Although they remain the subject of some debate in the medical community, natural detox diet plans may help you improve your overall health and clear up chronic health problems by allowing you to naturally rid your body of toxins that have accumulated. However, scientific evidence supporting the benefits of detox diet plans is limited. Consult a medical professional before making drastic changes to your diet, especially if you are currently taking any medications.
Purpose
Advocates of detox diet plans state that chemicals used in food additives, pesticides, preservatives, prescription drugs, cleaning products and industrial toxins can accumulate in your body, triggering the growth of cancerous cells or other health problems. Although our bodies were designed to naturally neutralize and eliminate such toxins, our current toxic load may be too much for our bodies to naturally process on their own. Concentrated periods of detoxification may help your body's natural detoxification system work more effectively, writes Patricia Fitzgerald, certified nutritionist and doctor of homeopathic medicine.
Duration and Benefits
Detox diets may last from a period of a few days to several weeks. However, Fitzgerald cautions that short-term detox diets can provide only temporary results against the onslaught of environmental and dietary toxins. Keeping your detoxification system functioning optimally requires an ongoing commitment to reducing your exposure to toxins and maximizing your nutrient intake. However, a three-week program such as Dr. Alejandro Junger's "Clean" diet, or a seven-day program as recommended by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, may yield significant results such as relief from chronic fatigue, muscle aches, headaches, digestive disorders, anxiety or depression, sinus congestion and excess weight.
Allowed Foods
A safe and effective detox diet should provide your body with the nutrients necessary to restore proper function to your digestive and detoxification systems, writes Junger. Natural detox diet plans typically recommend consuming a plant-based diet. Most fruits and vegetables are allowed. Junger recommends consuming raw, organic produce as much as possible. His Clean program uses fresh smoothies, soups, juices and salads that are all easy to digest and reduce the burden on your digestive system. The Gerson diet, a therapy used to treat and prevent various diseases, is based on the regular consumption of freshly made fruit and vegetable juices.
Prohibited Foods
The list of prohibited foods varies for different natural detox diet plans. While the Gerson diet allows no meat and limits protein, Junger's Clean diet allows some forms of lean protein, including chicken, turkey and cold-water fish. However, he recommends using organic, hormone-free meat. Most detox plan creators agree that processed foods should be eliminated, as well as dairy, wheat, refined sugar, alcohol and coffee.
Liver Support
A key component in any detox plan is providing support to the liver so that it can effectively neutralize and eliminate toxins. Once toxins are released from your cells, they re-enter the bloodstream and may continue to cause damage if not effectively processed by the liver, writes Junger. His program includes daily fiber supplementation and herbal laxatives if necessary to help remove waste from the body. The Gerson diet takes a more aggressive approach toward liver support through the regular use of coffee enemas. According to Charlotte Gerson and Dr. Morton Walker, authors of "The Gerson Therapy," coffee enemas stimulate liver function and bile production to help remove free radicals from the body.
References
- "The Gerson Therapy"; Charlotte Gerson and Morton Walker, D.P.M; 2001
- Frank Lipman MD: Detox Demystified
- "Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself"; Alejandro Junger, M.D.; 2009
- University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health: A Seven-Day Program to Aid Digestion, Elimination, Detoxification and Cleansing
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