Another theory (and one that seems to be more mainstream in the scientific community) is that our bodies are equipped with perfectly good detoxifying systems already (mainly our livers and kidneys). These organs do a perfectly adequate job of cleansing our bodies of toxins, and don’t require outside help. Proponents of this theory believe that detox diets are not scientifically sound, and may in fact be harmful, especially ones that are all liquid-based and last for more than a few days.
After weighing the evidence and speaking with my nutritional counselor, it seemed to me that the detox diet was worth a try. The program she recommended included eating real food that seemed nutritionally balanced. It was a ten-day program that although restrictive, seemed doable for the duration. Eagerly, I ordered the detox kit for around $70.00 from a company that produces various nutritional supplements (she said the detox could be done using only food, but it was easier to purchase the kit). The kit arrived in a glossy, thick box with the picture of a woman running through a field of wildflowers, smiling with hands uplifted to the heavens in pure joy (I’m not making this up). I opened the box. The kit contained a bottle of daily supplements that seemed to contain mostly B-vitamins. It also contained a supply of “medical food” (this should have been my first red flag) that I would make into nutritional shakes to consume at various intervals during the detox. It also came with a shaker glass to make it easy to blend your shakes. The program recommended a very strict diet – no meat or poultry, no gluten, no dairy, no sugar or artificial sweeteners, no caffeine or alcohol, no oranges or peanuts (which seemed a bit strange to me), and limited grains. I could eat all the fruit and vegetables I wanted, along with fish, legumes, nuts, seeds, oils, spices, and rice cakes (of all things).
The diet was structured in the following way. On the first two days, I could eat anything
from the list of recommended foods in any amount (there were no calorie
restrictions). On days 3-4, I was to cut
out nuts and grains. On days 5-7 (the
strictest days), I was to eat only fish, vegetables, apples and pears. On days 8-9, I could begin adding the other
foods back in, returning to a normal diet after day 10. The “medical food” was to be added beginning
on the second day. This could be blended
with water, apple juice, or any non-dairy milk.
One scoop twice a day with one supplement twice a day to start. Then on days 3-4, 2 scoops 2xs/day and 2
supplements 2xs/day. On days 5-7, the
amount was increased to up to 2 scoops 4xs/day with a similar dose of
supplements. These were then reduced on
days 8-9. The “medical food” was a brown
powder that smelled earthy and didn’t taste very good (it looked a bit like
pale poop when mixed with almond milk).
It was okay when blended with fruit, which masked its taste and
smell.
I was gung-ho to try the detox. I spend the day before I began at Market
District buying my supplies…organic greens, lots of beans, salmon, tilapia,
cashew butter, almond milk, apples, pears, and of course, rice cakes. When I arrived home, I got to work making
some of the recommended recipes for the meals I would be eating throughout the
week (some of the recipes were not too bad, actually). I was ready!
On day one of my detox, I prepared my breakfast of quinoa
with almond milk, fruit and nuts, which was pretty yummy. Unfortunately, it didn’t really hold me, and
I was hungry in about an hour. I ate an
apple, one of the core fruits on the program, which didn’t really satisfy me
either. But, I was feeling okay. For lunch, I had a bowl of vegetarian chili,
which was good, but very spicy. I ate it
with white rice (which was also on the recommended food list, interestingly
enough), a salad, and a pear. This is
when I started not to feel so good. The
program guide warned that it was common to experience fatigue, muscle aches,
and “flu-like symptoms” (yikes). It
recommended cutting back on vigorous exercise and taking it easy during the
detox. I decided to lie down for a
little bit to take the edge off. Four
hours later I awoke in a groggy stupor. I
had no energy, my stomach felt queasy, and I was ravenous. I ate a rice cake with hummus on it, but it
really didn’t help. With my little
remaining energy, I prepared my dinner – tilapia with veggies and rice (which
seemed really healthy), but did not taste good to me. I was still hungry, but weirdly enough, didn’t
want to eat anything else. A bit later
on, I had an apple with cashew butter.
By this point, I went to bed, as I had no more energy to muster.
The next day, I awoke feeling a little better, and
determined to continue my detox. I was
sure that yesterday was just my body adjusting to the new diet, and today would
be better. Besides, I would be starting
the supplements and medical food, which would surely improve things. I blended my medical food breakfast shake
with banana, strawberries and almond milk.
It didn’t taste too bad. I then
ate some leftover quinoa and nuts and some herbal tea. I felt okay for a couple of hours. For lunch, I had some homemade vegetarian
minestrone soup, but I put too much red cabbage in it, and it turned the soup
to a brownish-purple mush. Not very
appetizing. I ate some salad with nuts,
oil and vinegar. I also ate a pear with
cashew butter (this was my last day of nuts and seeds for a while, so I wanted to
make the most of it). Again, I started
feeling tired and fatigued. My stomach
didn’t feel good. I felt shaking,
queasy, and out-of-it. I spent a lot of
time in the bathroom (apparently this is also a side-effect of detoxing – it cleans
you out). I had no energy at all, and
could barely muster the energy to sit upright on the couch and watch a Bones
rerun with my dad. I really didn’t feel
good. I felt like no matter how much I
ate, I still felt hungry and fatigued.
My mouth tasted really bad. I
started to get a headache (and I never get headaches). My mom said that I didn’t look good. I said, I didn’t feel good. I went upstairs to lie down again, but I was
restless and couldn’t get settled. I
emailed my nutritional counselor—what was happening? Why was I feeling so bad? Was I doing the program wrong? I expected to experience some discomfort
during the process, but I simply could not function. I received a reply from my counselor. She said that those experiencing my symptoms
were very toxic and were likely going through withdraw. Perhaps this was true, but I could not
continue for the next 8 days like this.
I mixed my afternoon medical food shake and ate a rice cake. This sucked.
My parents both urged me to bag the detox at this point. I didn’t want to abandon it, as I worked so
hard to prepare for it. I didn’t want to
throw in the towel, but I just felt too lousy.
I ate a piece of string cheese (a little dairy wouldn’t hurt too much,
would it?). Then, I ate another
piece. Then I sat down with a bag of
pita chips and started munching them, sitting on the couch in a daze eating
them, one after the other, until the bag was half-empty. I announced that afternoon that the detox was
over. I was going back to my normal diet. That night, I went to Dairy Queen and ate an
Oreo Blizzard (not the best detox food, but it really tasted good). The next day, I regrouped. I decided to go back to what had worked for me before – eating a balanced diet of all major food groups, watching portions, measuring things, keeping track of what I ate. And I felt better. Not just physically better, but also mentally and emotionally better. Maybe a detox diet would have been good for me to stay on. Maybe I should have given it more time. But, I’ve learned to listen to my body, and I just didn’t feel good on the detox. Since I ended the detox, I have been eating a balanced diet of whole grains, veggies, fruit, lean protein, nuts, dairy, and water. No more DQ binges. No more medical food shakes, and no more rice cakes (ever). Interestingly, since ending my brief detox diet, I feel as if I have more control over my eating. I feel healthy. I feel like I have more self-control. I’m watching portions. I’m writing things down. I’m measuring. I’m making better choices. It’s not glamorous, but it’s working for me.
Detox diets remain very popular. The science on them is uncertain at best, but many report experiencing positive results from detoxing. If you are considering a detox diet, do research, ask questions, get medical advice, preferably from more than one source. Listen to your body, and don’t do anything that would damage your long-term health. For me, I’m going to stick to losing weight the old-fashioned way. It might take me longer to reach my goals, but I think it will be healthier along the way.
Until next time, may good health be yours!
Miss Red Jeans
