Latoya Grindley, Gleaner Writer

Detox diets are becoming increasingly popular. Because of health reasons, and as people become more health conscious, various types of detox dieting are considered. Detox diets are expected to eliminate toxins or other contaminants from the body, which can even lead to certain illnesses.

Detox diets

However, what many may not be so keen on is that detox diets are used to promote weight loss. Hadiyyeh Zohoori-Dossa, nutritionist at the Diabetes Centre, on Downer Avenue in Kingston, confirms that detox diets do work in helping with weight loss. "Yes, it (detox diet) does work . It initially gets rid of toxins and then, after the detox, it would be advised that a specific programme be followed."

An advocate of detox diets, Zohoori-Dassa says these diets can be as short as three days and go up to a possible seven days (one week). She does not recommend detox dieting beyond that time frame. There are several types of detox diets, including, master-cleanse detox, juice fast/liquid diets, mono-fruit detox diet and raw-food detox. Zohoori-Dossa says of all the detox diets she believes the juice diet is the type most commonly used. This entails drinking only fruit and vegetable juices.

Like most diets, detox diets can present side effects. To avoid this, the nutritionist notes that before starting a detox diet, an assessment is done on the client. Information like the person's weight, nutritional status and deficiencies are important pointers.

Losing weight

Chantelle Gibson, who normally seeks the advice of her nutritionist, follows a detailed detox diet plan whenever she wants to lose weight rapidly. She says she prefers the raw-food detox diet which consists of eating only fruits and vegetables. "I dance, which means I have to be lifted by other people, and you don't want to be too heavy, so on certain weekends or even for a week, I'll stop eating all I used to and just have fruits and vegetables." This diet, she says, is taxing on her body as she experiences dizzy spells and physical weakness. "It is pure torture which is why I restrict my activities, but the result is normally good because not only am I cleansing my system, but I can also lose up to six pounds."

Detox diets sound like the ideal way to shed a few pounds in a short time span but it is not guaranteed that those unwanted pounds won't come back. This is why great emphasis should be placed on maintaining a healthy diet. Before starting a detox diet programme, it is strongly advised that you consult a nutritionist.

latoya.grindley@gleanerjm.com