Dozens of different detox diet plans are offered by nutritionists, homeopaths and MDs, with the intention of helping you to clean your system of toxins accrued through exposure to pesticides, chemicals, processed food and pollution. A detox diet may last anywhere from one day to several weeks, and can range from water or juice cleanses to diets that include specific whole foods and forbid others. Cleanses lasting four weeks claim to be more effective at completely ridding your system of the impurities that cause fatigue, digestive ills, skin conditions and general malaise. Some well-known detox diets, like the "4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan" and the "Inside Out Diet," promise renewed health, weight loss and overall well-being.
Features
Four-week detox diets permit whole foods but emphasize certain nutrients to maximize the abilities of the body's natural detoxifying systems. The "4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan," created by holistic nutritionist Michelle Schoffro Cook, breaks detoxification down by various organs and body systems. Phase one focuses on the kidneys and bowels, phase two the lymphatic system, phase three the liver and gall bladder and phase four the blood, lungs and skin. Although the diet's structure remains essentially the same for all four weeks, different herbal teas and foods are emphasized during each phase. The "Inside Out Diet," recommended as a four-week program (or longer), also provides deep detoxification through diet and helps you identify foods that react poorly with your system. In this diet, developed by Cathy Wong, ND, CNS, the first week is the most restrictive, and you gradually add more foods back over the course of weeks two through four.
Types of Food
Both diets forbid consumption of caffeine, alcohol, sugar, processed foods, fried foods and salt. Dairy, wheat and meat are also discouraged--and actually forbidden according to the "4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan" and week one of the "Inside Out Diet." In both diets, foods like vegetables, fruits and flaxseed play an important role daily.
Supplementation
The "Inside Out Diet" recommends several supplements, including essential fatty acids and a multivitamin, as part of the core plan. Wong, however, relies on the healing properties of food to bring about results. On the "4-Week Ultimate Body Detox" plan, the supplement Cellfood is to be consumed to help flush out toxins and eliminate fat stores. Cook also encourages you to take a multivitamin, psyllium husks (for fiber), digestive enzymes, acidophilus and a green food supplement daily. You could always choose to follow a whole-foods, four-week detox without additional supplementation.
Benefits
A four-week detox plan gives you enough to time to practice healthy habits, such as focusing on whole foods and including more fruits and vegetables in your diet. The plans also offer quite a bit of dietary variety---which exposes you to a number of vitamins, minerals and trace nutrients you may miss if you tend to regularly eat a diet high in processed foods. Cathy Wong claims that her diet helps eliminate unhealthy cravings, improves insulin and leptin sensitivity, restores hormone balances, improves metabolism, and cleans the liver and colon---thus improving digestion. Both programs suggest that weight---specifically fat---loss will occur. Promises about weight loss, however, are not extreme or unrealistic, given that both diets are relatively low in calories.
Expert Insight
Medical contributors to CNN note that the liver and other cleansing organs like kidneys and lymphatic system do a good job on their own and do not need the assistance of a specific diet. Other experts, such as CBS contributor Keri Glassman, RD, notes that there is some value in following a whole-foods detox diet that emphasizes fruits and vegetables. Such a diet can help you become more aware of the types and quality of food that you are putting into your body and may help you make better choices, even after the detox diet is complete.
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