'Cleansing' diets lure celebs, but not health experts

Excerpts Courtesy of USA Today

For years, cleansing diets and detox plans have been in the spotlight, fueled by stories of celebrities who followed these strict regimens to lose weight quickly for a movie or an awards show. Beyoncé Knowles has reported losing 20 pounds on the Master Cleanse diet — a plan that involves eating no food but drinking a mixture of fresh lemon juice, organic maple syrup, cayenne pepper and water — for her role in Dreamgirls. Gwyneth Paltrow followed a week-long detox diet after the holidays, cutting out dairy, caffeine and processed foods and drinking a beet-carrot-apple-ginger juice, according to People magazine. Oprah Winfrey blogged about her experiences on a 21-day vegan cleansing diet that was free of sugar, alcohol, caffeine, gluten and animal products.

The plans are supposed to remove chemical and dietary toxins from the body. But weight-loss experts have long been skeptical about the claims, saying there is no scientific evidence such programs do a better job than the body's own organs. They also say many of the plans are deficient in protein and other nutrients. "These kinds of diets are not a reasonable approach to weight loss, and there is no data that they do what they claim," says Gary Foster, director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University in Philadelphia. He is concerned that the cleanses could be harmful to people who suffer the medical consequences of obesity, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. Joy Bauer, a registered dietitian in New York City, says: "People are always doing them, and it's disheartening because they are sophisticated, smart people who know better, but they are so desperate for a quick fix. You don't experience long-term success on them. You may be less bloated. You may feel lighter. You may be losing some weight, but much of it is water weight."

Bonnie - as I have said before, most detox diets and colon cleanses are not worth their salt. I created two food-based plans called Smart Detox and Smart Cleanse that use food and real nutrients to help cleanse. They do not rely on gimmicks or severe calorie deprivation.