Detox diets are nothing new to the health world. You’ve probably heard Dr. Oz swear by hundreds of them as “miracle” cleansers. Detox diets promise to help people shed weight quickly by cutting out certain groups of food completely. Therefore, the bad toxins are eliminated from the body.
Even I was enticed to try a detox diet to be healthier. I went on a 10-day sugar detox, and it turned out disastrous on day two when I realized literally EVERYTHING HAS SUGAR IN IT. After that, I thought about how ridiculous detox diets are. Why should anyone give up a food group completely when they could simply be more conscious of what they are eating?
Here are five reasons why I believe detox diets are a waste of time.
1. They are hard to maintain
It’s difficult to stick to a certain diet in today’s busy world. When you come home from work exhausted, do you feel like exerting more energy to prepare all your ingredients for a healthy meal? Not to mention that you’ll be limited to the same foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if you are on a restrictive detox. It’s hard to stay completely loyal to a diet without cheating at least once.
2. Most do not work
A popular detox method is juice cleansing, which is an all-liquid diet. Juicing may give your body a few of the nutrients it needs to function, but eating isn’t really involved in the process. Being deprived of physical food takes a toll on emotions. This can cause people to overeat when the detox is done simply because they missed the action of chewing and eating. Detox diets typically don’t work in the long run, which brings me to my next point.
3. Results are only temporary
You survived a few days on your detox… now what? You lost five pounds, but the next battle is learning how to keep that weight off. It seems like the only way to stay at a certain weight is to continue the detox for the rest of your life. After a detox, your body will want to go back its normally scheduled eating program. When this happens, it is likely that you will gain the weight back. Results are temporary unless people change their eating habits for the future.
4. They can be bad for your health
Detoxes and other diets can make you think that you need to take drastic measures to be fit. However, that is not the case. Your body needs food to function. It’s okay to eat fat, carbs, and other “bad” foods in moderation. Having a box of Juicy Juice or whatever your detox tells you to have is not healthy. Some people take detox diets to the extreme, which can really destroy the body.
5. They are expensive
Eating healthy every single second of every single day is very pricey. If you are buying fresh produce and juicing materials, those items cost a lot of money at the grocery store. Especially if you are looking for organic and high-quality ingredients. You can certainly eat healthy all the time, but it will most likely cost you.
I’m not saying all detoxes are terrible, but I do think the best way to be healthy is to eat smart and exercise. As always, consult your doctor first if you do want to detox, and if you decide against it, go ahead and treat yourself to a donut because at least you thought about being healthy, right?