Celebrity Detox Diets…A Healthy Choice?

Aug 2, 2009 | Stacy Matson | Celebrity Health
Celebrity Detox Diets…A Healthy Choice?

image by: Public Domain

Celebrities have been touting the benefits of detox cleanses as a way to prepare themselves for red carpet events and movie roles for years. But detox diets have their fair share of controversy

One of the hottest trends in weight loss is detox dieting. A-list celebrities have relied on these quick fix cleanses to help them maintain Hollywood’s super skinny ideal. Beyonce Knowles famously used The Master Cleanse Diet to lose 20 pounds for her role in Dreamgirls and actress Gwyneth Paltrow recently announced she is starting a 21 day elimination diet called The Clean, which she designed with her doctor.

The basic principle of an elimination diet or cleanse is to remove toxins and pollutants from the body by cutting out the contaminants from food like pesticides, environmental pollutants, alcohol, and caffeine.  As a result, they purportedly increase your energy level, improve your skin’s tone and texture, increase concentration and lose weight. These cleanses are typically liquid-based and can help people shed unwanted pounds quickly.

The Master Cleanse Diet is also known as the Maple Syrup Diet or the Lemonade Diet and consists of a one-time saltwater flush to clean out the intestines followed by 2 quarts of lemonade made from lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper every day for 7-14 days. That’s it. No food. The Master Cleanse has been around for more than 50 years and has been a highly effective short term detox and weight loss tool.

The Clean works by cutting out most antagonistic foods thereby reducing how hard the body needs to work to digest and allows two liquid meals a day and a solid one in between, eliminating allergenic and mucus-forming foods such as dairy products, caffeine, soy, sugar, gluten, meat, and alcohol. It is probably the easiest to follow because you are allowed to actually eat food.  This program also requires lymphatic massages and saunas to further eliminate toxins. Nice touch!

But, our bodies already have their own built-in detox system, the liver and kidneys which filter on an ongoing basis waste and toxins that are eventually excreted in the urine, feces and sweat. So why starve yourself if the body can eliminate toxins on its own? Because, a simple, 3 to 21-day detox can allegedly eliminate years of built-up toxicity that comes from the chemicals we consume, the air we breathe, and the water we drink. But are they dangerous? Under normal circumstances, the side effects are minimal and may include hunger pangs, diarrhea, dizziness, or irritability.  However, dieters with underlying medical conditions should always consider consulting with their physician beforehand.

Detoxing sounds simple enough if you have the willpower to do it. If your goal is to lose weight, this is one way to begin making nutritional changes that can aid in long-term weight management and healthier eating habits. Once the detox process is complete, you have the ability to re-tune your body and you can introduce select foods slowly, or decide to eliminate certain foods like sugar or red meat altogether.

There is a cachet. Diets do not work for everybody!


 

Stacy Matson is a health enthusiast from Southern California and regularly blogs on Celebrity Health for A Healthier World, as well as contributing to the Best of the Best.

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