5 Things to Avoid While on a Herbal Detoxing Cleanse

Image Source: Envato Elements

While dietary regimens and programs that are referred to as detoxes and cleanses are a popular and currently evolving trend, these names are often nebulous and without a single verifiable definition, which has led to a wide and often conflicting variation in safety measures and recommendations. For example, to some, the term "detox" can mean consuming whole and unprocessed food items alongside eliminating unhealthy dietary habits, while to others, it can imply taking drastic measures based on unrealistic promises to improve their health. In order to guide you in figuring out what's best for you, here are five things to avoid in such a diet to get the most out of it.

1. Juice-Exclusive Diet

One thing to avoid when undertaking an herbal detox cleanse is to rely exclusively on consuming juices rather than including solid food. While juices are usually quite rich in nutrients, they do not typically contain all of the essential nutrients that the human body relies on. Furthermore, some of these essential nutrients don't entirely make it in one piece from the raw fruit to the finished product, as the process of juicing often ends up removing them from their botanical sources. Even when adding water or tea to a diet containing exclusively juice is deficient in the necessary amount of essential nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and calories. 

2. Unrealistic Promises

Nothing worthwhile happens overnight, and detox programs are no exception. However, effective advertising that preys on our insecurities and desires can project upon us an unrealistic image of what is possible and promise us a cure-all. As the saying goes, if something seems too good to be true, it most likely is. Unscrupulous advertising by detox programs proves ineffective at delivering the promised results or may even cause adverse effects, and therefore it is best to take it with a grain of salt, so to speak, or simply look elsewhere for something that will really work.

3. High Caloric Deficits

Another thing to avoid is a daily caloric intake that is less than 1200, which is the bare minimum for the human body prior to including other factors like exercise and body weight which can raise the minimum for some individuals. Failure to fulfill your minimal bodily nutritional and energy needs over a prolonged period of time leads to fatigue and susceptibility to diseases. Despite false advertising and sometimes outright gas-lighting on the part of detox programs that say that such symptoms result from failure to comply with or adhere to them, they are in fact the result of successfully doing so in the first place. Adhering to such an intense low-calorie diet can result in an electrolyte and other imbalances in the body, though adding something like tupelo honey could provide a small calorie boost to offset this. The exception to this rule of course is whether or not such a diet is medically advised.

4. Pushing Products

A proper detox regimen should truly be able to work by itself for almost any individual. As a result, if a program says that purchasing and using its other products in tandem is the only way to get the most out of the experience, then it is likely that they are simply pushing people to buy from them, thus betraying their own profit over the customer's own health as the true underlying focus. Furthermore, the FDA usually offers very little if any oversight to verify that these programs and products contain what they claim to or do what they claim to do safely.

5. Strange Combinations

In one's desperation to find a program that works, outlandish or strange recipes or food pairings may seem like something that could offer different results. However, the advertiser may be simply trying to pass off unverified promises as something special or innovative. In reality, no specious magical claims can compare with unprocessed and healthy foods proven to not only taste better but deliver real results.

If you or a loved one is looking to try an herbal detox cleanse in order to lose weight or otherwise become healthier, being mindful of and avoiding the aforementioned red flags can make a big difference in the ultimate outcome and save a lot of time and hassle that would stem from having to navigate unscrupulous claims and false advertising by programs that are more invested in their profits than your very own health.