one or two days and for the next four to five days,
you add brown rice,
fruit and steamed vegetables
(all organic) to the diet.

After a week of eating just these foods,
you gradually reintroduce other foods
- except for red meat, wheat, sugar, eggs and
all pre-packaged or junk foods - into your diet.

Can you lose weight?

One of the main reasons
people follow a detox diet is to lose weight.
The amount of weight expected
to lose will vary according to the severity
of the dietary restriction -
the more foods that are banned,
the more weight is lost.
It's as simple as that.