Forming and Following Diet Detox Plans: Balance Cleansing with Common Sense

Almost all diet detox plans work on the same two common-sense principles: (1)eliminate toxins and pathogens from the body by introducing foods that naturally cleanse and heal the major organs and systems; and (2)aggressively work to heal and strengthen the body by sustaining the body’s health with proper nutrients.  More specifically, diet detox plans emphasize the importance of antioxidants, fiber and bacterial cultures that promote healthy digestion, and proper hydration.  In other words, almost all good plans emphasize exactly the dietary and nutritional practices North Americans and Europeans routinely neglect.

The best  detox plans aggressively counteract all the widespread nutritional abuses in the post-modern industrialized world: People eat way too many simple carbohydrates, which the body metabolizes as sugars and generally stores as fat; most people eat way too much fat and take in way too much cholesterol, while they eat far too few complex grains and legumes.  And, most importantly, most people are chronically dehydrated.  A recent North American study indicated that nearly three-quarters of the population cannot distinguish thirst from hunger, therefore drinking only about 20% of the recommended daily water allowance and other healthy juices.  Many scientists believe that dehydration accounts for the majority of workplace fatigue and lapsed concentration.  Diet detox plans both correct and compensate for these serious problems.

As you develop a plan that fits your body and circumstances, build-in a few essential safeguards:  First, and most importantly, do not begin any kind of  detoxification without a comprehensive health assessment and honest consultation with your regular primary care physician.  Make certain that your major organs, circulatory and digestive systems can handle the stress which accompanies detoxification, and make sure your diet  plan complements your body chemistry.  Most of all, make certain that you are fundamentally healthy, harboring no incipient infections or dangerous chronic diseases; make especially certain your immune system is intact and fully functional.

Second, get your doctor’s reassurance that your plan poses no serious risk from its ingredients and practices.  Although the majority of diet detox plans derive from solid science and depend on all-natural substances for their special efficacy, some are scams, and some are flat-out dangerous.  A plan that includes “elimination of intestinal plaque” has more snake oil than sense, because your body eliminates just about all metabolic wastes every twenty-four to thirty-six hours.  And a careful chemical analysis revealed one of the most widely advertised colon cleansers contained the same active ingredient as kitty litter, so that the intestines’ contents adhered to the clumping agent and aggressive dieters compromised their natural immunities as they lost lots of weight.  No matter how skeptical you feel about traditional western medicine, review your program with your doctor anyway.

Third, set a time limit for you progam.  The best regimes last from ten to fourteen days–more than enough time to rid your system of heavily concentrated free radicals and environmental toxins.  When you have exorcised your pathogens, poisons, and demons, you should follow-up with a healthy, all-natural diet designed to maintain your system’s purity and build its natural healing powers.  Meanwhile, you absolutely must remain perfectly hydrated, making sure you pay proper attention and respect to the diuretic properties of some cleansing beverages.  And, you should supplement your program with a similarly strategic plan for cardio-vascular exercise and regular strength training.  In other words, expect  to drink lots of water because you need to sweat.

At first, the radical change in your eating habits and the introduction of powerful cleansing agents into your system may make you feel more miserable than miraculously healed.  Over the course of your program, however, if you regulate your diet detox plans with common sense, self-conscious assessment of how you feel, and routine medical care, you will lose weight, gain energy, and feel progressively better and better.