The Skinny on Cleanses and Detox Diets

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In a health and fitness trend that crosses gender lines, athletes looking for quick weight loss are increasingly turning to cleanses and detox diets. These rituals are highly touted by big (and small) name celebrity endorsers and espoused by experts claiming to have found the ultimate solution for slimming down. But how much is fact and how much is fiction?

Putting it right up front, these trends are simply another way to leach money out of your wallet. While there may be some merit to simply avoiding some foods to clean out the bowels and other organs, you will, without fail, rob your body of vital nutrients, especially if done for a prolonged period of time. And for hard-training athletes who already have to fight to keep nutrient levels balanced, this is a dangerous and unnecessary step.

The diets “work” – i.e. provide some weight loss – simply because of the severe caloric restriction that is usually called for. Unfortunately, that weight loss will no doubt be an unfriendly mix of muscle, possibly a little fat and the excess water your body is storing at any given time.

Read more at Muscle&Fitness

Detox Your Way to a New You

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If you feel sluggish or bloated, or you're having trouble with aches and pains, or even just suffering with a spell of bad skin - this is your bodies way of telling you that it needs a cleanse, and the best solution for this is to detox.

Food is full of more toxins than ever before, therefore it's important to detox and eliminate the toxins that are becoming obstacles to your health and healing process.

There are various detox diet programs that vary in length from 24 hours to 3-7 days, depending on your individual needs. It's important to find a detox that is right for you, as it is not a supplement for a long-term diet. You should detox at least once a year. 

Dr. Peter Bennett, author of the '7 Day Detox Miracle', practises using things like diet, nutrition and herbal medicines to help his patients with acute and chronic health problems. He says: "Detoxification works because it addresses the needs of individual cells. It's critical to detox as it takes the body time to clean the blood."

Read the rest at The Cheddar Valley Gazette

Kick the Sugar Habit with Detox Program

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You probably don’t want to eat a banana while reading “I Quit Sugar,” a new cookbook and eight-week detox program by Australian journalist Sarah Wilson.

One banana is approximately 55 percent sugar, over half of which is fructose.

Fructose is bad news, according to Wilson.

It makes us eat more, she says in her 2013 book from Clarkson Potter Publishers. It converts directly to fat and has been connected with various cancers. And fructose also makes us sick by doing such damage as inhibiting the immune system, messing with fertility, and causing things like indigestion and malabsorption.

Wilson makes the innocent banana, which seemed like a smart food choice, now feel like a hand grenade.

“I’m responsible for so much guilt in the world,” says Wilson, who adds that agave syrup is another ticking time bomb.

“People get really surprised about that,” she says, adding that a “strong marketing push” has made people believe that agave syrup is better than table sugar. But, Wilson, who writes about her sugar-free life on the blog www.sarahwilson.com, says, agave is 70 percent to 90 percent fructose.

Read more from Delaware Online

Weekend Detox

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Living in the modern world, our bodies can get to feeling pretty grubby inside. Between the sugars, refined flours, caffeine, alcohol, dairy, chemical food additives, pesticides, and environmental pollutants we encounter, our cells are exposed to myriad toxins and inflammation triggers. The stress of modern life also places a tremendous burden on the organs of elimination, leaving pockets of waste in the colon, and stressing the liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system.

Legions swear by juice fasts and other cleanse routines that go for 10 days or more. But a no-fast weekend regimen is a much easier way for a coffee-and-bagel junkie to make real changes in daily routines. “It gives you a chance to take a break from caffeine, sugar, wheat, dairy, and alcohol, and to establish new, healthier habits,” says Elson Haas, MD, author of The New Detox Diet.

Remember, too, that detoxing includes your whole body; a hurried pace, stressful schedules, and festering resentments can create mental and emotional toxins that need to be cleared away.

If you’re new to detox, a weekend cleanse can provide a physical and psychological jump start. If you’re a veteran, regular weekend regimens—one a month is ideal—can help you build on healthful habits.

