There are a million fasts out there for dieters. Juice, water, cabbage soup, etc. Lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper
for 10 days. Yes, I have tried some, I admit,
as a magic bullet to a flatter tummy and a lower number on the scale. I’m not saying they did not work to some
extent – but it was primarily water loss and now I realize muscle loss and
nutritional disaster. Please note - I’m only addressing fasting here for
dieting and/or cleansing purposes, not for other reasons such as prayer and fasting,
etc.
I am a big believer in eating intentionally, healthfully and
not eliminating any food group out of your system unless it is for a specific
medical purpose (like abolishing gluten if you have celiac disease, for
example). I question the validity and wisdom
of eating only fruit and veggies for weeks.
Your muscles need of protein.
Your body needs certain fats.
There are reasons we are to eat a variety of foods in reasonable
proportions. Now, while I do think there
are certain foods that are best left alone (white sugar, white bread, white
potatoes, white rice, artificial sweeteners, soda), I believe in the plate that
has half filled with veggies, one-quarter with a carb (like a sweet potato) and
a quarter with protein (fish, chicken, etc.).
I’m all about balance across the board, be it food, exercise, time
management… a balanced life is my goal. On occasion if I am feeling sluggish and bloated I may eat lighter fare, more veggies and salads and always always water... but only for a day or two, monitoring how I feel and ensuring I get protein.
That being said, I wanted to share with you today an article
from Prevention Magazine entitled “Do You Really Need a Cleanse?” by Holly C.
Corbett. Holly (in the name of
journalism and, oh yeah, a week before an island vacation requiring a bathing
suit), sets out to do a liquid fast. I
think you will find this article informative, realistic and funny. I’ve copied it below, but you can also access
it at this link:
So before you chain yourself to your bathroom in the name of
“cleansing”, read this article. Then
think again. It gives a whole ‘nuther
meaning to “fast food”!!!
Blessings and a wonderful healthful, balanced weekend filled with good
foods, love and laughter,
Coach Linda
*****************************
Do You Really Need A
Cleanse?
Peer inside the daily
diary of woman on a liquid cleanse. Plus: Top nutritionists weigh in on whether
these diets help—or harm—your health.
Nothing riles up health
writers like the debate over the relative merits and perils of detox diets. In
one camp, you have women convinced that cleanses are needed to flush harmful
toxins from your body; in the other are people persuaded they’re dangerous fad
diets that deprive you of essential nutrients (and then trigger
binges). I was in neither, so I decided to give one a whirl myself.
Now, I’d like to say my
motivation was pure professional curiosity: A desire to use my body as a
research tool so that I could better report on a trend that celebrities like
Gwyneth Paltrow to Beyoncé have sworn by, inspiring legions of women in their
wake. But that wouldn’t be completely true. When I volunteered to test a liquid
cleanse, it just so happened I had a trip planned to a tropical island just one
week later. If, in the name of journalism, I could also feel better in my
two-piece, well, wouldn’t that be nice?
There are countless
trendy detox diets out there, but I opted for the Master Cleanse. Sure,
subsisting on spicy lemonade for 10 days sounded like cruel and unusual
punishment. But unlike other cleanses that cost hundreds of dollars, this one
was super easy to follow, and it was cheap. In fact, the only ingredients
required were laxative tea, organic lemons, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup.
Ten days sounded like a
bit much, so I tasked myself with trying it for five. Here is my daily diary of
what happened. Warning: You’d best stop here if toilet humor isn’t your cup of
(laxative) tea.
 |
| Photo courtesty of Prevention Magazine |
Day 1: Salt-water
guzzling and gag reflexes
When I first read about the “internal salt water bathing” that followers are advised to do first thing in the morning, I think it sounds pleasant and soothing—until I actually read the instructions. You’re supposed to chug an entire quart of lukewarm water mixed with two teaspoons of uniodized sea salt. “The salt and water will…quickly and thoroughly wash the entire digestive tract in about one hour. Several eliminations will likely occur,” says the Master Cleanse handbook. Trying to get it down feels like being smacked in the face with a wave while my mouth is open. The first time, I nearly vomit. “Thank God I work from home,” I keep telling myself, as I sprint from my computer to my bathroom.
But was there some untold benefit to all of this? “There is absolutely no scientific evidence that our body needs to fast or detox in order to cleanse itself from toxins,” says Heather Mangieri, RD, CSSD, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “These diets are so popular because they feed off the fear that our environment is full of chemicals, and therefore detoxes are necessary. But our bodies have their own built-in defense system—such as our lungs, liver, kidney, and gastrointestinal tract—to help eliminate toxins.”
