Detox or Starvation?
The detox diet has come under harsh scrutiny over the past few
months. There are ample claims that the only weight lost is the
water weight form the initial fast and the natural weight loss
occurs from cutting caloric intake. The detox diet is quite
restrictive, to the point where some people are calling it a
starvation diet. There have been countless articles written by
"experts" that state that the detox diet endangers people,
stating that it creates yo-yo dieting, an unhealthy
relationship with food, and even can contribute to the
development of an eating disorder.
We also know that the vast majority of the "experts" who write
these articles are those in the health and weight loss
industry, such as nutritionists, health program supervisors,
weight loss counselors, and lay people with an extreme interest
in health and fitness. While I am certainly not suggesting that
anyone is fabricating evidence or creating thought processes
that are not accurate, I am however, indicating that when a
person is educated to see things in one specific manner, it can
be very difficult for them to see the same principles in a
varying manner. For example, if a dietician goes to college and
is taught that green beans cause cancer, that dietician will
graduate believing that green beans cause cancer. If the same
dietician returns for occasional classes to keep her education
current, and over the course of the next ten years, the
dietician is once again taught that green beans cause cancer,
then the dietician will continue to believe this and teach her
clients this as well. Fifteen years later someone comes along
and points out to the dietician that green beans don't cause
cancer, how likely is the dietician to believe that green beans
don't cause cancer?
This phenomenon is not solely related to dieticians and health
related fields. This phenomenon actual relates to every field.
As a writer I was taught that you never speak in double
negatives. It's a basic principle I apply every day. If someone
tried to convince me that the rules had suddenly changed, right
or wrong, it has already been ingrained in me that double
negatives are inappropriate and you shouldn't use them. Thus,
if I criticize this new theory without completely re-educating
myself on the basic rules of English and grammar, then I am
relying solely on my previous knowledge to dispute this issue.
So let's break away from conventional dieticians and explore
the detox diet with a completely blank slate. I am not a
dietician. I am just a writer is interested to know whether the
detox diet is a healthy form of purification, or if it is a
hidden form of starvation that does nothing but allow some
water weight loss and makes you believe you are healthier. I
have assembled three people who have done the detox diet and
three who have not. Granted, this is not a huge percentage to
pull from, but I am not using them as test subjects, only to
ask them to verify or deny detox diet statements that are made
from both testimonials from detox dieters and criticism from
dieticians.
Fasting and Purity
For centuries people have fasted for purity. If we look back
through even ancient texts, we will find that the fasting was
not for spiritual purity alone, but for physical purity as
well. Fasting for purity often left the spiritual seeker
feeling initially drained and then once again reenergized
within a thirty six hour period. The purity that they felt
within their spirits was also a purity that they felt through
their body. This argument can be easily criticized that they
felt their body's purity because of their spiritual lifting.
All three detox dieters, who were not in search of spiritual
enlightenment, all agreed that they felt weak from the initial
starvation, but began to feel "clearer," before the end of the
second day. None of them agreed that they were experiencing
starvation. They all felt their fasting led to at least some
form of physical purity.
In medical science, there are times when doctors recommend
fasting. Not including pre surgical procedures, most fasting
requirements are for some form of "readying" or purity. Prior
to starting diets that treat illnesses, such as the ketogenic
diet, there is a period of fasting required beforehand.
Critics of the detox diet claim that the headaches and general
all over yucky feeling people experience in the first week of a
detox diet is from a lack of food. However, champions of the
detox diet say that the headaches and the generally "yucky"
feeling they get when fasting coincides with a noticeable
change in their excretions. My three detox dieters all agreed
that when their urine and bowel movements became noticeably
more "aromatic" they found themselves with headaches and a
feeling of overall fatigue. They did not contribute this
feeling to fasting.
I did an online search and found eleven dieticians that negated
the detox diet. Each one of them claimed that the headaches were
from the fasting, however, each of them offered their own
version of the detox diet. Interesting. The dieticians'
versions included what could almost be considered fasting.
