A fasting detox is a very strict diet that is practiced for a prescribed period of time in order to help eliminate toxins that have built up in the body. A fasting detox is also often used to help restore or improve the functions of the digestive system and the liver. By introducing no food, limited food, or only specific types of food, the digestive system is not as taxed as it is on a regular basis, especially for people who generally eat large quantities of food or regularly eat processed, toxic food. As a fasting detox can be used to improve the functionality of the liver, it can therefore help to improve the overall health of the body.
In addition to improving the overall health of the body's organs, a fasting detox also often leads to rapid weight loss because the body has to rely on stored fat for energy. On some detoxes, people lose up to two pounds (about one kilogram) on each day of the fast. This may have to do with the reduction of body fat as well as the elimination of built up matter in the digestive system. It is also common for people to continue losing weight after a fasting detox. This is because the stomach shrinks during a detox, especially for those who are only consuming liquids, and people feel fuller faster when they begin to eat again.
There are a number of kinds of detox systems that include fasting. The water fasting detox is a program during which a person drinks only purified water, perhaps with just a touch of juice from organic lemons. Another kind of fasting detox calls for a period of eating only brown rice and consuming only water. There are other kinds of detox programs that are based on consuming only certain types of juices or teas.
Before beginning a fasting detox, it is important to consult a medical professional to make sure that the detox plan is safe for one's health. It is also important to take the advice of a doctor or natural health care practitioner in when deciding what kind of fasting detox to follow and the length of time for which the detox should be maintained. Some detox systems are intended to be followed for just two to three days while others last a week or longer. It is also important to learn about the side effects, which can include headaches, body aches, a feeling of weakness, irritability, and a number of other symptoms.