Detox diet

What is a Detox Diet?

We encounter the word detox everywhere in magazines, on television and on the Internet. The name Detox comes from the English word "detoxication“Off what detox means. Detox is the basic idea of ​​the detox diet. It is assumed that too much stress, work, luxury foods and an unhealthy diet will deposit pollutants in the body. These toxins, which are also known as waste products, should be expelled from the body within a seven to twenty-one day fast.

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Detox diet process

There are different ways to shape the detox diet. Depending on the program, you can do without solid food for one to three weeks. The detox diet is more of a modern fast than a diet. The most important thing is that you drink a lot. At least 2.5 to 3 liters of water or unsweetened teas should be drunk. Instead of solid foods, you can consume vegetable broths and preferably freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices. Sugared drinks and alcohol are prohibited. At best, coffee should also be avoided.

Long walks are recommended during the detox diet. Very strenuous sports should be avoided while fasting. Relaxation plays a big role in detoxification. Lots of sleep and targeted relaxation exercises support this diet. The metabolism can be boosted by alternating showers and brush massages. You can read about other ways to stimulate the metabolism under: How can you stimulate the metabolism?

After the detox diet, the body should slowly get used to solid food again. You start with small, light meals like soups and salads. Fatty and sweet meals should be avoided at the beginning. After about a week of changeover, you can eat again. In order to avoid a yo-yo effect, it is advisable to make your diet healthy and balanced in the long term.

What detox juices are there?

There is the option to buy detox juices in packages for cures or simply to make the juices yourself at home. There are different manufacturers for ready-to-use detox juices in different price ranges and flavors of the juices. "Cleanse Starter" by frankjuice, "Super Cleanse 3" by Dean & David and the "Juice and Soup Cure" by Detox Delight are examples of complete packages for a period of 3 - 5 days. There are different ways of combining juices and soups. Green juices with cucumber, kale, avocado and lettuce are very popular. You can also prepare juices or smoothies yourself. Possible ideas are: mango-pineapple smoothie, ginger-spinach smoothie, algae-avocado-kale smoothie, strawberry-apple-banana-coconut milk smoothie, beetroot-pear-apple-carrot-lamb's lettuce juice. Dairy products, sugar and honey should be avoided in the preparation of the drinks.

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How much can I / should I lose weight with this form of diet?

According to nutritionists, you can lose between 1 and 4 kilograms in a week with the detox diet. However, more water is excreted, especially in the first few days. However, the weight loss depends heavily on the initial situation, possible physical activity and the amount of calories consumed. Especially if you prepare the drinks yourself, you should make sure that the food contains as little sugar and calories as possible.

What is the cost of a detox diet?

The cost of a detox diet depends largely on the origin of the drinks. If you buy a complete package, the prices are on average between 40 - 200 € for 3 to 5 days. Examples are “Cleanse Starter” from frankjuice, a 3-day cure for 99 €, “Super Cleanse 3” from Dean & David, a 5-day cure for 200 € and the “Juice and Soup” cure from detox Delight for around 100 € for three Days. It should not be forgotten that the costs for all other meals do not apply during this period. If you prepare the smoothies and juices yourself, you can have a strong influence on the costs. For example, you can buy cheap frozen berries or fresh exotic fruits. Overall, the detox diet is a more expensive form of nutrition.

Side effect of the detox diet

The first, obvious side effect of the detox diet is hunger. As a result, food cravings are very common in the first few days. In the course of the diet, the body gets used to the low intake of food and the cravings decrease. Tricks against cravings are distraction, walks, reading, talking on the phone, or “pushing away” hunger. There is an acupressure press point in the recess between the nose and upper lip that can be pressed for 15 seconds.

But there is also the possibility to lose weight without being hungry. You can read more about this under: Lose weight without hunger

In the first few days of the detox diet in particular, you may experience mild headaches, dizziness and a feeling of weakness. This changes after a few days, when the body adjusts to the new energy supply and adjusts the metabolism. Occasionally, by the third day of the diet, there is a coated tongue and bad breath. Frequent tooth brushing and gargling with mint tea can help. People with sensitive stomachs may experience gas or diarrhea from the high fiber content in the juices.

Some people react to the fast with blemishes or dark circles under the eyes. Another side effect is the decrease in muscle mass.

