Be aware: this is only the goal of this diet, not necessarily its outcome. Results vary from person to person. Consult your doctor or dietician before starting this (or any other) diet.
A detox diet focuses on removing toxins from the body.
There are many different detox diets, that have different strategies to achieve a detox. Notably, there doesn’t seem to be a scientific basis for detoxification and its biological effect.
On the homepage you can compare the detox diet with other diets.
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Typical goals of detox diets are:
Be aware: this is only the goal of this diet, not necessarily it’s outcome. Results vary from person to per person. Consult your doctor or dietician before starting this (or any other) diet.
A detox diet is followed to remove toxins from the body, but what kind of toxins are we talking about exactly?
Frequently mentioned substances are: heavy metals, pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). These substances are claimed to be present in processed food.
The theory, as presented in 'The Detox Diet' by Paula Baillie-Hamilton, is that these toxins are stored in body fat. This would make it more difficult to burn this body fat.
The variety in detox diets is big. Some are very strict and include, for example, a period of fasting or eating very restrictively for days, while others include small adjustments to your regular diet. Often a detox is a (small) part of another diet.
In the world of detox diets, there are at least six different methods for 'detoxifying' the body. Below we discuss six different methods that are used with examples of one or more diets that use the method. Notably, sometimes these methods are combined in a detox diet.
A detox often involves the consumption of (organic) fruits and/or vegetables. Often in the form of a juice or smoothie, but sometimes raw.
By eating fruits and/or vegetables only, your body is supposed to detoxify. How this happens exactly is not entirely clear.
Examples of detox diets that use this method are the Fruit diet, the E-power programme, the Lemon diet and the Watermelon diet.
The proposition in a detox diet is that many (processed) products contain substances that are harmful to your body. These are often called toxins.
Method 2-type detox diets use an elimination diet strategy. Products that are claimed to contain toxins or allergens are eliminated from the diet
Examples of such detox diets are the Viva Mayr diet and the Maker's diet.
Sometimes the eliminated products are reintroduced into the diet. This happens with the Restart diet and the Inside out diet.
Intermittent fasting is a typical part of a detox diet. Often the diet includes a period of full or partial fasting.
Examples of such diets are the Brain Body diet, the Viva Mayr diet and some versions of the Lemon diet.
Some detox diets sell products of which is claimed they detox the body.
In some diets, all products are claimed to detox the body, like in the Body reset diet. Other diets have some products that are labelled 'detox', like NewFysic, the Dr. Ming tea diet and the FormaFast diet.
The fifth method is to use food supplements or herbs. Notably, supplements are processed products. Method 5-type detox diets hence (partly) deviate from the advice to not use processed products.
Examples of detox diets that use food supplements and/or herbs are the Orthomolecular diet, the Restart diet and the Brain Body diet.
Some detox diets recommend the use of laxatives or colonics. Laxatives here include products with a laxative effect, like different types of detox tea.
When following a detox diet, alcohol, coffee and drinks with (refined) sugars are usually prohibited. Instead, you mainly drink water, tea or fruit/vegetable juices.
A detox diet is sometimes called a cleanse diet. Usually the term 'cleanse' is used as a synonym for detox.
In a detox diet it can be advised to use (too) much of a product. You can think of food supplements, products with a laxative effect, but also of water.
Taking too much of a product has the risk of overdosing, which can be very dangerous. Hence, you should never just start a detox diet by yourself. Consult a doctor or a dietician first.
Losing weight is not necessarily a goal of a detox diet, but it is often part of it. Depending on the variant, you can either lose weight slowly or you can lose it quickly, for instance by using the crash diet method.
Some detox diets are crash diets. Crash diets are diets in which you consume a (very) low amount of calories per day to lose weight. Detox crash diets can be found by using the filters on the homepage as in the picture below.
Examples of detox crash diets are the Lemon diet and the Watermelon diet.
Consult your doctor or dietician before starting this (or any) diet.
There are many books published about detox diets. We've listed a selection of ad links from Amazon, Apple and Ebooks of such books for you:
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As you see fit
With the professional help of a dietitian it should be easier to reach your goals. Please contact a dietician in your area or talk to a doctor before starting any diet.
Please take note that most diets do not have a scientific basis.
Consult your doctor or dietician before starting a diet, especially if you have a chronic condition like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, lung disease or kidney disease.
If you think you might have an eating disorder (like anorexia or bulimia), it is important to look for professional help. Contact your (house) doctor or find help elsewhere. Here you can find a list of several websites that can provide (online) help. These sites also provide information for people that know someone with an eating disorder.