What Will A 10-day Fluid Diet & Colon Cleanse Do?

A short-term fluid diet may clear your gastrointestinal tract and hydrate your body as you recover from a medical procedure or undergo detoxification. Colon cleanses can help you excrete intestinal waste prior to a colonoscopy or surgery or during detoxification programs. However, 10-day fluid diets and detoxification programs are unconventional, controversial and may not be safe. Consult your doctor about what a 10-day fluid diet and colon cleanse will do.

Fluid Diet

A fluid diet is designed for patients who cannot chew, swallow or digest solid foods. The diet includes clear liquids, water, bouillon, broths, tea, coffee, milk and milk products such as milk shakes, yogurt, ice cream and pudding. However, the diet does not include solid foods and emphasizes products that you can easily digest without leaving any undigested substances in your gastrointestinal tract. People who are undergoing a body detoxification program with colon cleansing may include a fluid diet that involves nourishment from fruit and vegetable juices. However, as of July 2011 there are no clinical studies that demonstrate effectiveness or safety of detoxification programs, especially a program that includes a 10-day fluid diet with colon cleanses.

Types of Colon Cleanses

Enemas, colonics and supplements are three common ways you can cleanse your colon. Enemas fill your rectum and lower colon with water and cleanse waste from the area. Colonics pump water deep into your colon, reaching the upper large intestine and suck the water, waste and toxins from your body. Supplements include various nutrients, herbs, fiber and other substances that help your liver, digestive tract and kidneys detoxify. Colon cleansing is controversial with proponents agreeing it can irrigate your digestive tract and detoxify your body and opponents believing your intestines are sufficient at getting rid of toxic waste.

Claimed Benefits

Some claim a benefit of going on a 10-day fluid diet and colon cleanse is to detoxify your body from waste and toxins, particularly those that reside inside your colon. Many naturopathic and holistically inclined doctors may communicate anecdotal evidence that support claims for detoxification diets and colon cleanses. However, doctors in mainstream medicine may not support these programs, in part because there are no published clinical studies demonstrating results. Some practitioners also claim a 10-day fluid diet with colon cleanse can help you lose weight, but this is not the healthiest way to become thinner.

Risks

A 10-day fluid diet increases your health risks associated with insufficient calories and nutrients. A lack of adequate calories can lead to increased weight loss with potential loss of muscle mass. If you go on a 10-day fluid diet with colon cleanse with the objective to lose weight, you may incur weight regain when you eat solid foods again. Approximately one-third of people on weight loss diets regain weight after the diet is completed, according to research by scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and published in the "American Journal of Preventive Medicine" in July 2007.