When Skinny Becomes Deadly: The Dangers of Detox
Words by Katherine C. Eustaquio
Published in Action & Fitness Magazine September 2009 issue
If dieting is easy, everyone should be skinny by now. Unfortunately, it’s neither easy nor fast. Even the famous ones like the Atkins and Raw Food Diet won’t yield your desired results unless you think of them as a lifestyle change. With the abundance of instant everything—instant food, instant service, instant fame—dieters want to lose weight pronto. No calorie-counting, no switching to whole grains, and no lifestyle change.
This perception has completely changed the concept of detoxification, which is the act of eliminating harmful toxins from the body. Primarily, it is used to treat alcoholism or drug dependency but with its remarkable weight loss component, detox is made more popular as a speedy diet regimen than a medical treatment. And for people who have no patience for healthier food alternatives or exercise, a detox diet is their last resort to hitting two birds with one stone—getting rid of toxins and losing weight as you go.
In a nutshell, here are the main health claims of detox diets:
• Flushes out toxins and chemicals that harm the body
• Boosts your energy
• Clears the skin
• Promotes better digestion and regular bowel movement
• Intense weight loss
IZO CLEANSE
The company is dedicated to the “superior health transformation” of their clients, that’s why they developed these two main products:
Signature Juice Feast™ - an array of fresh and organic juices and teas packed with vitamins and minerals the body needs while you’re on detox.
iZO Superfood Cleanze – a low-calorie super powder rich in essential nutrients; designed for busy people who can mix it with their favorite juices and smoothies.
MASTER CLEANSE
Perhaps the most intense detox diet on the planet at present, it involves the consumption of fresh lemon juice mixed with maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water for 10 straight days. You think that’s easy? Here’s the catch: no solid foods can be taken for the entire duration of the diet.
LEMONAID 48-HOUR DETOX
It’s nothing but a lemonade diet made popular by David Kirsch, a Hollywood fitness trainer with an impressive line up of clients starting with Anne Hathaway and Heidi Klum. Dieters are to consume four glasses of the Lemonaid 48-Hour Detox juice, which is a mixture of lemon juice, cayenne pepper, grade B maple syrup, natural flavors, purified water, potassium sorbate, xanthum gum, and sodium benzoate, for two whole days without solid foods.
BLUE PRINT CLEANSE
It’s one of those complicated made-to-order drinks delivered to your doorstep everyday…when you live in NYC that is, otherwise, shipping can be a drag. Choose from a wide selection of specifically made fruit juices that will help restore your body to its naturally healthy state without the toxins and with weight loss only as a side effect. You can also decide on what type of cleanse you want to try—Renovation Cleanse, Foundation Cleanse, and Excavation Cleanse. BPC claims that some detox diets are too intense for most people; therefore, their products will give their clients the great benefits of detoxification without going to extremes measures.
BLESSED HERB’S COLON
This is a detox diet that will force you to go on sabbatical for 8 days. It cleanses your intestines using the two herbal formulas: the Digestive Stimulator is a capsule that guarantees three trips to the bathroom in a single day; while the Toxin Absorber is a powder that can be mixed with organic apple juice and is to be consumed at least five times a day. These herbal concoctions have very strong absorptive properties that give you a thorough cleansing.
THE DANGERS OF DETOX
A lot of detox diets claim to be 100% organic, vegan, raw, whole foods, and gluten-free, but how sure are you that they’re 100% safe too?
It’s amazing how far some people would go to fit into their skinny jeans. Take the Master Cleanse for instance. If you weigh 200lbs and is used to eating 3-4 full meals daily, one day into Master Cleanse might be the death of you.
Detox therapy continues to receive a lot of negative feedbacks and criticisms as more dieticians and nutritionists raise their concerns about the health risks these extreme measures post. Critics assert that the mechanics behind these wonder diets do not have scientific facts to back up their results and can very well be defined as “junk science.” These diets do deliver remarkable changes in terms of weight loss. However, the change is temporary and once the dieters resume their normal eating lifestyle, the weight will go back. Extreme food deprivation may even cause overeating that will eventually lead to obesity.
