Weight Loss Plan - Dismissing the Detox Myth

Posted 16 February 2009

Weight loss demands more than a month of detoxing - it's an attitude change towards nutrition and exercise.

January is the month for detoxing. After a Christmas of excess alcohol, excess food and excess chocolate it's not surprising so many people across the country turn to weight loss plans and detox diets. But weight loss is not something that can be achieved with a few weeks of detox. Many people detox not just to feel healthier but for weight loss goals. But experts say you're better off sticking to lifestyle changes and long-term approaches to nutrition and exercise rather than a month of extreme detoxing once a year.

Weight Loss - The Way to Feeling Healthy

The news headlines have recently buzzed with a debate around detoxing. Scientists have come forward to say detoxing doesn't work. In fact, many of the products promising body detoxification on sale simply have no evidence of working. Weight loss and eating a healthy diet is the best way to feel, as well as look, healthy, experts say. The opinions about detoxing were issued by a group, Sense About Science, who tested and reviewed 15 detox products, concluding that many of the detox claims were 'meaningless'.

Health Eating, Weight Loss and Exercise

There are countless products available claiming to detox the body, such as face scrubs, pills and bottled water. But in fact, the best way to tackle the post-Christmas bloat is to eat healthily to lose unwanted weight, and get plenty of sleep. The quality of our sleep is often reliant on how well we feel - if we have too much alcohol or fatty foods in our system, it can disrupt sleep patterns. By simply adopting a healthy living lifestyle more of us would experience healthy weight loss and feel, as well as look, better.

A Lifestyle Choice

The motivation behind the research was to debunk the myths around products that use pseudo-science. There has been an advertising trend seen in everything from moisturisers to hair shampoos that use scientific sounding words - but often such words don't actually mean anything. Detox patches for example are said to have little impact on removing toxins from the body - eating fruit and vegetables is the best way to detox, scientists say, as well as helping people achieve weight loss goals. One scientist examined a five-day detox plan. The plan offered a supplement to be taken alongside a healthy diet. Researchers concluded that the healthy diet, not the supplement, would be what actually makes people feel better. Weight loss, healthy living and exercise are all long term goals, not just short term ones. Some scientists have criticised the idea of having one month off from drinking or other unhealthy vices - what impacts on our overall health is a lifetime of drinking, eating or smoking - and taking one month off is thought to have no effect on the accumulated effects of our lifestyle over the years. If you want to achieve weight loss, to feel healthier and to live longer, you need to incorporate permanent changes to your lifestyle.

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