The Detox Diet Controversy

Detox or Starvation?
The detox diet has come under harsh scrutiny over the past few months. There are ample claims that the only weight lost is the water weight form the initial fast and the natural weight loss occurs from cutting caloric intake. The detox diet is quite restrictive, to the point where some people are calling it a starvation diet. There have been countless articles written by "experts" that state that the detox diet endangers people, stating that it creates yo-yo dieting, an unhealthy relationship with food, and even can contribute to the development of an eating disorder.

We also know that the vast majority of the "experts" who write these articles are those in the health and weight loss industry, such as nutritionists, health program supervisors, weight loss counselors, and lay people with an extreme interest in health and fitness. While I am certainly not suggesting that anyone is fabricating evidence or creating thought processes that are not accurate, I am however, indicating that when a person is educated to see things in one specific manner, it can be very difficult for them to see the same principles in a varying manner. For example, if a dietician goes to college and is taught that green beans cause cancer, that dietician will graduate believing that green beans cause cancer. If the same dietician returns for occasional classes to keep her education current, and over the course of the next ten years, the dietician is once again taught that green beans cause cancer, then the dietician will continue to believe this and teach her clients this as well. Fifteen years later someone comes along and points out to the dietician that green beans don't cause cancer, how likely is the dietician to believe that green beans don't cause cancer?
This phenomenon is not solely related to dieticians and health related fields. This phenomenon actual relates to every field. As a writer I was taught that you never speak in double negatives. It's a basic principle I apply every day. If someone tried to convince me that the rules had suddenly changed, right or wrong, it has already been ingrained in me that double negatives are inappropriate and you shouldn't use them. Thus, if I criticize this new theory without completely re-educating myself on the basic rules of English and grammar, then I am relying solely on my previous knowledge to dispute this issue.
So let's break away from conventional dieticians and explore the detox diet with a completely blank slate. I am not a dietician. I am just a writer is interested to know whether the detox diet is a healthy form of purification, or if it is a hidden form of starvation that does nothing but allow some water weight loss and makes you believe you are healthier. I have assembled three people who have done the detox diet and three who have not. Granted, this is not a huge percentage to pull from, but I am not using them as test subjects, only to ask them to verify or deny detox diet statements that are made from both testimonials from detox dieters and criticism from dieticians.

Fasting and Purity

For centuries people have fasted for purity. If we look back through even ancient texts, we will find that the fasting was not for spiritual purity alone, but for physical purity as well. Fasting for purity often left the spiritual seeker feeling initially drained and then once again reenergized within a thirty six hour period. The purity that they felt within their spirits was also a purity that they felt through their body. This argument can be easily criticized that they felt their body's purity because of their spiritual lifting. All three detox dieters, who were not in search of spiritual enlightenment, all agreed that they felt weak from the initial starvation, but began to feel "clearer," before the end of the second day. None of them agreed that they were experiencing starvation. They all felt their fasting led to at least some form of physical purity.

In medical science, there are times when doctors recommend fasting. Not including pre surgical procedures, most fasting requirements are for some form of "readying" or purity. Prior to starting diets that treat illnesses, such as the ketogenic diet, there is a period of fasting required beforehand.

Critics of the detox diet claim that the headaches and general all over yucky feeling people experience in the first week of a detox diet is from a lack of food. However, champions of the detox diet say that the headaches and the generally "yucky" feeling they get when fasting coincides with a noticeable change in their excretions. My three detox dieters all agreed that when their urine and bowel movements became noticeably more "aromatic" they found themselves with headaches and a feeling of overall fatigue. They did not contribute this feeling to fasting.

