Cleanses are widely publicized by the rich & famous. Take one of my favorites Yolanda from the RHOBH (If you don't know the abbreviation, this part will make no sense so kindly skip down to the next paragraph). The B just got done with serious treatment via port-a-cath for Lyme disease which was in her brain. What was her first thought? Now I need to starve myself & drink all these gross juices which give me no nutrients & have diarrhea for at least a week straight. Smart, really smart.
Cleanses are just like any other crazy diet, depriving your body of things causing you to lose weight. Off the cleanse, back on goes the weight. Now don't confuse my hatred of cleanses with a hatred of juicing. I think juicing is an excellent tool to help continue your balanced diet, however I do not believe these should take the place of meals.
Myth 1: Your GI system needs a break from food to rejuvenate & function at it's highest capacity
Fact: Your GI system was created to process & break down actual food & nutrients. Juicing & drinking concoctions actually deprives yourself of daily nutrients sending your body into starvation mode. This will lead to a temporary weight loss aka water-weight & in some severe cases can cause you to gain numbers on the scale as your body tries to preserve anything & everything, preventing actual starvation
Myth 2: Colon cleansing is necessary since undigested foods cause mucus build up therefore producing toxins
Fact: There is no scientific proof that toxins are produced due to undigested food, however a colon cleanse may help with chronic constipation due to the repeated reflexive contractions in the bowel due to repeated bowel movements…..aka constant pooping which I do not have time for.
Myth 3: Cleanses help to improve your mental outlook
Fact: If you mean help your mental outlook by helping you understand what starvation feels like, then sure. But otherwise blood sugars are down, nutrients a low & dehydration is becoming an issue, not a very clear way to think.
Myth 4: Cleanses help to rid your body of sugar, which is a toxin.
Fact: I love this one. Sugar is sold as this evil ingredient. Not if it's natural, people!! Fruit has plenty of sugar. I'm pretty sure the trees the fruit comes from don't have some hidden agenda to poison us with more sugar. All in moderation natural sugars are good, its what gives us energy.
Myth 5: I must take supplements during certain types of cleanses to help replace the nutrients I'm not gaining from food.
Fact: I mean this one is hilarious. So I'm not going to eat any food to try & get clean, but since I am not eating any food I still need to make sure I'm getting the correct vitamins that usually come from FOOD. Also, if you are taking supplements you are still placing artificially created substances into your body. Isn't the entire point of a cleanse to get clean?? Supplements are totally counterintuitive to that idea.
Myth 6: You NEED to cleanse in order to help keep your body functioning & clean.
Fact: You know what our bodies need? They need a balanced diet with plenty of vitamins and nutrients. They don't need chronic diarrhea, starvation, dehydration & deprivation (almost a perfect alliteration lol). You are not cleansing anything…..in fact you are dieting!
Hope this myth buster addition of PracticallyFit has helped clear up any of you who are thinking of jumping on the cleanse train. In my opinion if you are feeling the need to do a cleanse you probably need a good, sweaty work out & a spinach salad. That should do the trick!
