Flushing your colon, a controversial practice, may rid your body of toxins and unwanted pounds. Practitioners say colon cleanses promote health and weight loss, while detractors say your body doesn't need the extra help to remove wastes and that weight loss due to flushes will be temporary, according to "The New York Times." Drinking green tea while undergoing a cleanse may boost your immune system and help you lose additional weight.
Master Cleanse
During the 1940s, Stanley Burroughs introduced Californians to colon cleanse, which he said would help cure ulcers and other digestive ills. He prescribed a 10-plus day liquid diet of water, lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. His book, "The Master Cleanser," published in the 1970s, claimed the diet could also help remove pesticides and food preservatives from your body. The book proved popular among alternative health followers and has resurfaced as a quick weight loss system under names such as Master Cleanse, Lemonade Diet and Lemon Water Diet. Burroughs's colon flush requires at-home preparation.
Detoxification and Weight Loss
Websites -- Master Cleanse and Lemon Water Diet -- suggest you can lose 20 pounds if you drink Burroughs's lemonade plus a salt water drink in the morning and an herbal laxative tea in the evening with no food for up to 21 days. The Master Cleanse website cites Beyonce's experience of losing 20 pounds in two weeks while preparing for her role in "Dream Girls." The sites do not mention that Beyonce regained the weight she lost on the Master Cleanse and now follows a calorie-restricted diet during the week and eat what she wants on the weekends, according to an article in the "Sunday Telegraph."
Green Tea Antioxidants
While a colon flush rids your body of waste, green tea adds antioxidants. Green tea provides an abundance of catechins, believed helpful in boosting metabolism and burning fat. Researcher Kevin Maki found that men who drank green tea lost nearly twice as much weight -- and substantially more fat around their middles -- than men who drank black tea. The green tea drinkers consumed about 660 milligrams of catechins during the 12-week study, and the black tea drinkers consumed 22 milligrams of catechins daily, according to the study published in February 2009 in the "Journal of Nutrition."
Other Benefits
The antioxidants in green tea may also protect you against heart disease and some forms of cancer, protecting against heart disease and treating some forms of cancer. A study published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" in September 2006 found that people who drank at least five cups of green tea daily reduced their risk of heart disease by 25 percent. The study, led by Shinichi Kuriyama, followed the health of 40,000 people in Japan. The Mayo Clinic reports that the first phase of clinical trials conducted by the institution shows promise in treating an incurable form of leukemia.
Get the Most Out of Green Tea
Green tea brewed from loose leaves contain more catechins than bottled tea or tea brewed from bags. A cup of strong brewed tea contains 127 milligrams of catechins, green tea brewed from bags contains between 14 and 100 milligrams and bottled green tea contains 12 milligrams of catechins, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Catechins are also in other beverages, including black tea and wine, and in foods such as blueberries, dark chocolate and blackberries.
References
- "The New York Times"; I Heard it Through the Diet Grapevine; Lola Ogunnaike; Dec. 10 2006
- The Master Cleanse
- Lemon Water Diet
- "Sunday Telegraph"; Celebrity Diet Dangers; Liz Walsh; July 25 2010 Sunday
- Amazing Green Tea: EGCG, Catechins and Polyphenols
- Mayo Clinic: Green Tea Extract Shows Promise in Leukemia Trials
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