I did an online search and found eleven dieticians that negated the detox diet. Each one of them claimed that the headaches were from the fasting, however, each of them offered their own version of the detox diet. Interesting. The dieticians' versions included what could almost be considered fasting. Their idea of not fasting was eating some fruit and yogurt. Most detox diets do not include a total fasting period.
The critics of the detox diet are not impressed with the detox diet weight loss. They claim that the detox diet weight loss comes from the loss of water weight during the fasting period and will be regained quickly when normal eating is resumed. The detox diet weight loss comes from various sources. If you are doing a complete detoxification, including the colon, all three of my detox dieters claim that you can see where some of the weight loss comes from as you are flushing it down the toilet. Two of my detox dieters had to call plumbers from the excessive waste they produced. Their detox diet weight loss has remained, and two of them started the detox diet more than six months prior to this writing. Detox diet weight loss remained in all three of my dieters because they make better choices. They resumed normal eating habits, but they did not return to ingesting large amounts of junk foods. They claim that the detox diet showed them how important maintaining a low toxic level was to their overall health.

Just Another Diet Trend?

The critics of the detox diet claim that this diet trend, like all those that came before it, is no more effective than anything else that has been put out there. Whenever a new diet trend comes along, people rush to participate, and then claim that it doesn't work. Not all diets will work for everyone. I tried the Atkins diet for awhile with little or no results, but a man I knew lost nearly thirty pounds on it. However Atkins doesn't work very well for people who are not significantly overweight, according to some critics and apparently my body. So, does that mean that the detox diet is more than just another diet trend, or will it fall to the wayside after a bit like every other diet trend. Of my detox dieters, 2 out of three say it's not a diet trend. It is a method of cleansing the body, which other diet trends simply don't do. The 3rd dieter says it is a diet trend, but a highly effective diet trend, and if a diet trend is effective then who cares if it's a trend? Interesting point.
Diet trend and fads usually don't carry much weight behind their claims. They are simply a theory produced to suggest that the latest Diet trend is the most effective weight loss plan and everyone needs to jump on board before their obesity claims them forever. The detox diet has a different aim, so I really poked around when trying to determine if this was simply just a diet trend or more of a health revolution.
There is overwhelming evidence that Americans and Canadians are in the poorest health overall, considering the health care we have available. The healthcare we have at our fingertips should make us one of the healthiest nations in the world, but we rank very low on the list. Most doctors and scientists contribute this to the foods we put into our body and the chemicals we come in contact with when eating, working, and playing. For the health choices that we have available to us, we have one of the highest rates of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and childhood cancer rates in the world. Of course, we also rank ridiculously high on the list for overweight and obese citizens.

The detox diet is concerned with addressing the overall health of Americans, not just their waistline. The diet trends that have come along have been concerned with treating the waistline issues, but not the overall health. So, is the detox diet just another diet trend? By technical definition, a diet trend meaning any new method of eating introduced into society that creates a sudden onslaught of followers, well then yes. However, it can't be considered a diet trend by any other definition. It was simply not developed for the same reasons or the same fashion that diet trends hit the market.
Thin people can benefit from the detox diet. Overweight people can benefit from the detox diet. Everyone in between can benefit from the detox diet. The detox diet isn't targeted for weight loss. Thus it is really about a healthier lifestyle. Detox dieting is geared toward permanent health. After a significant purge of the body's chemical and toxic build up, the detox diet is geared to long lasting non-toxic lifestyles rather than diet trends, which tend to be geared toward lifestyles that manage weight.

Decide for Yourself

Discover for yourself the difference in a good quality detox diet and just another diet trend. The best consumer is an informed consumer. Check out detox manual and decide for yourself about the power of a good detox diet. After the research I did for this article, I am definitely stopping at detox manual and taking my own detox diet trip.

What Exactly is the Mediterranean Diet?

By its name alone, the Mediterranean diet attracts a lot of current and would be dieters due to its exotic name. But what is it exactly? One concern of the Mediterranean diet is that it allows 40% fat consumption compared to the 30% of the American Heart Association. Let's go into more detail as it seems a waste to just let it go without giving it a fair reading.

