There are many reasons to go on a liquid-only diet, from medical necessity to misguided attempts at weight loss. Liquid diets are used to prepare for surgery or diagnostic procedures and to ease certain gastrointestinal conditions. They are also necessary after minor surgery like wisdom tooth extraction and major surgery like jaw or palate reconstruction. Some weight loss regimens start with a liquid diet program to reduce body mass index by 10 to 15 percent -- the minimum needed to see health benefits. Maintaining a liquid diet can be a challenge, no matter why you are on one.
Clear Liquid Diet
Doctors often prescribe a clear liquid diet for patients who need to clean out their digestive systems before certain surgeries and diagnostic tests. People who are recovering from surgery may also follow this diet. A clear liquid diet, according to the National Cancer Institute, is exactly what it sounds like. You are allowed apple, grape and cranberry juices, vegetable broth, tea and coffee, water, and citrus juices if they are strained to remove the pulp. These diets rarely last for more than one or two days. The way to stay on one is to remind yourself of the reason behind it, and to remember that it is only for a short time.
Liquid Diet
A full-liquid diet is for people who haven't eaten solid food in a while, due to injury to the jaw or internal organs, illness or surgery; they may even have been on an all-liquid fad diet. A full-liquid diet is not necessarily low in calories, and it includes things like strained cream soups and creamy cereals like farina. Flavored gelatin is also allowed on a full-liquid diet. The trick to staying on this type of diet is to make sure you keep your calorie count up and to have as much variety among flavors as possible.
Liquid Weight-Loss Diet
Many doctors prescribe a very low-calorie diet for patients who are morbidly obese or in danger of becoming so. According to the University of Ohio Medical Center, a very low-calorie diet usually consists of 800 to 1,000 calories and is designed to achieve a weight loss of 40 to 50 lb. over 10 to 12 weeks. A very low-calorie diet can be a liquid-only diet or a mostly liquid diet that also features protein bars or other solid foods. Since dropping your body mass index by 10 to 15 percent is enough to start seeing health benefits as far as lower blood pressure and cholesterol, staying on a very low-calorie diet is a matter of knowing that you are doing something to extend and enrich your life. Talk to your physician if it gets too rough, and lean on loved ones for support. Also, remind yourself that it's only for a short time.
Juice Fast
Detoxing is enormously popular, according to a January 2009 article in "The New York Times." Sales of herbal detox-related products reached $27 million in 2008. One way to do a detox regimen is to stay on a liquid diet consisting of freshly squeezed organic fruit and vegetable juices. Your body is perfectly capable of flushing out toxins naturally through the liver and kidneys, according to Katherine Zeratsky at MayoClinic.com, though people do claim to feel more energetic and able to focus better both during and after a detox program. The secrets to staying on a juice fast are to keep it short, keep your calories up to between 1,200 and 1,500 a day, stay hydrated and rest.
Warning
Unless you are morbidly obese, restricting yourself to a liquid diet is not a safe or effective way to lose weight if you consume fewer than 1,200 calories per day for more than two to three days at a time. Aside from causing your body to slow its metabolism to conserve energy, no liquid diet can provide you with all the nutrients your body needs. Fiber is an essential part of a healthy diet, and so is variety. Doctors prescribe very low-calorie liquid diets that last longer than a few days for patients who are in imminent danger of a catastrophic health event like a heart attack or stroke -- not for people who think they need to lose 20 lb. in a month for a social event. If you are determined to go on a liquid diet to lose weight, do so under a doctor's supervision.
References
- University of Virginia Health System: High Calorie Liquid Diet
- UCLA Health System: Full Liquid Diet
- National Cancer Institute: Special Diets For Special Needs
- Ohio State University Medical Center: Non-Surgical Weight Loss
- The New York Times: Flush Those Toxins! Eh, Not So Fast; Abby Ellin; January 2009
- MayoClinic.com: Detox Diets: Do They Work?
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