Written By: Debjani Arora | Published : March 16, 2016 6:53 PM IST
These days it is a trend to follow a detox diet to compensate for the gluttony you indulged in. But many take detox diet to an extreme level suppressing the body from getting anything vital regarding nutrition when on detoxification. Most of these diet detox packages offer either fruit juices or foods that are devoid of salt. While there is a particular period for which you should be following this diet pattern, some people (especially who want to lose weight too soon with minimal effort) continue the diet pattern for too long. We ask expert nutritionist, Niti Desai, Cumbala Hill Hospital and Heart Institute to shed some light on the truth of detox diets.
Is it necessary to undergo detoxification if you have gone haywire with your diet?
There is no scientific evidence or research that says going on a detox diet plan is healthy. It is because our liver is responsible for the natural detoxification process of our body and if you are healthy and have a liver that functions to its optimum, you can be rest assured that your body will experience its detoxification naturally. However, if you have been consuming too many calories, you can go slow with your food choices and eat in moderation to give your system a break.
For how long should one follow a detox plan if you plan to go for one?
Probably for a day or two not more than that, you will have used up all your body s reserves by then. Also, being on a detox diet would mean denying your body enough calories for its optimum function that could be dangerous.
What are the dangers of following a detox plan for too long?
Most of the detox diet plans comprise of either fruit juices or shakes; this means no salt, fibre, protein or other macro and micronutrients. So if you are on such a diet plan for too long, it could lead to health complications like low blood pressure, giddiness, fatigue, hair loss among others. Also, remember fruit juice means natural sugar. So if you only have juices, it could mean you total caloric intake could also rise just by drinking them and do just the opposite of what you expected from your detox dieting plan.
What is the right way of detoxifying?
The right way to detox would be to go slow in calorie consumption and eat foods from every food group. There is no need to follow any special diet plan to detox.
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