By Staff Reports
(DGIwire) — It seems everywhere you turn, someone is talking about detox diets or cleansing fasts.
U.S. cardiology researchers reported in Science Daily that you can lower your risk of developing coronary artery disease and diabetes along with improving cholesterol levels by fasting. They also found that a 24-hour fast can boost natural human growth hormone (HGH) releases and stimulate stem cell production.
The American Heart Association had previously looked at religious groups that regularly fast just one day per month and found they have lower rates of heart disease.
Many people have tried the Master Cleanse, Fat Flush, Lemon Detox Diet, Liver Detox Diet, Cabbage Soup diet… People usually try them in an effort to lose weight. If you can stick with them, you do lose weight but much of it is lean body mass, specifically your muscles. This leaves you desperately craving food and frequently leads to binging and more body fat than you started with.
Extreme diets usually end in frustration and can be dangerous because most are unbalanced and seriously lacking in nutrition. The associated fluid (water) losses often cause an upset in electrolyte balance resulting in headaches, fatigue, upset stomach, anxiety, bad moods and usually dehydration.
Most experts warn against any radical changes in your diet unless it is supervised by a qualified health professional.
“These diets are not only unhealthy but also unnecessary. When you focus on eating a diet consisting of the same types of natural, unprocessed foods that we evolved on and eat them in the way we historically consumed them, your body is “detoxing” on a daily basis and special fasts or detox diets are not needed. Our natural patterns of eating, activity and circadian rhythms are encoded in our DNA, based on millions of years of evolution and cannot be successfully circumvented,” according to Tom Griesel, co-author of Turbocharged: Accelerate Your Fat Burning Metabolism, Get Lean Fast and Leave Diet and Exercise Rules in the Dust (BSH 2011).
The key to optimal health is maximum nutrition. This means getting the maximum amount and variety of nutrients from every calorie you consume. Whole, natural, unprocessed foods are required. The more processed and manufactured food choice you make, the worse your health will be. This is an undisputed fact.