Detox diets vs other diets: Which one to choose?

If you are thinking about trying to detox your body, you will find several options. Detox diets are one among many ways to cleanse and detox the body. It can become confusing once you start doing the research. 

Detox diets are specific kinds of diets designed to rid the body of toxins and reset your natural systems for eliminating toxins. If you begin to search for ways to rid your body of toxins, you will likely find several ways of doing this. 

There are cleanse diets, body rest diets, and other programs that are supposed to help you feel healthier. Detox diets are one way among many to achieve good health. This is where things get difficult. How do you choose the best way to get yourself back to optimum health? 

The best way to go about this is to get the basic information on detox diets and other types of diets. What these various diets have to offer can make it possible for you to decide which will work best for you. What are detox diets? What are the other options when it comes to cleaning the body of toxins? And which is the best way to get my body back to maximum health?  

What is a detox diet?

A detox diet is most often a short-term dietary procedure designed to remove toxins from your diet and to assist your body in eliminating toxins from your body. 

Many detox diets include a period of fasting followed by a strict program of fruits and vegetables, juices from both fruits and vegetables, and water. Many detox diets also include teas, nut milk, and supplements designed to help natural processes like liver and excretory functions.  

There are a few detox diets and protocols that call for things like colon cleanses and enemas. 

The purposes of a detox diet are to remove toxins from the diet and the body and to stimulate natural physiological functions that cleanse the body. Specifically, a detox diet works to:

• Give your organs a break.
• Stimulate liver function. 
• Facilitate elimination through urine, feces, and sweat. 
• Improve circulation
• Boost nutrients in your body. 

Keep in mind that many things we eat that are meant to be healthy may still contain toxins that accumulate over time. Even if you maintain a healthy diet you still can benefit from a detox diet. 

Some of the benefits of a detox diet include improved digestion, alleviate inflammation, and may protect against many serious chronic diseases. 

Health benefits of a detox diet 

Any program that regulates what you eat is designed to provide certain benefits. The benefits of detox diets are many. The process of ridding your body of toxins and allowing your natural elimination systems to return to maximum health provides several important benefits. 

Digestive Health

Everything we eat has an impact on our digestive system. When we are consuming toxic and harmful chemicals, our digestive system is perhaps the first thing to suffer.  Detox diets cleanse the digestive system while providing foods that are simple in molecular structure and therefore easy to breakdown. The benefits of digestion are two-fold: the system gets a rest, and the processes it needs to perform are vastly simplified. 

Control Cravings

We see above that a detox diet can help you lose weight. In addition to the weight loss, a detox diet can help you stay fit by controlling cravings. By relying largely on the liquids that characterize much of a detox diet, your body becomes accustomed to lower intake and slower easier metabolic load. Over time, your cravings for foods will decrease.

Increased Energy

The toxins we take in every day create a burden for your liver. With the liver working too hard you will begin to feel fatigued. By decreasing the toxins you take in and simultaneously cleaning your body of built-up toxins, the liver begins to work more efficiently and this is passed on to your entire body in the form of more energy. 

Improved Mental Health

Hormones are involved with all physiological functions. One of the primary ways hormones are regulated in our bodies is through our diet. One hormone specifically associated with stress is cortisol which increases our stress levels. A detox diet reduces the stress load on the liver which in turn allows the liver to process and eliminate cortisol. 

The net benefit is decreased stress and a profound decrease in the physiological effects of stress.  What is more, the more egregious toxins like alcohol and caffeine are linked to things like fatigue and poor sleeping patterns. These hurt our mental health. By eliminating these things through a detox diet and giving your body the added boost you need to process these toxins in the body, you will experience better sleep, more energy, and an overall better emotional state. 

Essentials of a detox diet

There are some essentials to an effective detox diet. The goal is to reduce your food intake to only the most important nutrients and to eliminate any foods that can contain compounds that stress the body’s detox and elimination systems. These are some essentials for a healthy detox diet.

Phytonutrients

These are the nutrients you get primarily from plants and vegetables. Since the main source of nutrition during most detox diets are fruit and vegetable juices, you will get a solid dose of phytonutrients. These compounds do things like bind with toxic metals in the blood and remove them from your system. Some of these phytonutrients, curcumin, for example, are powerful anti-inflammatories that relieve many of the symptoms of toxicity.  

Proteins

Detox diets rely on simple proteins to not only provide you with the macronutrients you need to stay healthy but also to detoxify. Methionine from simple foods like seeds and nuts helps replenish the liver for natural detoxification. 

Detox beverages

Vegetable and fruit juices are the backbone of a detox diet. These provide needed nutrition and the chemical compounds in these juices flush toxins from the body. Other things like green tea are also important antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. 

