by Caroline Moran

Detox is essentially the removal of toxins and waste products to leave the body cleansed. This is achieved by following a diet of only fresh, unprocessed foods which eliminate those foods that can cause the build of toxins.

What are these toxins?

Toxic substances enter our bodies every minute of the day in the air we breath, the water we drink and the food we eat. If you live in the city the air is more polluted so you are exposed to more toxins. If you eat a diet high in processed foods you are exposed to more toxins because of the chemicals they contain.

What are the benefits of detox diets?

The main advantages of the eDiet are:

- it can help you lose weight in the short term
- it can increase your energy levels
- it does effectively eliminate toxins from the body

The main drawbacks of the eDiet are as follows:

- a diet of only fresh, unprocessed foods is very expensive to follow
- very few people will be able to follow such a strict eating plan for any length of time
- many of it's benefits are simply a result of adopting a healthier eating plan i.e. more fruit and vegetables and less processed foods.

So is the detox diet worth trying?

If you try the detox diet you will probably be happy with the initial result - more energy and noticeable weight loss. However this is simply a result of a healthier eating plan. More fruit and vegetables and less processed/high fat foods will obviously have an impact on the way you feel and look.You don't really have to follow a strict detox diet to achieve. Indeed this can often be counterproductive. Because of the limited foods you can eat and the cost of the foods it is almost impossible to follow a detox plan for longer than a month. And what's the most common thing people do when they come off a diet - they gorge themselves on all the food they've missed.