Detox - anyone done one?

[lovetochat]

Hi - I don't know if this counts as a diet really but has anyone tried a detox, where you live on fruit and veg or whatever for a few days? I have read about lots but don't know which to try!

[baldmonkee]

I have not done detox, but I have heard some not so good things about it, I would be very careful and do a lot of research or even consult your doctor before trying it

[jason]

i dont think there's anything wrong with eating only fruits and vegetables for a couple of days. If you're looking to give your body a little spring cleaning that's the way to go.

[baldmonkee]

If you eat a well balanced diet and get proper exercise, even if you do cheat or splurge a little bit, then there should be no need to put your body through a detox

[hurgoll]

Some of the detox things I have seen are a little out there. But I don't think it would be a bad thing if you find the right now.

My mom did one where you had only water for 24 hours, and then water and apple juice for a couple of days and slowly added certain foods in small amounts.

I don't think I could follow that one, but she felt great. She lost weight and flushed toxins. However she didn't stay with a healthy lifestyle and went right back to eating the wrong foods after a couple of weeks.

Some detox plans have colon flushes also.

[SageMother]

Fasting once a month for a 24 to 48 hour period and sticking to fruits and vegetables with a lot of water during that time, is about as far as I would go with a detox. There are all of these products that claim to facilitate cleansing but in the end, they are simply adding substances to a system you are trying to purge, which makes no sense.

[tater03]

I have heard about them and have looked into them but I just don't think that I could follow one. I do know some people swear by the benefits of them.

[lovetochat]

Originally Posted by hurgoll

Some of the detox things I have seen are a little out there. But I don't think it would be a bad thing if you find the right now.

My mom did one where you had only water for 24 hours, and then water and apple juice for a couple of days and slowly added certain foods in small amounts.

I don't think I could follow that one, but she felt great. She lost weight and flushed toxins. However she didn't stay with a healthy lifestyle and went right back to eating the wrong foods after a couple of weeks.

Some detox plans have colon flushes also.

Ew a colon flush! That is going a step too far for me! Although I have heard people saying on tv that they found amazing benefits, but I think I can live without that. But cutting out most food and then reintroducing slowly sounds possible. I might try it, just for a few days.

[Taggart]

Have you heard of "The Master Cleanse?" I've seen a few people on it.

I think it involves not eating, but drinking a mixture of lemon juice, water cayenne pepper and maple syrup for several days.

[live]

that does not sound good

I jsut saw on Oprah that detox diets really don't provide any additional health benefits. That's if you're on a decent regime to begin with.

[riskey58]

I have heard of this, but have not tried it myself. I really don't think that it would hurt you if you just did it for only a couple days.

[Green-Moo]

I really can't see why limiting yourself to fruit & veg, or even no food at all, for a few days would do a healthy person any harm. You would have to be certain to drink plenty & no overdo the exercise during that period. I've never done a detox myself though.

[HealthNiche]

I did a cleanse last week for the colon. It was a rough week :S

I also did a Sacred Heart Cleanse a few months ago. I considered doing the master cleanse but zero food really made me nervous. My husband had to cleanse for a colonoscopy once and I did a juice cleanse for those 2 days to show him my support but man was I starving! LOL. The Sacred Heart Cleanse was ok. It had an unlimited amount of food but you were allowed to eat an unlimited amount if you stayed to the list of allowed foods per day.

I saw on Oprah as well that special that Dr. Oz said you didn't need to do a cleanse. Many other people swear by doing it at least annually. I guess it all depends on your lifestyle.

[HealthandLove]

We do a family detox one a month. It really gets rid of the unwanted gas and the bloating and it generally makes me feel better. I disagree with Oprah because, she looks to manufactured detox and I use natural herbs, unharmed by man....CHEERS

[mollyL]

Originally Posted by Taggart

Have you heard of "The Master Cleanse?" I've seen a few people on it.

I think it involves not eating, but drinking a mixture of lemon juice, water cayenne pepper and maple syrup for several days.

OK, I can understand lemon juice and even cayenne pepper, but what's the maple syrup supposed to do?
Are these the same detoxes people do to pass a drug screen at their work? Or are they just for cleaning out your system? Like Sage said, why add something to your system if you're trying to clean out?

[Serenity]

I've done the fruit, veg and water one for a few days but honestly didn't feel much effect. I did sleep better, but that was about it, I'm afraid.

[Taggart]

Originally Posted by live

that does not sound good

I jsut saw on Oprah that detox diets really don't provide any additional health benefits. That's if you're on a decent regime to begin with.

I don't know how good the "Master Cleanse" is in general, but I think it's probably more for people who haven't been on a good diet.

It does sound kind of extreme.

Oh and mollyL, my understanding is that the maple syrup provides minerals.

[mollyL]

Thanks, Taggart. Now the maple syrup begins to make more sense to me. BTW, after buying some real maple syrup for the first time a few weeks ago, I can understand how it can be used as a sweetening agent in recipes. Probably no big surprise to anyone but me, I was really surprised how little it tastes like the fake kind...

[katharina]

Originally Posted by Taggart

Oh and mollyL, my understanding is that the maple syrup provides minerals.

Hmmmm... that's interesting. I wonder why they'd choose maple syrup then, instead of something like Blackstrap molasses and honey? (I had a cup of blackstrap and honey tea a few days ago and it really wasn't too bad) :-)

[mollyL]

Have you seen the adverts for pads you put on the bottom of your feet, and they are supposed to draw the toxins from your body thru your feet onto the pad? I wondered if they worked, it sounded feasible.
My husband told me he read on the internet that a guy bought some to see if they would work or not. He said that indeed, as he peeled the pads off in the morning, they had absorbed something brown and yucky-looking. He kept using them and everyday there was the brown muck with no change. One night he just left the opened pads exposed to the air in his bedroom, and in the morning, there was the brown muck on the pad. He concluded that it was exposure to oxygen that turned the pads that colour!
Anybody tried them? What did you think?