The purpose of a detox diet is to eat unprocessed foods --- in other words, foods that appear in a natural state --- in order to clean out what detox advocates say are toxins and poisons from your body. Juices are used to support the functions of the colon, liver, kidneys and lymphatic system, flushing contaminants out of your system, which will ultimately improve your health.
Function
Fruits and vegetables are used because of their origins as healthy plant foods. They are believed by the proponents of a detox diet to help the body to remove unhealthy substances. Before you start a detox diet, however, you should be aware of the skepticism about the need for detox diets among medical professionals such as Professor Alan Boobis, a toxicologist from the Division of Medicine in the Imperial College London, who says, "The body's own detoxification systems are [already] remarkably sophisticated and versatile."
Features
There are several types of juice detox diets, including the Jump Start Juicer System, which was created by Brendan McCarthy, a health and fitness expert and television personality. Many of these diets are designed to last a week, after which time a normal -- though still healthy -- diet will resume.
Significance
For the entirety of the seven-day program, dieters are expected to consume only fresh juices from fruits and vegetables. Very little energy expenditure is needed to digest and absorb the nutrients from the juice, so the diet provides additional energy that can be used to heal chronic health problems. It can also double as a weight loss diet, allowing the body to release excess fat. However, long-term weight loss is still dependent upon your ability to eat healthy foods after the detox diet is over.
Nutrients
Fruits and vegetables contain numerous nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid, iron and potassium. However, a seven-day juice plan is not intended to replace a healthy balanced diet, because it lacks many nutrients such as protein and vitamin B12 that are needed in the long run. In addition, the removal of fiber from juice robs the body of a natural cleansing agent that improves the bulk of the stool. However, the lack of fiber also improves the efficacy and speed with which the intestines absorb important nutrients. For example, according to the Living Foods website, if you eat a carrot, fiber and all, you get only 1 percent of the beta carotene it contains, but if you make juice out of that carrot, your body can assimilate nearly 100 percent of its beta carotene.
Meals
A sample meal plan might look like this: watermelon juice for breakfast; peach, carrot and ginger juice for a morning snack; watermelon, cucumber, beet and parsley juice for lunch; apple, carrot, cucumber and mint juice for an afternoon snack; and tomato, carrot, cucumber and parsley juice for dinner. Each meal should be varied and unique.
Member Comments