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Detox Diets for Weight Loss

Detox diets are possibly the most talked-about diet plan you will encounter in your search for information on losing weight. But can a detox diet really help with obesity and weight loss?

What is detox?

Modern life means that our bodies are constantly accumulating toxins from everyday sources. This can be air pollution from car fumes and cigarette smoke, chemicals in the food we eat, including pesticides, food additives, alcohol and caffeine, or just excess nutrients from a poor diet.

The build up of these toxins in your body can lead to a variety of health problems, including weight gain (which can lead to obesity), fatigue, poor complexion, headaches, bloating, muscle pains and general malaise.

Can detox help with weight loss and dieting?

Almost certainly. The reasons for this are twofold.

Firstly, calorie intakes are much lower. Elimating high fat and high sugar foods such as dairy products, meat and processed foods means you’ll dramatically reduce the amount of calories you consume.

Secondly, detoxing helps to remove toxins from the body, meaning that you will lose weight and feel generally healthier.

How can I try a detox diet?

As with any diet, you can fall into the trap of being too extreme, and this can end up doing you more harm than good. Many detox diets recommend that you cut out almost all foods, leaving you with only a small variety of fruit and vegetables to choose from.

There is a danger that such an extreme detox could leave you short on nutrients, so we have come up with a plan that should be safer and more sensible. We suggest that you stick to a wide variety of fresh foods, cut out processed and high fat foods, and drink plenty of water.

Your diet should include:

Fruit – either whole fruits or juices of any kind, provided they have no added sugar or other additivies. Fresh or frozen are best, but also include dried fruit with no added sugar or fruit canned in natural juice;

Vegetables – either whole vegetables or juice, including fresh, frozen or canned without salt. Vegetables are best eaten raw or lightly steamed, as cooking causes vitamins to break down;

Potatoes – new potatoes boiled in their skins or baked jacket potatoes are best;

Beans and pulses (e.g. lentils) – any beans or pulses, dried or canned without salt. Baked beans are out, however, as they are processed foods high in sugar and salt;

Meat substitutes – such as soya, tofu, quorn. Choose plain varieties rather than processed, either dried or frozen;

Cereals – oats, plain popcorn (without salt or sugar), brown rice, wholewheat pasta, unflavoured bulgar and cous-cous, rye crackers, unprocessed breakfast cereals without added salt or sugar (such as Shredded Wheat). However, you should limit your wheat intake to at most one serving a day;

Seeds and nuts – unsalted

Fish – fresh fish, steamed, grilled or baked. Canned fish, e.g. salmon or tuna in spring water is fine too

Natural yoghurt - with no added sugar

Seasonings – extra virgin olive oil, vinegars, garlic, fresh herbs and spices, honey

Water – at least 2 litres a day. Tap water is fine.

Herbal or fruit teas - peppermint or fennel are particularly good to aid the digestion after meals.

Avoid these foods during your detox:

Meat - red and white meat and any meat products such as sausages, burgers and pate;

Dairy - avoid milk, cheese, eggs, cream, butter and margarine,
although yoghurt is fine;

Any processed food – including bread, most breakfast cereals, cakes, biscuits, pies, TV dinners, takeaways etc;

Savoury snacks – such as crisps, salted nuts, etc;

Sweet snacks - chocolate, sweets, jam, sugar;

Drinks - alcohol, coffee and tea, fizzy drinks and squashes, including diet;

Seasonings - sauces, pickles, bought salad dressings, mayonnaise, salt.

As you can see, the list of foods you can eat far exceeds those you should avoid!

Click here for some suggested diets to help you keep an interesting and varied diet during your detox.

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Mr. Duncan has been involved in weight loss reviews since 2002 and has since gained some popularity amongst a small few that supported him. He now resides in Borneo.