The Mediterranean diet evolved from the respective diets of countries surrounding the Mediterranean basin. Among the countries surrounding the basin are the south of France, southern Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus. Originally introduced by American doctor Ancel Keys, the diet failed to gain popular recognition until the 1990's. Based on scientific data, people around the Mediterranean basin had lower rates of cardiovascular disease compared to Americans who, for all intents and purposes, consumed the same relative amount of fat. One possible explanation is the presence of olive oil and red wine. Olive oil lowers cholesterol levels in the blood while red wine contains flavonoids. Flavonoids are anti-oxidants that also help the body when dealing with allergenic material, viruses and cancer causing agents.

Another contributing factor to a European's better health could be the fact that they tend to walk more than Americans do. Questions have also been raised as to whether the Mediterranean diet contributes enough iron and calcium to the diet. Green vegetables and goat cheese have been found to contribute these nutrients respectively.
The thing about the Mediterranean diet is that its foods are often rich and tasty thanks to olive oil. Normally, margarine and hydrogenated oils lack the flavor that olive oil gives out. Another part of the diet is regular but moderate consumption of red wine. Saturated fat consumption is low as opposed to high amounts of monounsaturated fat and dietary fiber. This is due to the fact that the diet includes big servings of fruits, vegetables, breads, cereals, olive oil and fish.

In comparing the food pyramid of the United States against the Mediterranean diet, people of the Mediterranean consumed fruits, vegetables and grain just as Americans do. The main difference lies in the fact that Americans consume more red meat. Consumption of cold water fish is also prominent in the Mediterranean diet. This results in reduced risks of heart disease, cancer and improved immune system functions. Compared to the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) pyramid, the Mediterranean diet contains little saturated and trans fat that raise cholesterol in the blood. The USDA's pyramid does not differentiate from healthy and unhealthy fats.

Characteristically speaking, the Mediterranean diet has high consumption of olive oil. Breads, cereals, fruits and vegetables likewise have a high rate of consumption in the diet. Fish and poultry as well as wine are moderately consumed while eggs and red meat are rated as very low in consumption.
The problem with most diets is that they tend to be extreme. Some diets, like the vegetarian diet, limit a person to just eating fruits, tofu, yogurt and vegetables. Other diets would require high protein intake while severely limiting intake of the other food groups. Like a user friendly computer, the Mediterranean diet does not go to extremes to achieve a desired result. The diet allows for consumption of tasty foods. This allows the dieter to actually enjoy the gastronomic delights normally prohibited by other diets. A solid testament to this fact rests on the presence of wine in the diet.

The most surprising aspect of the Mediterranean diet is that fat is regarded as a healthy dietary component. Keep in mind that it is the fat that gives food most of its flavor. Two substances, omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats, are considered to be healthy and are not restricted in the diet. Olive oil, canola oil and nuts are good sources of monounsaturated fat while fish, vegetables and nuts contain the healthy omega-3 acids. Saturated fats and trans fat, on the other hand are considered to be unhealthy as they contribute to heart disease. Red meat, butter cheese and milk are sources of saturated fat while processed foods contain hydrogenated oils from which trans fat comes from.

From what has been written so far, and from all the sources and references where this article was taken from, the Mediterranean diet comes highly recommended by health professionals. The Mediterranean diet maintains a healthy but tasty, smorgasbord of delicious foods with which you can maintain a healthy diet without the need to sacrifice flavor and variety. While we appreciate the people who struggle and strive to come up with healthy diets, good food carries more weight in our stomachs.