Criticism of a detox diet

The detox diet is difficult to implement in day-to-day work or at university because there is a large energy deficit, especially in the first few days. In addition, there is great hunger and side effects such as poor performance, which are not compatible with work, can occur. The detox diet causes side effects such as headache, dizziness, and weakness in most people. Many people also suffer from severe food cravings and the resulting bad mood. Occasionally, digestive problems can occur. Deficiency symptoms can occur due to the one-sided increase in food, which can be dangerous.

Some scientists say that the body stores even more fat after a fast than before, which is very likely to cause the yo-yo effect. In addition, muscle mass is reduced, especially in the first week, which one would actually like to avoid in a healthy lifestyle. Critics sometimes claim that detoxification is not necessary because the human body has an efficient detoxification system (Liver, kidneys, skin). According to scientists, commercial products with "Detox" written on them are often ineffective, since most detox teas or smoothies only have a laxative effect.

What are the risks / dangers of this diet?

Since the body lacks essential nutrients, a long detox diet can lead to deficiency symptoms. Radical implementation of the diet induces a starvation metabolism in which muscle is broken down, which is actually an undesirable effect. If you do not eat anything for a long time, it can even lead to serious complications such as vision problems, lumbago, cardiac arrhythmias, kidney stones and gout. Serious complications of a detox diet or fasting cure occur especially if the diet is carried out for several weeks or months and without food supplements.

Where Can I Find Good Detox Diet Recipes?

There are tons of delicious detox diet recipes on the internet. You can use the search function to search for flavors or desired ingredients for the juice or smoothie and find a wide range of ideas. There are also numerous books available that contain various recipes for the detox diet. Often these diet books contain shopping lists, daily or weekly plans so that the detox diet can be carried out easily and in a structured manner. Depending on your preference, you can choose between extensive websites and books and do the detox diet yourself with delicious recipes or order a detox cure package.

Medical evaluation of the detox diet by

The detox diet is a particularly radical method to purify and detoxify the body on the one hand and to lose a lot of weight in a very short time on the other. The detox diet often leads to side effects. Often dizziness, headaches and weakness occur in the first few days. Hunger is a major problem, causing hunger pangs and a bad mood. The detox diet is a zero diet in which the metabolism switches to the back burner after a few days.

To effectively burn love handles rather than just excreting water, the weight loss diet should be followed for more than 3 days but no more than 14 days. The switch to a healthy diet should be made slowly in small steps to avoid the yo-yo effect. The detox diet is not healthy, the side effects occur frequently and the down-regulation of the metabolism leads to increased fat incorporation and muscle breakdown. So you lose weight mainly because of the small amount of calories. One to two detox days would be healthier as an introduction to a healthy change in diet.

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What alternative diets are there to the detox diet?

In order to lose as much weight as possible in a short period of time, mono diets are very popular, such as the cabbage soup diet, fruit diet or vegetable diet. A major disadvantage of these radical forms of nutrition is the yo-yo effect, which often follows, as the body switches its metabolism to the back burner with zero diets. If he then takes in more calories, he stores them in order to save them for "bad times".

If you want to lose weight over a longer period of time, you can try low-carb diets instead, which are easier to incorporate into everyday working life than the detox cure. Examples are the Atkins diet, the Glyx diet, and the Logi method. These diets are based on a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet. Many fats are allowed on the Atkins diet, but fewer on most low-carb diets. These mild, low-carbohydrate diets can help transform your diet into a healthy, balanced lifestyle over the long term. Under these nutritional conditions you can do sport well, which helps to maintain the desired weight and to get the body in shape.

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How can I avoid the yo-yo effect with this diet?

The risk of a yo-yo effect is particularly high with the detox diet if large quantities and unhealthy food are eaten very quickly after the diet. To avoid the yo-yo effect, changing to a healthy, balanced diet should take place slowly. In the first few days after the diet, light meals should be slowly introduced into everyday life, ideally salads and soups. In the first week, fatty and sweet foods should be avoided and from the second week onwards all foods can be eaten. Exercise effectively helps to maintain the desired weight.

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Detox diet and alcohol - are they compatible?

Alcohol, like caffeine and nicotine, contains toxins that interfere with the body's self-cleaning program as part of the detox diet. If you do without these so-called addictive substances, the detoxification organs, liver, intestines and kidneys are relieved. Therefore one should avoid alcohol during the detox diet.

Does a detox diet help against cellulite?

There are many alternative health professionals who believe that deacidifying the body helps with cellulite. In conventional medicine, however, the idea that waste products are the cause of cellulite is highly controversial. But doing without acidic foods does not involve any risks. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that a detox diet works for cellulite.