What Is A Detox Diet?
A detox diet is a diet where the individual makes a complete change in their consumption habits so that the body gets detoxified by removing toxins and contaminants. With a detox diet, it is possible to improve health, energy, digestion, mental state, your resistance to disease and even experience weight loss.
The modifications that you have to make in detox diet includes fasting with juice fasting and water fasting, increasing the consumption of fish like salmon, restriction in calorie intake and using a herbal detox or master cleanse called the lemonade diet. Most important, a detox diet calls for more of fruits and vegetables in one’s food intake, limitations in processed food and the elimination of alcohol and smoking.
The main reason people go on a detox diet is because a human body ingests lots of water, food and air in a day. It is very possible that fat soluble chemicals existing in them get deposited in the cells of the body. With a poor diet, the human body cannot detoxify these chemicals and this leads to a further build up of toxic waste in the body which in turn leads to illnesses, hormonal imbalance, nutritional deficiencies and a weak metabolism.
Once you go on a detox diet, you tend to experience improved energy, have regular bowel movements, find an increase in concentration and clarity in life, improvement in your digestion and clearer skin. However before you go on a detox diet, it is better that you consult with your doctor to see if the detox diet is appropriate for you. Nursing women, children and pregnant women should never go on a detox diet. People with anemia, kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, cancer, low blood pressure and with additions to drugs and alcohol should not go on a detox diet unless advised by the doctor.
Like all good things in life, a detox diet too has its side effects of which the most common one is a headache that starts within a few days of the start of the detox diet. This is often due to the sudden quitting of caffeine. This is why practitioners often suggest a gradual stopping of caffeine instead of a sudden stop. In fact, some people take time off for a detox diet or start it on Friday night to last the weekend.
Some people go through a bout of diarrhea because of dehydration and a loss of electrolyte while there are some people who increase their fiber intake, but don’t drink sufficient water. This in turn leads to constipation. Prolonged use of a detox diet can lead to a deficiency of nutrients, especially proteins and calcium as some detox diets omit animal products.
Other side effects of the detox diet include acne, weight loss, hunger, irritability and tiredness. If you find any worsening of these symptoms when on a detox diet, it is advised to visit a qualified health professional immediately. You never know if these symptoms had arisen because of the detox diet or because of some other underlying cause as the symptoms of some diseases like cancer similar to the side effects of a detox diet.
SUMMARY:
Detox diets are very helpful in ridding the body of all the chemical and toxic waste that enters the body through the water, food and air that you use everyday. The benefits of a detox diet will be realized only by those who have done a detox diet.
http://www.letsdetox.com is an informative site relating to detoxing,cleansing and weight loss.
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Tags: Clearer Skin, detox diet, Nutritional Deficiencies, Lemonade Diet, Nursing Women, Herbal Detox, Life Improvement, Consumption Habits, Poor DietIntroduction To Body Detox
Detox, or detoxification is the process of neutralizing or eliminating toxins from the body.
Toxins are chemicals that we take into our bodies such as oral contraceptives, perfume and after shave, cigarette smoke and alcohol, food additives, pesticides, cleaning agents and Mercury. Our bodies naturally detoxify these chemicals and excrete them via our stools or urine.
So why the need to aid detoxification?
Experts believe that the sheer amount of toxins that we take into our bodies every day via water food and the environment can accumulate. The build up of toxins can be so great that our bodies cannot detoxify efficiently which can lead to nutritional deficiencies, an inefficient metabolism and hormonal imbalances.
Symptoms can be lethargy, dull skin, allergies and occasionally pain. Over time, toxic build up is believed to lead to disease.
A detox diet, using herbs and supplements or a special diet, is believed to help strengthen the organs used for detoxification and promote the excretion of stored toxins through the skin, liver, lungs, kidneys, intestines and lymphatic system.
Detox diets are thought to prevent chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. People using detox diets report that it relieves symptoms such as lethargy and fatigue, joint pain and headaches, pmt and irritability, constipation and gas and also improves their skin.
Toxicity symptoms can be similar to other illnesses so before you embark on a detox diet it is best to discuss your symptoms with your health care provider.
Whilst you are on a detox diet, it is quite normal for your symptoms to get worse for a short period, for instance you may experience more headaches and other pains and drier or oilier skin, and this is due to the toxins all passing through your body in large quantities. Generally these symptoms pass within a few days.
Lucy Bartlett is a proud contributing author. Find more articles here. For more info visit Detox or Detox Diets
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