Detoxification of the body is done for many reasons. Most people are familiar with detoxification being used for breaking an addiction (such as to drugs and alcohol) and purging the body of those foreign invaders. Detox works for drug addicts and alcoholics because it completely rids their bodies of these poisons and resets their natural balance of needs.
The same is true when detox is used for health and well being. The end result of this is that dramatic weight loss also occurs. But this isn't only because of a calorie and fat reduction (like most traditional and less successful diets). Weight loss in detox diet (or cleansing diet) programs occurs because the body is purified and rid of waste materials and toxins that accumulate from birth.
Such toxins come from the human diet but also from environmental and air pollution, and from things we put on our bodies like lotions, cosmetics, and more. Hence, toxins are to some extent unavoidable and the need for the body to be cleansed is constant and ongoing.
But why does removing toxins through a detoxification or cleanse result in such dramatic weight reduction?
The Detox-Weight Loss Link
To begin, understand that although the human body is designed to eliminate wastes and toxins (through blood, sweat, and organs like the liver and kidneys) our input of chemicals, wastes, food and environmental toxins is too great (particularly in this modern age of preservatives and pollution). The body's natural processes simply cannot flush out all of the toxins we encounter and store. That is why 80% of a given individual's colon is blocked at death, even in "healthy" people.
All of these toxins and blockages build up to pounds and pounds of unnecessary and harmful weight. Additionally, in an effort to keep poisons out of the bloodstream, the body stores toxins and chemicals in fat cells throughout the body. The body tries hard not to let these cells loose (as in during weight loss) because it does not want these toxins free ranging throughout the body. The result is fat cells that are difficult to lose.
Cleansing diets, however, work with natural elements to release these stores of chemicals and built-up waste matter, clearing out the system. This is done through a number of natural bodily processes that need only the right kinds of food substances to promote the process. Ways this is done through detoxification include the following:
Detoxification increases fecal regularity and bile flow.
Detox assists the liver in breaking down excessive fats (because what we are unable to break down, we store).
Detox increases hydration (through water input) which is widely known to be elemental in successful weight loss.
Detox diets reduce calories without the need for meticulous calorie counting for months on end.
Detox programs place an overall attention on a better, cleaner way of living.
Better Living = Better Health & Weight Loss
The continued focus on better living is how detox programs prolong weight loss and healthy living. Through the examples provided in detox diet programs, cleansers learn to choose foods that do not add to their toxic load and help clarify the body on a daily basis.
Better overall living and weight control also occurs because detox and cleansing diets include foods that are rich in nutrients and antioxidants. Antioxidants are key players in eliminating harmful free-radicals that cause damage to body tissues and may even lead to cancers. This further improves the ability to function optimally.
The benefits of using a detox diet plan are many. Not only does fast and effective weight loss occur, but the way to continue in a healthy lifestyle to maintain toxin reduction (and hence optimal weight) is also learned. In this way, detox diets give people who are overweight a double edge: they get the fast results that keeps them motivated, and they learn how to live better, poison free, and longer in the meantime.
