New diets are trendy with the new year as Iowans try to drop some weight and keep their resolutions. One of the latest health crazes on the market is to "detox" your body. Lisa Nichter, a nutritionist in the Council Bluffs area, says some Iowans may be questioning just what a detox program is all about.
Nichter says they’re used "to cleanse the toxins out of the body although a lot of them do promote weight loss." She says a number of these detox-diet plans are making the rounds on the web. Nichter says, "Herbal laxatives help cleanse the colon, some different types of juices that you may only be able to find at specialty stores and are very expensive."
She says those herbal laxatives actually can do more harm than good and says Iowans should likely steer clear of them. Nichter says, "Our colon is a place where we have good bacteria to help us digest our foods and a lot of these laxatives actually clean out everything, including that good bacteria." She says if you are tempted by one of these diets, remember that long-term commitments are needed to succeed.
She says, "The bottom line is, the weight you are going to lose is water weight and your not changing behaviors as far making changes that that weight is going to stay off." Nichter, who works at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, suggests you check with your doctor before going on any diet or detox plan.