Detox Diet Benefits

What to Expect when Detox Dieting
All detox diets are a little bit different. Some restrict food down to almost nothing while others allow for mostly veggies, beans, fruit, and rice. There are a few things that you should expect when beginning a detox diet, so that you can receive the full detox diets benefits.
Your body is significantly used to adjusting to toxins and poisons running through your body. One of the greatest detox diet benefits, naturally, is that you will rid your body of these toxins and poisons. There are side effects of receiving these detox diet benefits. If you are particularly used to that steaming cup of caffeinated beverage in the morning, you will experience caffeine withdrawal. While it may not seem like it while you are experiencing caffeine withdrawal, this is one of the detox diet benefits. Once your body has adjusted to the absence of caffeine, you should find that you have more energy.
Constipation is considered a leading cause of lethargy and fatigue. One of the detox diet benefits is the cleansing of the colon, which can cure even long term constipation. I had a room mate that was on narcotic pain relievers for over a year due to a severe injury. The narcotics kept her chronically constipated. The day she was finally through with her narcotic pain relievers, she went through a detox diet. She found that the detox diet benefits included relieving her body of the narcotic dependency as well as relieved her chronic constipation. She now regularly cleanses and detoxifies her colon when she is having difficulty going to the restroom, with obvious detox diet benefits as she returns from the restroom with a pleased grin on her face instead of the anguish she used to live in.
Even with the detox diet benefits, some people report feeling a bit weak about one week into the detox diet. Most detox diets do reduce food consumption, which can have an effect. The basic key is knowing how to elongate the effects of the foods you do eat. Those who really struggle with the lowered food consumption report that splitting the lunches into 2 meals works better for them than eating just the suggested breakfast and lunch. This still gives them the detox diet benefits but doesn't introduce additional foods into the scenario. Most detox diet experts state that provided you are not adding additional foods to the diet, segregating the meals into smaller snacks is perfectly acceptable.
The excessive water consumption associated with the detox diet is going to encourage your system to flush, which means you will be visiting the rest room much more often. This is a positive detox diet benefit. The more water that flushes your system the more toxins that will exit your body when you excrete it, and excreting it often will enhance the productivity of the entire process.
One of the little known detox diet benefits is the regeneration of the liver that can occur while following a detox diet. Milk thistle is typically recommended as part of the supplementation of the detox diet. Milk thistle aids in the liver's ability to regenerate. It's not a cure for liver disease, however it can help in the prevention of a liver disease, along with other changes to your lifestyle.
What Not to Expect when Detox Dieting
Detox dieting is designed to alleviate the ailments associated with large quantities of toxins that are built up in the human body. Detox dieting is not a "cure" for every disease. While most people experience great relief from every day annoying symptoms, detox dieting does not eliminate diseases that are already in the system. For instance, you can not rid you body of cancer cells by detox dieting. The cancer cells, for starters are not an actual toxin. They may have been caused by toxins, but the cells themselves are not something that can be flushed away.
Most people drop several pounds when detox dieting. There are those who drop a significant amount of weight when detox dieting. This is normal, and while some of it can be contributed to the flushing of fat cells, water weight, and calorie reduction, there is some permanent weight loss happening provided you do not return to eating habits that are probable for weight gain. This means that if you were prone to eating potato chips and cookies prior to detox dieting and you return to eating potato chips and cookies after detox dieting, you will gain the weight back. This may seem obvious, but there are plenty of foods that people believe contain a low calorie and low fat content but in reality they contain quite the opposite. An avocado for example contains nearly three times the amount of fat and calories as a measured serving of enriched white rice. While detox dieting, learn to recognize the foods you are putting into your body and what they actually do once they enter your gullet.
Detox dieting is not a cure for serious emotional or mental conditions, such as clinical depression. While many people admit to feeling less "depressed" during and after detox dieting, there is a difference between situational depression and clinical depression. Clinical depression requires medication. Detox dieting can not take the place of medication that is necessary to function on a day to day basis. Situational depression may be alleviated through detox dieting simply because you are taking control of your body, your health, in essence, your situation. These two depressions are significantly different.
How is Detox Dieting Different from Other Diet Plans?
Diet plans are a dime a dozen. There are grapefruit diet plans and the Atkins diet plan and the green tea diet plan and the national chain diet plans. An individual can spend countless hours and thousands of dollars "trying on" various diet plans. Some will work while others will ultimately fail. Why? Because not all diet plans will work for everyone. Does detox dieting work for everyone? Yes. Why? Because losing weight is a by product of the goal. The goal is to clean the body of the various toxins and wastes which have accumulated over the years. This is a process of ridding the body of the ailing chemicals we introduce it to on a daily basis while eliminating the build up of residual toxins. Weight loss occurs as a result of numerous factors, but weight loss in not the primary goal of a detox diet plan.
Keep in mind that not all detox diet plans are the same. Some detox diet plans are put together by professionals who understand the body's ability to cleanse itself of these harmful chemicals. While diet plans are typically put together by an entrepreneurial spirit, the detox diet plan was actually something that originated by a naturopathist, an individual who studies the various body types and how they process things on their own unique level. Since the detox diet plan was developed, there have been a remarkable number of "knock off" detox diet plans that have shown up on the market. These are all plans that suggest you stop eating and drink only diluted juice for several days (beyond twenty four hours this becomes unhealthy) and then limits food intake so dramatically that people find it impossible to stick to. If you're going to try any diet plan at all, it would simply make sense to start at the beginning. The beginning of healthy weight loss is a healthy body.
The dramatic detox diet benefits is that people who tried to detoxify their bodies using the original detox diet plan found themselves losing weight as a welcome surprise. Detox dieting has grown in popularity due to its dual effect. Detox dieting cleanses the body of the toxins and as a result, weight loss occurs. There simply isn't another diet plan that can match that no matter what they claim.
We live in a cluttered and chemically enriched society. Compare our lifestyles, our food products, and our basic need for heat and eat meals to the lifestyles and foods of people in remote and natural regions such as the Pacific Islands. People in natural regions are healthier overall. They eat natural foods that haven't been laced with chemicals and they live natural lives that don't revolve around the constant breathing of polluted air. Their bodies are not only healthier, but they are naturally thinner. They have fewer health complaints such as headaches and toothaches and stomach cramping.
The detox diet plan can help you jumpstart your body toward a healthier state of being. Naturally, effective detox dieting requires an effective detox diet plan. You really shouldn't just linger out there in cyberspace hoping the right detox diet plan will pop up into your browser. There are very few detox diet plans that I would dare put my stamp of approval on. However, one in particular I have found has excellent reviews by some actual detox dieters. Finding an authentic detox diet plan that is effective, safe, and of course reliable shouldn't be left to luck.