Reported side effects:
• Headache
• Excessive diarrhea
• Dehydration and loss of electrolytes
• Constipation as a result of fiber overdose
• Irritability
• Pangs of hunger
• Acne and skin break out
• Tiredness
• Nutrient deficiencies (particularly in calcium and protein)
• Muscle breakdown
• Blood sugar level becomes irregular
• Laxative dependency
According to Lona Sandon from the American Dietetic Association, prolonged detox diets may cause the breakdown of muscles because of nutrient deficiencies. As we all know, the body needs a steady intake of vitamins and minerals in order to function well, the sudden lack of these nutrients disrupts the body’s immune system, making you more susceptible to diseases.
WHO SHOULDN’T TRY IT
If you are really concerned about your health, you should consult your doctor before attempting to go on any detox diet. Health experts warn the following people from detox diets:
• Pregnant women
• New moms
• Children
People with:
• Diabetes
• Anemia
• Anorexia and bulimia
• Kidney disease
• Autoimmune disorder
• Cancer
• Genetic diseases
• Other chronic health conditions
THE VERDICT
According to Dr. Michelle Schoffro Cook, author of The 4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan, several detox diets help support the natural detoxification process of our body through the right kinds of food and lifestyle choices we make. With the bulk of everyday junk we consume, our body needs all the help it can get to get rid of the toxins. When done properly, detox diets can really help cleanse the body at a cellular level and start a healthier lifestyle.
It is really an extreme diet. Even if you start to feel lighter, extended starvation will make you less focused because of nutrient deficiencies, and the less protein you consume, the harder you body can replace lost muscles.
If you think the frequent trips to the bathroom, fatigue, headaches, aches, and hunger pangs are worth the sacrifice, then the only things that stand between you and your brand new skinny look are discipline and god-like will power. While detox diets do not have solid science to back them up, believers attest to their life-changing results. Detox diets are not meant for the fainthearted. Powerful as they can be, at the end of the day, they are nothing more but quick fixes.
Published in Action & Fitness Magazine September 2009 issue
If dieting is easy, everyone should be skinny by now. Unfortunately, it’s neither easy nor fast. Even the famous ones like the Atkins and Raw Food Diet won’t yield your desired results unless you think of them as a lifestyle change. With the abundance of instant everything—instant food, instant service, instant fame—dieters want to lose weight pronto. No calorie-counting, no switching to whole grains, and no lifestyle change.
This perception has completely changed the concept of detoxification, which is the act of eliminating harmful toxins from the body. Primarily, it is used to treat alcoholism or drug dependency but with its remarkable weight loss component, detox is made more popular as a speedy diet regimen than a medical treatment. And for people who have no patience for healthier food alternatives or exercise, a detox diet is their last resort to hitting two birds with one stone—getting rid of toxins and losing weight as you go.
In a nutshell, here are the main health claims of detox diets:
• Flushes out toxins and chemicals that harm the body
• Boosts your energy
• Clears the skin
• Promotes better digestion and regular bowel movement
• Intense weight loss
IZO CLEANSE
The company is dedicated to the “superior health transformation” of their clients, that’s why they developed these two main products:
Signature Juice Feast™ - an array of fresh and organic juices and teas packed with vitamins and minerals the body needs while you’re on detox.
iZO Superfood Cleanze – a low-calorie super powder rich in essential nutrients; designed for busy people who can mix it with their favorite juices and smoothies.
MASTER CLEANSE
Perhaps the most intense detox diet on the planet at present, it involves the consumption of fresh lemon juice mixed with maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water for 10 straight days. You think that’s easy? Here’s the catch: no solid foods can be taken for the entire duration of the diet.
LEMONAID 48-HOUR DETOX
It’s nothing but a lemonade diet made popular by David Kirsch, a Hollywood fitness trainer with an impressive line up of clients starting with Anne Hathaway and Heidi Klum. Dieters are to consume four glasses of the Lemonaid 48-Hour Detox juice, which is a mixture of lemon juice, cayenne pepper, grade B maple syrup, natural flavors, purified water, potassium sorbate, xanthum gum, and sodium benzoate, for two whole days without solid foods.
