For example, maybe yourecutting out sugar entirely for ten days.
Thats unnecessary, but some people find it a helpful step toward lowering their overall sugar intake.
The more old-school style of cleanses take this a step further.
Theyre typically used interchangeably and have the same basic goals: to remove harmful things from your body.
These supposed toxins are rarely described by cleansers in detail, but generally referred to as poisons or pollutants.
If this is not sufficient to clean out the intestinal tract, he advises a salt-water wash.
These stops are necessary to remove the toxins loosened by the lemon juice cleanse.
Sounds gross, right?
The hyperbole goes on from there, but you get the idea.
Thats where the benefits are claimed to lie, but they may actually lie elsewhere.
Water is stored in your muscles withglycogen.
Youll gain that water weight right back when you return to your normal diet.
Youre also missing out on all those other vital nutrients like fat, fiber, and protein.
Most importantly, a juice cleanse doesnt do anything that your body doesnt already do on its own.
DietitianAndy Bellattireminds us that our bodies are already pretty good at removing toxins.
No, but it is also unnecessary.
Our bodies remove toxins on a daily basis thanks to the kidneys, lungs, and liver.
The whole point of going to the bathroom is to flush out toxins!
While most of these cleanses and detoxes arent dangerous, they can cause some problems.
The good news about depriving yourself is that it takes months to get anyserious vitamin deficiencies.
As for the claims of eliminating toxins, most commercial detoxes dont list what a toxin is.
And even when they do, they dont give an evidence that they work.
If they did, we could test the effectiveness of their claims.
That doesnt mean you cant do other things to get your health back on track.
That, however, should not be confused with a cleanse.
But he does add:
Nutrition and health is about the big picture.
What you do for five or seven days out of the year is pretty inconsequential.
Think leafy greens, beans, whole fruit, nuts, and seeds.
Intermittent fasting may be a viable option for those otherwise looking at specific cleanse diets.
You basically limit eating to a few hours a day (typically around 8).
That is a simple and sustainable way of eating, and doesnt involve buying cleanse products.
Health and nutrition might seem like a confusing mess, but ahealthy dietis really all you need.
Not a gimmick, not a week long cleanse, not a detox.
Youll need afull reboot of your diet.
This article was originally published in 2014 and updated on 1/8/2020 with the most current information.