Day
2: Twilight wake-ups and killer cramps
Surprisingly, I'm not
ravenous after drinking only spicy lemonade that first day, though my head is
foggy and I'm ready to trade one whole day of my beach vacation for a small cup
of coffee. Still, for some reason, ending my day with a cup of laxative tea is
kind of pleasant—until about 4 AM, when killer abdominal cramps wrestle me
awake and send me careening for the bathroom. I begin to wonder if this torture
is worth it, and whether cleaning out my colon is really going to do anything
to “purify” my body.
My research reveals that
if you’re simply looking to optimize your body’s natural detoxification system
or eliminate unhealthy habits, it’s going to take more than simply emptying out
your colon with something like the Master Cleanse. “Stuff in your colon is not
going to cause disease; it’s the stuff in your arteries and other internal
organs that leads to heart attacks or pancreatic cancer,”
says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, MPH, RD, author of the new book The Doctor’s
Detox Diet. “To help speed the
removal of plaques and cholesterol in your system and improve kidney and
liver function, you actually need food, such as whole vegetables and fruits, as
well as to drink plenty of fluids such as herbal tea and low-sugar vegetable
juices.” So there’s that.
Day
3: Cat breath and locker room scales
My husband kisses me
good morning and grimaces. “Your breath smells like a cat’s,” he tells me.
I tell him I’d already brushed my teeth. He hums cheerfully as he scrambles a
couple of eggs, the tantalizing aroma filling the house and making my stomach
feel like it’s eating itself. I head to my computer, sucking my spicy lemonade
furiously through a straw while willing him out the door.
Eventually, my stomach
cramps and hunger waves pass. My tummy does look flatter, less bloated. I even feel
energized enough to hit an evening Spin class! Off I go, and what a mistake!
Halfway through class I think, “Oh God, not here!” I try to power on but it’s no use. I rush to
the locker room for a bathroom break and on my way back, I spy a scale. I’ve
lost six pounds in just three days! I do the math and
calculate that I’m probably taking in about 700 calories—which probably explains
it.
To make sure, though, I
asked the pros. “You’re going to lose lots of water weight doing something like
the Master Cleanse, but you’ll also lose muscle because you’re depriving your
body of essential nutrients such as protein,” says Joy Dubost, PhD, RD, also a
spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Even worse? That only
sets you up for more weight gain later on because muscle burns extra
calories and boosts metabolism. Whoops.
Day
4: Super-sadness and scrambled eggs
I wake up feeling far
too weak for my morning run, but I’m not hungry, either. I actually feel kind
of sad. And not “I’m having a bad day” sad; I’m talking about “something is
wrong with my brain chemistry” sad.
At this point, I’m fed
up with my lack of energy, aching muscles, and foggy brain. I may have told
myself that the point of testing a liquid cleanse was to use my body as a
research tool, but I decide to flush this journalistic experiment (along with
the Master Cleanse) right down the toilet. And it’s not because I’m
hungry; it’s because I feel strongly that I’m doing a real number on my
body—and not a good number.
I fling open my
refrigerator and warm up the stove to make my typically healthy breakfast of
two scrambled eggs with steamed spinach. I swap coffee for organic peppermint
tea and instead of my usual gluten-free toast with peanut butter, I have a few
slices of watermelon.
After eating, I feel
like I’ve taken an upper. I almost immediately start to feel more positive and
energized. The fogginess burns off from my brain. I don’t have stomach cramps
like I worried I might after eating solid food. Throughout the day, I find
myself craving protein rather than my typical yearnings for sweet, and I’m
eating smaller servings—a cup of lentil soup here, some Greek yogurt there.
Best of all, my bad breath went away with my first meal—and hasn’t come back.
For this, my husband is truly, truly grateful.
The Verdict:
Would I recommend the
Master Cleanse? Definitely not, and here’s why: It deprives the body of healthy
fats and other essential nutrients; it also deprives the body of, well, food.
Further, my bad breath and frequent bathroom runs all but killed my
social life; my aching muscles and low energy meant I couldn’t
exercise at my normal intensity; and I felt cranky, lethargic,
and unmotivated. Worst of all? While I saw rapid pounds, it didn’t
last. Pounds lost in three days: 6. Pounds gained back within three days:
3.5.
That said, I did learn a
few things. I identified some of my unhealthy habits, like overdoing it on
portion size and reaching for food simply out of boredom, or because my husband
was eating. I also started feeling a little more mindful about my meals. I
realized I don't need as much food as I’d grown accustomed to eating, and my
cravings for processed food—my freezerful of low-fat ice cream sandwiches, for
instance—waned. More than anything, though, I felt like my taste buds woke up,
reacquainting me with the value and pleasure of eating whole, real foods. I
think I’ll stick with those for now.
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