In fitness and wellness these days every direction you look someone is trying to sell you a supplement to help you achieve your goals quicker and easier. There are many companies that are selling the idea of detox or cleansing for weight loss and wellness. I am not the first to say this and I will not be the last to tell you that many commercial detox programs are more or less a waste of money and in some extreme cases can even be harmful to your body.

Many commercial detox products typically contain some sort of herbal laxative to give you the feeling that you are ridding your body of toxins; but what you may actually be doing is ridding your body of water and nutrients. Basically you are starving your body of two essential things required for life. When you starve yourself, as soon as you get back to eating normally your body will hold on to the weight. The natural survival instinct of our bodies is to store calories as fat after a long period of starvation, which is what cleansing does. You may lose weight initially, but you will end up gaining weight in the long run.

Our bodies can detoxify themselves with a healthy diet. If you notice, all cleansing programs promote eating healthier in order for the program to work. The reason why many people feel better after doing these programs is because they are eating nutrient dense meals and their bodies are more effectively working.

These cleansing and detox programs seem so appealing. Their advertisements say that in seven days you will get brighter, healthier skin, more energy, cleansing of your cells, and lose a few pounds. In our fast paced, instant gratification society this seems too good to be true. The truth is, it is too good to be true. The best way to get these results is to eat a healthy, balanced diet.

The take home message from all of this is if you eat a balanced healthy diet, your body is going to be able to effectively detoxify itself and you should be able to maintain a healthy weight. On the other side, if you eat a lot of unhealthy, high calorie, high fat foods your body will not be as effective and you are more likely to carry extra weight.