This advertisement on breakfast TV the other day.  It went like this

“Inner Health is vial to our well-being. That’s why Lemon Detox is so popular with thousands of customers.”  (This was done in a Health shop, with the shop assistant saying this)

Then there were 3 separate women who made these statements

“Its easy to do and it tastes great!”

“It just a healthier way of living” (I was surprised by this one?)

“Now Ive got all my friends onto it”

It went on to say

You’ll find Lemon Detox at all leading pharmacy’s and health stores. Then it advertised their web address. There were these statements too

Always read the label and use only as directed. If symptoms persist see your healthcare professional. Individual results may vary. Full effect may be longer than 7 days.

You may have guessed by now that we do not recommend the Lemon Detox Diet. Not only is this something I do not recommend, I have previously made a video outlining why I would not recommend it or stock this system (which you will not find on healthyonline), promoted as a weight loss program (surely anyone’s going to loose weight if they don’t eat food, right?)

I could choose to sell and make available these products too, but will not.  I care about the long term effects of the products and programs I recommend and make available to our customers at healthyonline and I do not believe the Lemon Detox fits into any of our “selection” categories as suitable products.

I was really disappointed that they were promoting the Lemon Detox as “a healthier way of living”. Since when was the human body designed to function efficiently on a diet of sugar syrup, lemon juice, with a pinch of cayenne pepper?  Whats happening to our muscle mass when this is all we are consuming?  

Surely their advertising dollars would have been better spent promoting supplements for a healthier immune system? Or maybe some lifestyle tips for helping with better fat loss. 

As naturopaths we would not be promoting dieting at this time of the year, let alone the Lemon Detox. Now is the time of the year to support your immune system, preparing for the colder weather that looming with the change of season. Probiotics, multivitamins and immune enhancing products should be the supplements of choice, to make sure we all have better health, not a diet that starves our body of essential nutrients, fiber, protein and essential fatty acids.

If your worried about your weight, consider making some healthy lifestyle changes, such as:

Drink more water – ideally no less than 2 litres a day, sipped on consistently throughout the day, rather than all at once. Herb teas from a flower, berry or root can be counted as part of this water intake, but little else can except for the real stuff – H2o.

Get more exercise. Anyone who knows me knows exercise is not my forte, but i do love a walk on the beach, breathing in that salt air. To me, this is one of my most relaxing and rejuvenating times. I am surprised how quickly i can get my fitness level up when doing this regularly.  My ipod helps me to get “into the zone” and just like that, ive covered a few kilometres without even trying.

If your over weight, remember that Carbs are the enemy!  These delicious comfort foods are so easy to over indulge in and are readily available at every food store we visit.  Our pantry is usually full of them.  They are the ones we can easily grab, which often take little chewing If your serious about loosing body fat, cut your carbohydrate amount down at every meal, but increase your protein, salad and steamed vegetable content.  Carbs include all cereals and grains and products made from these,  most root vegetables (so potato & kumera etc and also pumpkin) as well as fruit and of course all junk food. Basically, if its sweet in your mouth, its a carb, no matter how “healthy” it is.

Bottom line is you need food to survive and replenish your reserves of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and other vital nutrients.  If you are over weight, consider the changes Ive talked about above and if all else fails, go and see a nutritionist.