Losing 5kg, 10kg or 20kg may seem easy with ‘fad diets’, after all, they sell the idea of burning fat with miraculous habits or foods, such as the detox diet. Drinking green juice, reducing carbohydrates and adopting a fast… it seems simple to create healthy habits and establish a good relationship with the scale.
However, you can never be too careful! Diets like detox do not maintain long-term results, so many people who follow this diet report dissatisfaction with this eating model after ending the restrictions on their diet.
Rebound effect , malfunctioning of the body and problems with self-esteem, these are some of the many impacts that arise if you do not know how to control the restrictive adaptations of this type of eating model.
To put an end to these problems once and for all, learn about the detox diet, what precautions you should take when adopting it and learn in a simple way how to have healthy habits without restricting your diet!
After all, what is a detox diet?
After a weekend, holiday or special occasion when you have overindulged, the first thing is that you’ve thrown away your diet and now have to ‘cleanse your body’ with a healthier diet . But instead of going back to eating normally, the thought of only taking in restricted meals and green juice is the way forward.
But did you know that this isn’t the best way to go? That’s because the detox diet gives the idea of detoxification, but what exactly is it detoxifying? Eating too much doesn’t cause food poisoning, so why restrict what you normally eat?
The detox diet is seen as the miracle solution for losing weight or reducing weekend bloating, however, this change in the body is a response of the body to excess alcohol and food, therefore, it is possible to return to the natural state without needing these restrictions.
In other words, the diet will not detoxify anyone, it will give the false sensation of weight loss by dealing with the bloating that occurred due to overeating. Therefore, keep an eye on these miraculous promises and see below how to really use detox foods safely and positively in your diet!
Are there any benefits to following a detox diet?
As seen, the detox diet will restrict a series of nutrients and minerals to focus on the intake of green juice and teas, which will consequently generate the sensation of weight loss by reducing belly swelling.
However, it will generate secondary impacts that are not so positive: weakness, decreased immunity and even loss of lean mass, these are some of the consequences if you restrict your diet and exclude important food groups from your diet.
If you really want to have some of the benefits proposed by the diet, instead of cutting out foods, make the following adaptations:
- Invest in a 100% natural diet (rich in fruits, vegetables and greens).
- Drink plenty of water to help your body recover from dehydration and reduce swelling.
- Eat antioxidant and anti-inflammatory foods.
- Increase your fiber intake to regulate bowel function.
This way, it will be possible to have some benefits without harming the health of the body!
What are the alternatives to the detox diet?
Here, green juice can be an option to be adopted, as there are several recipes that help reduce bloating and increase fiber consumption (caused by the consumption of kale). However, they should not be the only source of energy during the day. In addition, these juices should not be strained or added with sugar when preparing them.
The best way to compensate for overindulging on any given day is to avoid a detox diet and focus on a balanced diet. So, don’t follow any radical recipes, just go back to your usual eating habits and don’t forget to drink plenty of water!
Also, don’t forget to combine nutrition with physical activity to get good results!
There are no miracle foods or diets that will magically deliver results, so be careful with the detox diet if your goal is long-term. Re-educating your eating habits is the safe way, so do the right thing for the right reason.