Detox diets for weight loss are very popular, but they can have serious side effects. A British woman suffered permanent brain damage after a week of a prescribed detox diet. That's not the standard, but you must be aware of the health effects these weight loss detox diets.
First, there is no scientifically proven reason to put yourself on a detox diet. Detox diets are nutritionally imbalanced. Some of them keep you on a liquid diet, depriving your body of basic nutrients. Others suggest herbal laxatives and colonics. Our bodies have natural detoxification methods that work very well, so we do we really need these?
Because these detox diets are extremely low calorie diets, people experience common symptoms such as tiredness and lethargy. Long term detox diets can cause headaches, constipation, bad breath, and your metabolic rate will slow down, thus you will burn less fat. Also, since these detox diets are so restrictive on calories, your body goes into a starvation mode- it will store all your consumed calories as fat, and burn muscle.
To cleanse your colon, increase fiber in your diet. The diuretics and laxatives suggested in detox diets increase your waste output, and can cause severe dehydration. Also, they can change your electrolyte levels which may result in serious health problems. These diets can weaken your body's immune system to fight infection and inflammation.
Read about Atkins diet, GM diet and other diets- along with their fad diet side effects. Many people use these diets to lose weight. They do experience fast weight loss, but due to the nature of the diet, once they return to their normal life, they regain the weight back. The key really is to adopting a healthy diet that is long term. And a healthy diet does not mean boiled veggies and raw fruits. It just needs to be balanced. Also the focus should be on fat loss instead of weight loss and being healthy.