Their idea of not fasting was eating some fruit and yogurt.
Most detox diets do not include a total fasting period.
The critics of the detox diet are not impressed with the detox
diet weight loss. They claim that the detox diet weight loss
comes from the loss of water weight during the fasting period
and will be regained quickly when normal eating is resumed. The
detox diet weight loss comes from various sources. If you are
doing a complete detoxification, including the colon, all three
of my detox dieters claim that you can see where some of the
weight loss comes from as you are flushing it down the toilet.
Two of my detox dieters had to call plumbers from the excessive
waste they produced. Their detox diet weight loss has remained,
and two of them started the detox diet more than six months
prior to this writing. Detox diet weight loss remained in all
three of my dieters because they make better choices. They
resumed normal eating habits, but they did not return to
ingesting large amounts of junk foods. They claim that the
detox diet showed them how important maintaining a low toxic
level was to their overall health.
Just Another Diet Trend?
The critics of the detox diet claim that this diet trend, like
all those that came before it, is no more effective than
anything else that has been put out there. Whenever a new diet
trend comes along, people rush to participate, and then claim
that it doesn't work. Not all diets will work for everyone. I
tried the Atkins diet for awhile with little or no results, but
a man I knew lost nearly thirty pounds on it. However Atkins
doesn't work very well for people who are not significantly
overweight, according to some critics and apparently my body.
So, does that mean that the detox diet is more than just
another diet trend, or will it fall to the wayside after a bit
like every other diet trend. Of my detox dieters, 2 out of
three say it's not a diet trend. It is a method of cleansing
the body, which other diet trends simply don't do. The 3rd
dieter says it is a diet trend, but a highly effective diet
trend, and if a diet trend is effective then who cares if it's
a trend? Interesting point.
Diet trend and fads usually don't carry much weight behind
their claims. They are simply a theory produced to suggest that
the latest Diet trend is the most effective weight loss plan and
everyone needs to jump on board before their obesity claims them
forever. The detox diet has a different aim, so I really poked
around when trying to determine if this was simply just a diet
trend or more of a health revolution.
There is overwhelming evidence that Americans and Canadians are
in the poorest health overall, considering the health care we
have available. The healthcare we have at our fingertips should
make us one of the healthiest nations in the world, but we rank
very low on the list. Most doctors and scientists contribute
this to the foods we put into our body and the chemicals we
come in contact with when eating, working, and playing. For the
health choices that we have available to us, we have one of the
highest rates of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and childhood
cancer rates in the world. Of course, we also rank ridiculously
high on the list for overweight and obese citizens.
The detox diet is concerned with addressing the overall health
of Americans, not just their waistline. The diet trends that
have come along have been concerned with treating the waistline
issues, but not the overall health. So, is the detox diet just
another diet trend? By technical definition, a diet trend
meaning any new method of eating introduced into society that
creates a sudden onslaught of followers, well then yes.
However, it can't be considered a diet trend by any other
definition. It was simply not developed for the same reasons or
the same fashion that diet trends hit the market.
Thin people can benefit from the detox diet. Overweight people
can benefit from the detox diet. Everyone in between can
benefit from the detox diet. The detox diet isn't targeted for
weight loss. Thus it is really about a healthier lifestyle.
Detox dieting is geared toward permanent health. After a
significant purge of the body's chemical and toxic build up,
the detox diet is geared to long lasting non-toxic lifestyles
rather than diet trends, which tend to be geared toward
lifestyles that manage weight.
Decide for Yourself
Discover for yourself the difference in a good quality detox
diet and just another diet trend. The best consumer is an
informed consumer. Check out detoxmanual and decide for
yourself about the power of a good detox diet. After the
research I did for this article, I am definitely stopping at
detoxmanual and taking my own detox diet trip.
About The Author: Bobby Ryatt, If you enjoyed reading this
articles, then go to my website where the detox guide is
available. You will have all the information on the subject.
The facts will open your eyes and expose some real truths.
http://www.detoxmanual.com http://
http://thealternativecures.com
