Smoothies and detox diets to lose weight: do they really work?

If you are about to start a healthy lifestyle or have already done so, you have probably come across the famous shakes, detox diets or milkshakes to lose weight much faster.

These supposedly detoxifying shakes and diets look very healthy and colorful. But how do you know if they are good for you and your health? Stay reading this post and find out.

What are detox shakes and diets?

Principles of detox shakes and diets

The theory behind this trend is that by giving your body a break, you can flush out the toxins and chemicals that enter your body when you commit a few lifestyle sins.

This logic is rooted mostly in guilt, but it ignores something important. The proper way to "detox" the body is to enhance its natural processes and take good care of them in the long run, not neglect them.

And it is that few people know that detox shakes and diets bypass the body's natural detoxification system. In addition, they are low in protein, amino acids, fiber and probiotics.

Doctor Alan Logan states that when diets are low in protein, they can be counterproductive for the liver, since this organ requires amino acids that contain proteins.

Do they make any sense?

Not really. The truth is that our body has a very large and robust detoxification system.

All of these organs and systems are responsible for breaking down chemicals (toxic or otherwise) into various forms so that your body can eliminate them through the toilet, sweating, or breathing.

This job is done perfectly when your body is one hundred percent healthy and balanced.

Are detox shakes and diets good for me?: Advantages and disadvantages

Since detox shakes and diets for weight loss are nothing miraculous, they will not remove impurities from your body or make you lose weight.

Advantages of detox shakes and diets

It only has one benefit and let's say it's its plus point.

They can encourage you to eat healthier and more nutritious foods

And it is that in some diets (not all) they recommend foods rich in nutrients such as:

• The lemons.
• Green tea.
• The fruit juices.
• Vegetables of all colors.

All of these could, in part, prompt you to increase your intake of certain healthy nutrients and provide your body with other health benefits.

Disadvantages of detox shakes and diets

They bring inconvenience

Any diet requires some kind of effort , whether it's to organize yourself in terms of the foods that should be eaten, as well as the food that should be made.

Whether people have unlimited time, money and resources they will have to deal with making these juices full of organic fruits and vegetables every day, every hour. Especially if they feel weak, dizzy and apathetic.

decrease energy

Most detox shakes and diets are extremely low in calories and because of this your energy will not be the same. In fact, you may notice that you feel more cold and it is likely that your digestion slows down.

May be high in nitrate

Many people, when they "detox", have headaches, which may be due to nitrates .

Almost all detox juices include celery and beets (in high amounts) and these vegetables are rich in nitrates that promote vasodilation. For this reason, they can cause migraines.

Cause changes in blood sugar

Smoothie-based "cleanses" and fruit diets can cause major swings in blood sugar, which frankly makes them dangerous for people with diabetes and risky for some.

The reason? Fruit sugars are absorbed faster and by blending them we remove the fiber. This rapid absorption can cause an increase in insulin.

They are unfriendly to the intestinal tract

These UNproven methods to detoxify are low in fiber. And that can cause digestion to slow down, constipation, hemorrhoids, among others.

They have low levels of essential fats

Generally, with detox shakes and diets, most foods that contain fat, even healthy ones, are eliminated to completely detoxify the body.

This is not only false, but dangerous, as it can cause problems in the gallbladder, the organ that processes dietary fats.

Cause electrolyte imbalances

These detoxifications involve drinking a lot of fluids, eliminating many foods that contain salts, and some even recommend taking diuretics.

This can cause a dangerous imbalance in your electrolytes and could be even more damaging when combined with low energy. In addition, this can not only affect your health during the "cleanse", but after doing it.

Why toxins prevent you from losing weight

The body is made up of cells that together create our tissues and organs. When we are all born our system is clean, purified and we could say that it is almost perfect.

The problem lies when we grow up and lead a lifestyle that is not so good or balanced :

All these factors and many more make our body progressively fill with toxicity and not precisely that caused by jealousy.

These toxins that are staying inside the cells and make it difficult for them to work properly, causing cell damage and because of that, the metabolism decreases and hinders weight loss.

In short, it works like this: the cells are those friends that always protect you from your ex. They are in charge of capturing these toxins and retaining them so that they cannot harm your body, and this causes the liver to generate more fat and store it in excess.

For this reason, if you do not detoxify and do not take care of your liver (the main organ that cleanses toxins), losing weight will be a challenge, even if you "eat well and lead a healthy lifestyle."

Take a look at the recommendations that we give you in the post “ Basic guide to eliminate toxins from the body ”.

Tips to lose weight without shakes and detox diets

Your body will reach the weight it should have, without having to risk detoxification processes or being restrictive with food. Here are some keys that could help you reach your goal fit:

It is already more than clear that shakes and detox diets have nothing good to provide to your body, much less will they make you lose weight.

Perhaps in many of these processes, what is generally lost is liquid, not fat. That's why after a few days the rebound effect takes over your body.

If you really want to lose weight, focus on improving your health and your lifestyle, which, with firm steps, you will achieve.

Do you have doubts about this topic? Leave us a comment.