Essential fats

Omega-3 fats are important for two reasons. They are powerful anti-inflammatory agents, and one of the main goals of detox diets is to reduce inflammation. Second, omega-3 fats assist the body in absorbing vitamins A, D, E, and K which are necessary for the production of enzymes that assist detoxification. 

Focused relaxation

Stress is a major source of toxicity. It can lead to adrenal fatigue, among other problems. During your detox diet, it is important to spend time on focused relaxation. Some techniques for this include deep breathing, yoga, and tai chi. These are also great ways to continue exercising during your detox since things like yoga tend to be low-intensity exercises that still provide tremendous benefits. 

Sleep

Proper sleep is part of a detox program. Getting enough rest is simply fundamental to staying healthy. Studies show that some of the work of detoxing occurs during sleep. The space between brain cells relaxes and increases during sleep allowing toxins to get flushed out of the brain. 

Diets similar to a detox diet

There are other choices besides a detox diet to address toxicity in the body. While detox diets have become the primary way that people work with the symptoms of toxicity, other methods will also allow your body to eliminate toxins. 

Master Cleanse diet

The master cleanse diet was developed in the 1940s by Stanley Burroughs. First developed to treat ulcers and promote weight loss, the master cleanse diet has since become a popular way to cleanse the body of toxins.  

The master cleanse diet follows a strict 3-10 day regimen of primary juices and simple broths with the inclusion of some other whole foods. A 3-day master cleanse generally follows the following program:

Day 1: Raw vegetables and whole grains. 

Day 2: Simple soups and broths. 

Day 3: Orange juice. 

There are other variations of the master cleanse.

Body Reset diet

The body rest diet is a 15-day program that is broken into three phases. Body rest diets consist primarily of smoothies as your main source of nutrition. The smoothies are specially designed to provide you with specific types of nutrients throughout the program. Throughout a body reset diet, you slowly re-introduce solid foods back into your daily diet. 

The theory behind the body reset diet is that the reduced calories and fats train your body to use calories more efficiently and thereby allows your body to "reset" to more efficiently eliminate toxins.  

The body reset program typically includes white smoothies that consist primarily of yogurt and low-fat milk, green smoothies that include vegetables, and red smoothies that include fruits. Over each day and the three phases, you will alternate the various types of smoothies toward a new “reset” for your metabolism. The idea is that your metabolic rate will sufficiently change to facilitate continued weight-loss. 

While a body reset diet can potentially help you eliminate toxins, it has achieved prominence primarily as a weight-loss diet. 

Spartan Detox plans

There are other diet programs out there. However, a healthy and well-planned detox diet will remove toxins from your diet and your body, and it will lead you to better health. Feeling healthier and getting healthier are the primary results of a good detox diet. Spartan Detox Diet plans give you exactly what works. 

The best detox diet plan available is the Spartan Detox Plan. Spartan offers several plans designed to meet your specific needs. Whether your goal is to lose weight or to bolster your immune system, Spartan Detox provides plans that include juices and smoothies that will help you meet your goals. 

Spartan Detox Plans are made from natural juices and smoothies are prepared every day using the best quality fruits outdoors offering an exceptional taste and drink experience that will help your body feel energetic. Spartan Detox also provides support through your detox programs. 

Detox diets FAQs

What is a detox diet?

A detox diet is most often a short-term dietary procedure designed to remove toxins from your diet and to assist your body in eliminating toxins from your body. Many detox diets include a period of fasting followed by a strict program of fruits and vegetables, juices from both fruits and vegetables, and water. Many detox diets also include teas, nut milk, and supplements designed to help natural processes like liver and excretory functions.  

What are the benefits of a detox diet? 

A detox diet can improve your physical and mental health, control food cravings for weight-loss, and improve physiological functions like the liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system. 

What are the essentials of a detox diet? 

A healthy detox diet will include things like fresh juices loaded with micronutrients, phytonutrients that bind with toxic compounds, and healthy proteins to provide vital nutrients. 

Are there other diet programs like detox diets? 

The master cleanse and body reset diet can help you eliminate some toxicity from the body in ways that are similar to a detox.

Conclusion

People have become increasingly aware of the dangers of some of the foods we eat these days. Even foods that appear healthy at first glance are loaded with additives and processed ingredients that lead to a toxic load in the body. 

Some of these toxins can build up over time and inhibit the body’s natural ability to eliminate toxins. When toxins accumulate in the body, the liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system become stressed and can no longer function properly. This leads to physical problems. 

Chronic inflammation is one example of the issues that stem from toxicity in the body. A detox diet can remove these toxins and restore the natural physiological systems to maximum function. The great advantage of detox diets is that they provide two major benefits. 

Detox diets help remove toxins from the body, and detox diets assist the restoration of things like the liver and kidneys to proper function so you can continue to reap the benefits of a detox diet.