Here’s a simple, day-by-day plan to guide you through.

Get ready to cleanse at Vegetarian Times

ASK A HEALTH COACH: 'Do You Find it Difficult to Cleanse When Others are Not?

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Do you find it difficult to cleanse or detox when you are surrounded by people who are not?

-Carly Y., Cincinnati, Ohio

Carly! That is a great question. The answer is this: it is not as hard as it used to be, and yet, sometimes I still find it challenging. As a health coach, I am frequently trying out the latest and greatest detoxes and cleanses; (at least all those that don't sound completely crazy and trust me! there are a lot of crazy ones out there) I guess it is a hazard of the job! I want to have first hand knowledge of how it works and how it impacts my clients, (and their wallets).

Recently I tried The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet by Dr. Mark Hyman, M.D. Over a holiday weekend. While traveling, not once, but TWICE. Now. I know what some of you are thinking: why would she do that? There has to be a better time to try out a cleanse. And, you would be right. There might be a more ideal time to try out a new cleanse. And I might have to wait a really long time for that ideal time to materialize. So, why not try it during a challenging time? Then I know what I am really up against....

Read more from BWW Fitness

Best Detox Retreats in the UK

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The best places to go if you want to relax, lose weight or just generally give your body a bit of TLC.

THE PILATES RETREAT

Set in 32 acres of parkland and just moments from Climping Beach, Bailiffscourt Hotel & Spa retreats are all about unwinding – both physically and mentally.

Susie Mermaid, expert pilates instructor and holistic therapist, hosts sessions focusing on breathing, stretching and sculpting, aiming to strengthen the whole body from the inside out. With improved balance, posture and flexibility, guests will leave the retreat walking taller with a newfound sense of self-awareness.

Prices start at £399 per person, based on two people sharing a twin or double bedroom.

THE RAW FOOD RETREAT

The Raw Retreat, sets in beautiful Cornwall, provides bespoke programmes in health recovery (ie, if you suffer from gut problems, joint pain etc), detox, diabetes, juice fasting, weight-loss and fertility... 

Read more from Handbag.com

Why Do Cleanse Detox Diets Remain So Popular?

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Just in time for swimsuit season, another cleanse diet book has been hovering near the top of the best-seller list; this one, called the 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse promises in its subhead to help you “lose up to 15 Pounds in 10 Days!” No wonder it’s selling better than the Green Smoothie Bible, the Detox Diet, or the 3 Day Juice Cleanse, all published within the past six months.

Clearly, many people are embarking on these extreme eating — or rather drinking — plans to lose weight. The diets usually involve drinking smoothies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, consisting of leafy greens like kale and spinach, fruits, and water. (The latest derivation has folks using blenders rather than juicers to retain the pulp and fiber.)

“I have no idea if there’s anything special about these so-called cleansing or detox diets” for weight loss, said Dr. Frank Sacks, a professor of cardiovascular disease prevention at the Harvard School of Public Health. Any rigid diet that eliminates categories of foods and lowers calorie intake, he added, will help people shed pounds, but they usually gain them back after they go back to their old eating habits.

Read more at The Boston Globe

25 Delectable Detox Smoothies

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Forget everything you thought you knew about a liquid detox. These easy, 1-step smoothies are bursting with good health, and you definitely won’t have to plug your nose while drinking. We asked 6 of our favorite smoothie gurus what their favorite, most flavorful flushes were, and the results are in. The verdict? Nourishing yourself with neutralizing, detoxifying, antioxidant-packed drinks is even tastier than it looks. Grab your blender and get ready for the smoothie detox of your life!

We’ve collected our healthiest, most delicious meals in The Prevention Cookbook: 101 Recipes You Can’t Live Without.

Berry Breakfast

Don’t let its pink-liciousness fool you. The berries turn on detoxifying enzymes and ginger stimulates digestion in this recipe from Prevention Food Director Lori Powell.

Read more from TIME