Do Anti Aging Detox Diets Work?

Anti aging detox diets are a hot trend, but do they really work? Any diet composed of organic, fresh foods can be considered an anti aging diet, but most anti aging detox diets are more stringent than that. Anti aging detox diets often require regular periods of fasting (liquids only) or semi-fasting (liquids with some fruit or vegetables). Many anti aging detox diets include an all-liquid ‘induction phase’ during which the body is given a chance to rest and heal.

Anti aging detox diets are based on the scientific principle that a diet of mostly processed foods (or fresh foods sprayed with pesticides and preservatives) makes the body work much harder and age much faster than a diet of mostly whole foods and easily digested foods. Good evidence to back this claim up has already been found and more is evidence being discovered every day.

The core process of aging is cellular breakdown. When toxins and environmental poisons build up in the body, cells have to devote more energy to getting rid of them and less energy to normal growth and metabolism. If poor diet is chronic, some of the cells begin to shut down or malfunction. Cellular malfunction accelerates the aging process.

Whether or not a short course of organic foods and semi-fasting can reverse damage done over a lifetime is a different question however. The effectiveness of anti aging detox diets is hotly contested.

Many nutritionists feel that some of the claims made by anti aging diet promoters are false. Perhaps the most controversial claim of this type is that eating specific raw foods in set combinations ‘cleanses’ the liver. Liver disease is complex and dangerous, and people who believe they have it should be under the care of a physician who specializes in liver disease, not browsing the diet section of their local bookstore.

Similar extravagant claims have been made for ‘green smoothies’ or ‘alkaline foods’ detox diets, and for raw foods diets. All have been promoted as having the potential to cure specific diseases but to supercharge the human immune system by making blood more alkaline and less acidic.

Such claims are not backed up by any serious science, and the theories behind these diets are based on a faulty understanding of human metabolism and immunity. No matter how many green foods a person eats, it is simply not possible to turn the pH of blood alkaline, and if it were possible, doing so would result in death.

Anne Gittleman’s Fat Flush Diet is one popular anti aging diet that is based on fairly sound nutrition. The Fat Flush diet limits fats of all kinds, carbohydrates, salt, dairy products, and sugar, and eliminates processed foods. Twenty to forty minutes of daily exercise is required.

The Fat Flush is a three-phase program designed to eliminate bloat and foods that irritate the body, and many people have used it successfully. It starts out at about 1100 calories per day with a highly restricted list of foods and ends up at about 1500 calories per day with a less restrictive list that is designed for maintenance. While many older women do fine on 1500 calories per day, active women and most men would find this low caloric intake uncomfortable for a prolonged time period.

In many cultures, fasting on fruit drinks, juice, or light and simple fruit and vegetable meals once a week or once a month is a normal practice. Such light fasting gives the body a chance to rest and recharge and can help to prevent a buildup of the kind of environmental toxins that speed up aging. The problem with most anti aging detox diets is not that they don’t work—they do! The problem rather is that they are not the best plan for long-term weight loss or weight maintenance. Anti aging detox diets are better used as a short fast that lets the body rest.

People with certain metabolic conditions, such as diabetes, should not consider detox diets without first consulting a physician, not even for a day or two, and no one should start an anti aging detox diet because of wild medical claims and promises. Most people, however, can benefit from light occasional fasting and the inclusion of lots of organic fresh food. If not taken to extremes, an occasional short detox diet can indeed help to keep anyone feeling young and more energetic.

Related links:

Nutritious Anti Aging Detox Smoothies To Make At Home

Anti Aging Foods: Look and Feel Younger with the Foods You Eat