BLUE PRINT CLEANSE
It’s one of those complicated made-to-order drinks delivered to your doorstep everyday…when you live in NYC that is, otherwise, shipping can be a drag. Choose from a wide selection of specifically made fruit juices that will help restore your body to its naturally healthy state without the toxins and with weight loss only as a side effect. You can also decide on what type of cleanse you want to try—Renovation Cleanse, Foundation Cleanse, and Excavation Cleanse. BPC claims that some detox diets are too intense for most people; therefore, their products will give their clients the great benefits of detoxification without going to extremes measures.
BLESSED HERB’S COLON
This is a detox diet that will force you to go on sabbatical for 8 days. It cleanses your intestines using the two herbal formulas: the Digestive Stimulator is a capsule that guarantees three trips to the bathroom in a single day; while the Toxin Absorber is a powder that can be mixed with organic apple juice and is to be consumed at least five times a day. These herbal concoctions have very strong absorptive properties that give you a thorough cleansing.
THE DANGERS OF DETOX
A lot of detox diets claim to be 100% organic, vegan, raw, whole foods, and gluten-free, but how sure are you that they’re 100% safe too?
It’s amazing how far some people would go to fit into their skinny jeans. Take the Master Cleanse for instance. If you weigh 200lbs and is used to eating 3-4 full meals daily, one day into Master Cleanse might be the death of you.
Detox therapy continues to receive a lot of negative feedbacks and criticisms as more dieticians and nutritionists raise their concerns about the health risks these extreme measures post. Critics assert that the mechanics behind these wonder diets do not have scientific facts to back up their results and can very well be defined as “junk science.” These diets do deliver remarkable changes in terms of weight loss. However, the change is temporary and once the dieters resume their normal eating lifestyle, the weight will go back. Extreme food deprivation may even cause overeating that will eventually lead to obesity.
Reported side effects:
• Headache
• Excessive diarrhea
• Dehydration and loss of electrolytes
• Constipation as a result of fiber overdose
• Irritability
• Pangs of hunger
• Acne and skin break out
• Tiredness
• Nutrient deficiencies (particularly in calcium and protein)
• Muscle breakdown
• Blood sugar level becomes irregular
• Laxative dependency
According to Lona Sandon from the American Dietetic Association, prolonged detox diets may cause the breakdown of muscles because of nutrient deficiencies. As we all know, the body needs a steady intake of vitamins and minerals in order to function well, the sudden lack of these nutrients disrupts the body’s immune system, making you more susceptible to diseases.
WHO SHOULDN’T TRY IT
If you are really concerned about your health, you should consult your doctor before attempting to go on any detox diet. Health experts warn the following people from detox diets:
• Pregnant women
• New moms
• Children
People with:
• Diabetes
• Anemia
• Anorexia and bulimia
• Kidney disease
• Autoimmune disorder
• Cancer
• Genetic diseases
• Other chronic health conditions
According to Dr. Michelle Schoffro Cook, author of The 4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan, several detox diets help support the natural detoxification process of our body through the right kinds of food and lifestyle choices we make. With the bulk of everyday junk we consume, our body needs all the help it can get to get rid of the toxins. When done properly, detox diets can really help cleanse the body at a cellular level and start a healthier lifestyle.
It is really an extreme diet. Even if you start to feel lighter, extended starvation will make you less focused because of nutrient deficiencies, and the less protein you consume, the harder you body can replace lost muscles.
If you think the frequent trips to the bathroom, fatigue, headaches, aches, and hunger pangs are worth the sacrifice, then the only things that stand between you and your brand new skinny look are discipline and god-like will power. While detox diets do not have solid science to back them up, believers attest to their life-changing results. Detox diets are not meant for the fainthearted. Powerful as they can be, at the end of the day, they are nothing more but quick fixes.
