Do you have a digestive system, blood and a liver? Chances are, you do. So chances are your body can rid itself of toxins without the help of cleanse diets that are always popping up on the market.
I have always been amazed by this phenomenon. I can’t imagine drinking a maple syrup, cayenne pepper mix – as one of the popular cleanses proposes. Nothing about that sounds appetizing.
Beth Loiselle, staff dietitian at Good Foods Market & Cafe, said various conventional medical professions, including most licensed dietitians, typically espouse the body’s ability to adequately detox itself, while professions with an alternative view may think otherwise.
She acknowledged that while the body should be able to rid itself of toxins naturally, there may sometimes be a need for “help” in the form of a cleanse.
“Even if we are presently taking proper care of the body, most of us have not always done so,” she said. “And the environment is still toxic, for those now trying to do their best.”
I think she is right. Perhaps if a person has done some irreversible damage to their body over the years with poor nutrition or bad habits, I could see that they would need help. But I certainly would hope they would turn to a professional before heading to the store to buy a “cleanse” product or mixing something at home to ease their digestive suffering.
Oftentimes cleanses are used by people – and glamorized by celebrities like Beyonce and Oprah – who want to lose weight in a hurry without putting in the hard work of regular exercise and a balanced diet. Why bother eating healthy and hitting the gym when you can just cleanse the fat away?
Something about this smells fishy to me. For one thing, when the body is starved for a period of time, the reverse effect happens for many people. The body goes into starvation mode and holds onto all of its fat stores. Or water weight is lost and promptly gained back once the cleanse ends.
I’d rather lose the weight the healthy way and feel better in the process.
Also, the pre-packaged cleanse products I have seen in health food stores and even grocery stores always look downright gimmicky. I don’t think I’d put my weight-loss goals in the hands of a shiny plastic bottle with a long list of ingredients that I have never heard of. Instead, why not eat some healthy, high-fiber vegetables and lean protein for an energy boost to keep you moving on the treadmill to burn a few hundred unwanted calories?
In a USA Today article, Gary Foster, director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University, said that cleanse diets are not a reasonable approach to weight loss, and that there is no data to support such claims. In fact, he said, they could do more harm than good.
If poor diet has led to a supposed need for a cleanse, why not just change your diet? Seems logical enough to me. And it will probably taste better. After all, who has done a cleanse and reaped long-term benefits without altogether changing their diet and exercise habits?
Instead of drinking some crazy cleansing concoction, hit the produce aisle or farmers market and load up on some all natural foods that will be easy for your body to digest and get you on the path to better health in no time. Unless, of course, you just love the taste of maple syrup and cayenne pepper. If that’s the case, drink it as an appetizer to your healthy, home-cooked meal. And if you do think cleansers are the way to go, knock yourself out. But checking with your doctor or a nutritionist first might be a good idea.