Every day we are exposed to toxic substances in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the foods we eat. We also produce toxins internally from bacteria and yeasts that inhabit our gastrointestinal tract.
It is very good medicine to practice detoxification to reduce the toxic burden on the body by removing these substances that can lead to disease.
I’ve seen time after time people use fasting & detox interchangeably.
Sure, detox and fasting plans can help you out with losing a bit of weight in a short period of time. You could lose a good number of pounds off of a detox or fasting plan but at the same time you should see the big difference that comes from each option. The fact is that a detox plan may prove to be more effective for many purposes.
What Foods are used?
One big difference between these two weight loss options is that you will have a greater variety of foods to use in the detox process. The detox process will clearly entail a good deal of water but there’s a good variety of foods worth spotting just as well. Two very important groups of fruits and vegetables for detoxification are the cruciferous vegetables and citrus fruits that contain limonene. Broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, arugula and cauliflower are part of the cruciferous vegetable family. They contain substances called indoles. These substances can reduce the toxicity of substances that might otherwise lead to cancer. Studies are showing that people that eat this group of vegetables regularly have fewer hormone-related cancers. The citrus fruits contain limonene, which we talked about in a previous session. Limonene supports the liver’s detoxification process. Try to get something from the citrus group every day. Keep in mind that grapefruit has a substance called naringenin that reduces the ability of the liver to detoxify certain drugs. Talk to your healthcare provider if you take medications and like to eat grapefruit. Naringenin may reduce the effectiveness of the medication.
It’s very important to consume fiber-rich foods like vegetables, oats, beans, peas, barley, and legumes, apples & berries.
A fasting diet will be very different as you may be limited to eating or drinking a very specific item for a number of days. This often makes it harder for you to lose weight and in some cases your body will start to become difficult to manage as you’ll start to feel very uncomfortable in the process. While some foods that you might be limited to in the fasting process will include such things as fiber to help you clear out your digestive system, they may only work for a small part of what a detox plan can handle.
The goal for losing weight is to have nutrients and minerals used to clean out your blood, remove old toxins and get your digestive system to clear out. You’re more likely to get all of these if you use a detox plan instead of a fasting plan.
Calories Make a Difference
Another point about these two is that it might be harder for you to lose toxins inside your body while on a fasting regimen. Your body needs to consume calories in order to stimulate its metabolic processes and therefore remove those said toxins. If you don’t consume calories then the detoxification process will end up slowing down. This is something that will happen if you’re in a fasting program. You’ll end up losing control of your weight loss plans.
If you go on a detox plan then you’ll actually be able to handle calories in your diet and therefore have an easier time with clearing out those toxins. This should help you to actually lose weight.
Will Your Muscles Feel Healthy?
Sometimes it will be easier for you muscles to wear out if you go on a fasting program. You’ll start to feel fatigue and your body will become weak.
A detox plan at least has foods that contain key nutrients that your body needs in order to keep it healthy. It will prevent you from wearing your body out.
Remember, detox and fasting plans can help you to lose weight but there’s a huge difference between the two.
There are many detox program, choose them wisely. You don’t want to overstress your detoxification organs by doing very harsh program that your body is not ready to handle.
I personally have a favorite 10 day gentle detox program that is simple, inexpensive, and fits most people’s lifestyle. I’ll be happy to email it to you if you are interested
