A gaseous and bloated belly, pimply and oily skin, irritable bowels and an irritable attitude are all tell-tale signs of a poor diet. As college students, it’s easy to develop unhealthy eating habits, especially with fast-food chains like McDonald’s and Chick-Fil-A right on campus. To combat the looming health problems that come with a fast-food-loaded diet, many students turn to exercise and occasionally substitute their fries for a salad, while others chose the more controversial method of detoxification.
Detoxification, a term often used to describe the withdrawal period addicts go through when their bodies return to normal after a drug or alcohol binge, is also a weight-loss method that is becoming increasingly popular. When detoxing, people use laxatives, raw-foods, pure fruit juices and water to cleanse their bodies of toxins and bacteria that build up in the intestines after digestion. Detox programs are similar to fasts in that those who detox stay away from processed foods and sometimes eat no food at all. Although criticized by some scientists and doctors as being a waste of money, dietitians and nutritionists recommend detox programs to people that want to cleanse their bodies and prepare for more intense diets.
“Detox programs offer a good source of fiber and healthy bacteria that will scrub the walls of the intestines and remove debris to promote improvements in the digestive system,” said Craig Smith, a customer service representative for General Nutrition Centers (GNC).
“Once blockage is removed from the intestines, the body is better able to absorb nutrients from foods. Detox programs help with digestive balance and healthy immune systems.”
However, detoxification is recommended more as a nutritional program than a diet.
“Everyone’s digestive system is different. It’s hard to tell how someone will react to a detoxification. Some people experience diarrhea or constipation on detox programs [and] others dehydration. It would be risky to try to do a full detox as a diet. It’s more of a cleanse to remove toxins than anything else,” explained Smith.
Shani Crowe, junior film major, tried a detoxification diet in the summer of 2008 and experienced some difficulty, although her mother reaped the benefits.
“I did a detox for three days and I ended up feeling really tired, I slept a lot to try to forget that I was so hungry. I also had a shorter temper and less energy,” said Crowe.
Crowe and her mother did a “Lemonade diet”, also known as the “Master Cleanse”, where they drank a mixture of eight ounces of a lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper eight times a day, an herbal laxative tea and 32 ounces of salt water every day and cut out all foods.
“If you do every aspect of the diet, including the laxative tea and the salt water you definitely see results; my mom lost a lot of weight. But it takes a lot of discipline to do it properly. You need food, you want to eat food and food tastes good and that’s a big distraction when you’re not eating anything,” said Crowe.
Although Crowe isn’t a Lemonade Diet success story, she recommends it to others who know they haven’t been eating properly and whose bodies are reacting to it with pimples and digestive troubles.
“It’s a serious commitment, but if you do it properly there are benefits,” said Crowe.
Detoxification programs and diets are risky and taxing, but can be a rewarding alternative to the fast-food diets college students may have grown accustomed too.
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