Detox diets

Detox diets are essentially about trying to rid of our bodies of the many pollutants that afflict them. These include alcohol, caffeine, cigarette smoke, food additives, pesticides and poor diet in general.

Detox diets are about purifying the body of toxins that are thought to be stored in the body. These mild poisons may cause us to gain weight as well as effecting our overall well being by making us more tired, irritable, vulnerable to illness, bloated and unhappy.

While there are many different types of detox diet, most of them focus on cutting out alcohol, caffeine and junk food. Some can be quite strict in terms of what can and cannot be eaten. Meat and fish are generally avoided. There's an emphasis on fruit and raw vegetables as well as drinking lots of water.

Yoghurt is also often recommended as well as herbal supplements. The effect is that of the short sharp shock and as calorie intake is drastically reduced, weight loss occurs quickly. Most of these regimes last from a week to ten days. They are not intended for long-term use but rather are about cleansing the body of harmful substances before embarking on a healthier long-term nutritional plan. For this reason, they have proven to be particularly popular after holiday periods of indulgence such as Christmas. They can be a useful way to get yourself back on a more healthy track although without follow through in terms of exercise and eating a balanced diet, the benefits are likely to be short term.