Body Cleanses are Not Good for Your Health

Today in class we talked about digestion. We discussed how our bodies are uniquely designed to handle whole food products, fruits, vegetables, meats, sweets, you name it. We are designed to handle whole foods, not isolated nutrients, like protein powders and amino acid supplements. I want to give my students the tools to trust themselves and make healthy choices (with occasional wonderful treats). I want their decisions to be based on fact, not fiction or fad. My intention (bear with me) is to create nutrition ambassadors and send them into their communities with scientific based information on how to live healthy and enjoy food-not pills.

After having spent a few weeks building up to this topic, and managing to complete most of it with the class still awake, a student, right before class ends, asks "what about those master cleanses? The honey and vinegar combinations that help get rid of all the toxins in your body."

I wanted to shoot him-I am hoping he was one of the folks who wasn't paying attention.

But maybe he was. Perhaps he was listening, and just wasn't able to comprehend the complexity of how our bodies operate. When one can't manage to understand complexity, one goes to the easy fix, right? After all, these quick fixes are simple to understand-all you need to do is look at their advertising: "drink this for 24 hours and you'll feel like a new person." Or,"take this pill every 3 hours along with our specially patented drink and you will remove all the toxins you're body has accumulated over the last ten years."

We all want a quick fix, whether it is for our finances, our bodies, our diets. But quick doesn't mean correct. If you think about it, all the diets you read about are popular because they promise quick fixes, quick weight losses. No one will promise you a permanent weight loss (which surprises me, considering what else you are promised), because diets don't work. Wait, let me put that in a different way-all diets work, while you are following them. The problem is eventually you go OFF your diet, and the weight returns.

It is important to realize making healthy, permanent changes for our diets, and our bodies takes time. Little steps we easily incorporate into our lives will stay with us. Half a bagel instead of a whole bagel, a small latte instead of a large mocha, walking up two flights of steps and then getting on the elevator. Slow, steady - non-dramatic changes are the ones we can build on.

As for cleansing our bodies? The best way you can keep your body healthy is to eat well, exercise and enjoy life. You know the basics about the fruits and vegetables, lean meats and poultry. What you may not know is that quality of life is also up there on the top of the list. Having your occasional dessert, glass of wine or beer-these are also important. These are not toxic choices. However, not being able to trust yourself to make the right decisions, not knowing who you need to find to ask the right questions-well, that might kill you.

Copyright (c) 2008 At Peace With Food

Article Source: http://www.articlesolve.com

For more information on becoming At Peace With Food™, free healthy lifestyle tips, and access to interesting articles and nutritional links, visit www.AtPeaceWithFood.com/freetips.html

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated