Liquid diets are sometimes used for weight loss, health conditions or before or following medical procedures. They generally involve avoiding any solid foods and are only prescribed for short periods of time because they don't provide the full nutrition your body needs. But there are other problems, as well. You shouldn't undertake such a diet without your doctor's supervision.
Use
If you are going to undergo certain tests such as a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy, you'll need to follow a clear liquid diet for a few days before clearing out the digestive tract so the test can detect any potential polyps or tumors. People who are obese and need to have bariatric weight loss surgery may also be put on such a diet, and liquid diets have also been shown to help with the symptoms of Crohn's disease. Morbidly-obese people are often encouraged to go on physician-supervised liquid diets to achieve fast weight loss because obesity has been linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, respiratory problems, gallstones, insomnia and some cancers.
Features
Liquid diets come in various forms, such as clear-liquid or full-liquid diet for medical tests and procedures that restrict your caloric intake to mostly or all liquids. Liquid diets for weight loss may involve fluid only, such as juices or shakes you use to replace meals, or using such products to replace only a couple of meals followed by a normal, balanced dinner. Because you need to consume 3,500 calories less than you take in to lose 1 lb., most liquid diets have a very low calorie total of 400 to 800 daily and are usually high in protein and fiber and supplemented with vitamins.
Effects
Liquid diets are very effective for short-term weight loss, but since your metabolism slows to conserve energy, you'll just gain the weight back as soon as you return to your old diet, especially if you don't change your eating habits. A study published in the "American College Nutrition" in December 1994 investigated the effects of one particular diet, Slim Fast, and found that after the 12 weeks of dieting, men lost an average 18.6 lbs. while females lost 14 lbs. But after two years, only 22.8 percent weighed lower than their weight at 12 weeks, whereas others had dropped out of the program and regained their weight plus more.
Misconceptions
Many people undergo liquid diets believing claims it can "detox" your system including cell cleansing, skin revitalization, colon decontaminating and liver purging. In a 2005 issue of "Food Technology," Dr. Roger Clemens, professor of molecular pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Southern California, and endocrinologist Dr. Peter Pressman reported that any claims suggesting elimination of noxious agents is enhanced because of a detox diet are unsubstantiated and run counter to human physiology and biochemistry, providing only empty promises.
Warning
If you use a liquid diet as your sole source of nutrition, it's like playing Russian roulette, according to Joan Horbiak, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. Patients in liquid-diet programs occasionally suffer side effects, including fatigue, constipation, dizziness, muscle cramps, anemia, menstrual abnormalities, constipation, gall stones and hair loss. If you're only mildly obese, you may lose too much lean body mass and increase your chance of cardiac dysfunctions. Also, the high protein content in the liquid diets can cause an electrolyte imbalance resulting in irregular heartbeats.
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