Body Detox Diet Plans

The proponents of body detox diet plans claim that dehydration, processed foods and stress can cause toxins to build up in your body, causing you to experience symptoms such as nausea, acne, headaches and tiredness, explains the United Healthcare Student Resource. Body detox diet plans may help remove the systemic buildup of toxins from the body.

Description

Body detox diet plans vary greatly. The typical body detox diet plan requires you to consume nothing but liquids for the first day or two, then slowly add brown rice, steamed vegetables, and fruit back into your diet over the course of the next four to five days, according to the website Kids Health. Some body detox diet plans encourage you to clean out your colon using colonic irrigation, or enemas. Others may even require you to take herbal supplements.

Side Effects

Body detox diet plans can cause your body to react in unpredictable ways. They often cause the nausea, headaches or acne to worsen before they get better. The lack of nutrients in these diet plans can lead to electrolyte imbalances, nutrient deficiencies and fatigue, advises registered dietitian Keri Glassman on the CBS "Early Show." Using enemas and laxatives can cause dehydration and dangerously rapid weight loss. Glassman continues to explain that a body detox diet plan that greatly restricts calorie intake or requires regular use of colon cleansers can actually starve your body, causing serious health problems.

Scientific Evidence

Aside from removing specific toxins from the body, such as arsenic or lead, no scientific research has proven or disproven the effectiveness of body detox diet plans, according to Aurora Health Care. Their justification for use relies on reasonable concepts of toxin buildup in the body, not on scientific evidence. Aurora Health Care goes on to explain that the intestines can naturally remove substance buildup without the use of colon cleansing.

Considerations

If you choose to use a body detox diet plan, only use it for a short time frame, never more than a week, explains Dr. Michael Hall, a family physician for Dubois Regional Medical Center. He explains that some of these diet plans can be addicting because of the way they make your body feel. He goes on to state that fasting for long periods of time can cause the body to enter a starvation mode, which slows the metabolism and leads to weight gain after completing the diet. He emphasizes that no one with diabetes, hypoglycemia or an eating disorder should consider using body detox diet plans.

Natural Body Detox Diet

Gradually detox your body by eating a healthier diet. A balanced diet consists of lean protein, fiber, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy and plenty of water. Try to eliminate most of the caffeine, alcohol, saturated fats, trans fats, processed foods, excess sugar, excess animal protein and processed foods from your diet. When followed faithfully, this type of diet will allow your body to naturally remove toxins through the liver, kidneys, sweat and lungs, Hall explains.