Bobby Ryatt, If you enjoyed reading this articles, then go to my website where the detox guide is available. You will have all the information on the subject. The facts will open your eyes and expose some real truths.

Exercise|Top 20 Benefits

Top 20 Benefits of Exercise

• Elevates your metabolism so that you burn more calories everyday.
• Increases your aerobic capacity (fitness level). This gives you the ability to go through your day with less relative energy expenditure. This enables a "fit" person to have more energy at the end of the day and to get more accomplished during the day with less fatigue.
• Maintains, tones, and strengthens your muscle. Exercise also increases your muscular endurance.
• Decreases your blood pressure.
• Increases the oxidation (breakdown and use) of fat.
• Increases HDL (good) cholesterol.
• Makes the heart a more efficient pump by increasing stroke volume.
• Increases hemoglobin concentration in your blood. Hemoglobin is part of the red blood cell that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.
• Decreases the tendency of the blood to clot in the blood vessels. This is important because small clots traveling in the blood are often the cause of heart attacks and strokes.
• Increases the strength of the bones..
• Causes the development of new blood vessels in the heart and other muscles.
• Enlarges the arteries that supply blood to the heart.
• Decreases blood levels of triglycerides (fat).
• Improves control of blood sugar
• Improves sleep patterns.
• Increases the efficiency of the digestive system which may reduce the incidence of colon cancer.
• Increases the thickness of cartilage in joints which has a protective effect on the joints.
• Decreases a woman's risk of developing endometriosis by 50%.
• Increases the amount of blood that flows to the skin making it look and feel healthier.
• Exercise, in addition to all the physiological and anatomical benefits, just makes you feel GREAT!