43 Things You Should Never Buy

Detoxes and cleanses

Follow this “detoxifying” diet or that “cleansing” procedure, and you’ll be miraculously thin! Or miraculously healed, according to the folks who tout regimens they claim will cure everything from gallstones to puppy love. Hang on to your money, folks. According to the Mayo Clinic, there is little evidence that a “detox diet” will eliminate toxins. Our kidneys and livers do a pretty good job of that all by themselves.

The reason you might feel better afterwards is that you’ve probably given up (temporarily) highly processed foods that are probably loaded with sugar and solid fats. Some of these regimens, especially restricted diets and “cleanses,” can have unpleasant or even dangerous side effects, including but not limited to bloating, nausea, cramping, vomiting and dehydration.

Since you probably won’t stay on a detox diet forever, the pounds will likely return. If you want to lose weight, ask your physician for a sensible plan that gradually amends your eating habits and includes a program of sustainable exercise. Stick with the detox diets and purges, however, and the only thing that gets permanently slimmer is your wallet.