HEALTHY

HABITS

CATHERINE SAXELBY’S

reasons a

5

Juice cleanses

contain little

fibre to keep

you satisfied

1

Short-term fix

A detox teaches you nothing

about healthy eating. Think of it

as a ‘super-extreme diet’, which

is more like fasting than dieting.

2

Yo-yo weight loss

You may lose weight quickly

on a detox, but once you return

to your regular eating habits,

chances are you will regain the

weight, and possible more.

3

Hunger pains

A detox can leave you so

ravenous that you break out and

binge on everything in sight, only

to then feel the need to detox

again. This is ‘disordered eating’

which is the opposite of the

mindful eating approach that

dietitians recommend, which

aims to

put you in

touch with

your body.

4

Social stigma

Eating out with friends can

be difficult and frustrating when

you’re on a restrictive detox diet,

as you can’t share in the food that

everyone else

is enjoying.

5

Tummy

trouble

If you eat no

fibre and do

little exercise

while on a low-food

intake, your bowels become

sluggish and slow right down.

They’re unable to do their job

of eliminating waste,

leaving you feeling

bloated and constipated.

Bottom line
A detox is not the answer
to your weight problems.
Your body doesn’t ever
need to detox — your liver
and kidneys do an excellent
job of eliminating wastes.
But to get your health back on
track, try making small changes,
such as reducing portion sizes
or cutting back on processed
Photos: iStock. food and alcohol.^

DETOX

NEVER

WORKS

FEBRUARY 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 21

L

emon detox, juice cleanse ... it’s that

time of year when a detox seems ideal

for clearing the holiday excess. But with

barely any carbs, fi bre or protein to sustain

you, detoxes are not nutritionally balanced,

and can do more harm than good. Here are

fi ve good reasons why you shouldn’t detox.

After a detox,

you’re likely to

regain any weight

lost & even put

more on

hfg NEWS