Colon Cleansing Kit | Colon Detox

Detox diets echo everyone’s dream — a cellulite-free body, glowing skin, fast weight-loss and energy-levels never experienced before. And, of course, there are reed thin celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and curvaceous Beyonce Knowles who swear by diet regimes that “flush out dreadful toxins from the body” and gain an enviable figure in the bargain. (Knowles attributes hers to her water-cayenne pepper-maple syrup diet called Master Cleanse — the most-searched recipe on Google in 2007 according to the Los Angeles Times).

While spas, gyms and some weight-loss clinics cannot stop raving about detox programmes like Fruit Flush (only fruit diet) and sometimes even an only-water diet, most nutritionists and specialists have their eyebrows raised at their principles and benefits.

Lack of medical research and studies to show whether our bodies really benefit from a detox diet, says Dr Alpana Shukla, consultant endocrinologist at Bombay Hospital, is reason enough to rubbish all tall claims. She maintains the term, ‘detox’, itself, is trite — not to mention inappropriate. “Detox diets are sold under the pretext of strengthening your system from pollution, stress and the processed food and alcohol. But the real reason why people turn to them is for instant weight-loss. As for actual detoxification, healthy kidneys, liver, lungs and skin do an excellent job of it anyway. If you eat healthy, you will never need this drastic quick-fix.” In most cases, adds Dr Shukla, the lost weight is regained in no time - and worse, with added kilos.