The goal of the title is to grab the attention of those looking to have a better understanding of the covered material. The title of this newsletter is “Detox Diets For Dummies”, but I’ll leave the interpretation of the meaning of the title up to you after reading the article.

The following article is by Jonathan Ross, 2010 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year and one of my mentors. Jonathan’s article gives a perfect explanation on these diets and whether you should waste your time and money on them.

Cut the Cleansing/Detox Crap

originally published here

 http://www.inspire.com/JonathanRoss/journal/cut-the-cleansing-detox-crap/

I’ve been reading the many posts/questions about detox and cleansing AND have seen enough marketing for these programs from fitness and health people that should know better…

so it’s time to take out the trash…

Due to the ingestion of many toxins and the exposure to them in our environment, we are presented the notion that we need to periodically do something drastic to allow our bowels, liver, or other organs a chance to detoxify themselves. Many of the regimens call for abstaining from nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, meats, and some even go so far as to recommend a period of starvation. Theoretically, this gives the liver and other organs a “break” from doing their normal work and allows them to clear built up toxins.

Right, and Santa Claus is real.

Detox and cleansing are clever little fairy tales concocted by people trying to sell you something. I’m not selling you anything so I can give you truth.

A common-sense analogy: Suppose you are over your head in debt. Along comes a financial adviser that explains you can get out of debt by ceasing to spend any money. Stop paying taxes, skip the car payment, ignore the monthly utility bills, stop wasting money on excessive unnecessary purchases, stop putting gas in the car, never go out to dinner, and start taking your lunch to work.

Some of the advice is good, but some of it would be disastrous. Knowing exactly what to eliminate is key. Eliminating ALL spending would be idiotic, but eliminating unwise spending would be smart.

There is no scientific, logical, or common sense-ical basis for the validity of detox diets or cleansing routines. If you’ve been a regular reader of my posts you know I’m not inclined to make strong, heavy-handed statements, but in this case I’ll make an exception.

There can be only one conclusion for anyone with their eyes open to truth and minds closed to marketing, hype, and fairy tales.

If you come across someone who hysterically proclaims dramatic improvements in their energy and fitness levels from following a detox regimen or cleansing routine, one of three things is happening:

(1) -They are overcompensating with zealous enthusiasm so they don’t feel like an idiot for being duped into investing in and following a detox regimen. None of us like to feel silly, and the only way you can avoid feeling silly for falling for a detox or cleansing program is if you BELIEVE it works.

(2) -They are trying to get you to buy the products to boost their own profits from the products.

(3) -They have lost the ability to behave normally and think clearly from the lack of food.

Our lungs, kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract, and immune system are effective in removing or neutralizing toxic substances within hours of consumption. Case closed.

But, just in case you need more details to blow up someone’s belief in the fairy tale, here are more details…

Detox/Cleansing Fails its Physiology Test
High volumes of liquid could theoretically remove water-soluble toxins, but they don’t accumulate in the body (since we consume lots of water and urinate many times a day.) Most pollutants are fat-soluble (meaning they are stored in fat). Fiber consumption may help eliminate some toxins in the liver, but not chemicals located in other parts of the GI system.

Since most pollutants and toxins are stored in fat, the best “detox” program is the same one that’s good for just about everything else – a well balanced fitness and nutrition plan to reduce body fat. Sorry if that’s not dazzling enough for you, but the truth often isn’t. Fairy tales of unicorns, the tooth-fairy, and detox diets are magical, the truth is plain.

Another problem with detox diets and cleansing routines is that your organs just don’t work that way! You can’t flush your liver like you flush a toilet. The liver always works to detoxify the blood. It starts working from the day you are born and doesn’t stop. If there are toxins present, it removes them. If there aren’t, it doesn’t. It’s that simple.

For example, consider alcohol – the most commonly ingested toxin. If you drink too much, you feel awful the next day because you have a massive build-up of toxic products in your body. The liver clears them out over the course of many hours. Want to help out your liver? Stop putting the toxins in.

The colonics and enemas that are often a feature of detox diets can be downright dangerous, posing many risks including perforation of your colon. You should never need an enema or colonic. If you do it is because something is wrong with your day-to-day habits that needs correcting permanently, not during a ridiculous detox regimen.

Detox/Cleansing Fails its Philosophy Test
Call me crazy, but what if we eliminated our ingestion of and exposure to toxins? What if we stopped eating and drinking junk, and limited our exposure to environmental toxins?

If you limit your intake of toxins, there is no need to even attempt to detoxify. A desire and a need to “detox” illustrates that something is wrong with the lifestyle that supposedly builds up the toxins.

Limiting nicotine, alcohol, and sugar is a good general idea all the time, not just during a detox phase. Instead of living like a weirdo for a week to try and detox, live well the other 51 weeks of the year, stop putting the junk in, and you eliminate the need to follow bogus detox rituals.

But when this concept is taken too far, it becomes silly. For example, one popular detox regimen features a 14-day period of starvation with a diet of saltwater flushes and a concoction of maple syrup, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Anyone following a regimen like this must have also taken something to flush the smarts from their brains.

Detox/Cleansing Fails its Common Sense Test
Go to any nation where lots of people are starving to death, and tell them about all the silly Americans who have an abundance of food all around them and willfully starve themselves for days on end. I can only imagine the reaction you’ll receive. They would justifiably be offended and think us insensitive for pursuing such foolishness.

If the human species were so precious and delicate that only way for us to survive for millions of years was to undergo colon-cleansing, stop eating (also known as starvation), and ingest some hard-to-find exotic compound to scare away the icky stuff inside of us, we’d have died out a very long time ago.

Our bodies are not designed to go for long periods of time without a mix of a variety of foods. We are meant to consume healthy foods and be active. This should not shock you. Once again, healthy living beats pseudo-scientific nonsense that is designed to rob people of money they can ill-afford to spend on bad diets.

For a fun game, go to a search engine and type in “detox” and “cleanse.” When your search returns, you’ll see the words “dummy,” and “idiot” all over the place. How very appropriate…

I’m sure those in Cult of Detox may get upset with these facts, but frankly, I don’t care. I’m sick of meeting people who have had their health and/or finances wrecked by following one of these routines. And I’m calling out any “health professional” who offers this nonsense, be they doctor, trainer, or other health guru. Shame on you for betraying the trust placed in you by someone who is seeking to live better.

“But, I’ve done detox and/or cleansing before and it works.”

No, it doesn’t.
Just because you lost weight, doesn’t mean it works.
If you do it and lost water, not fat, it doesn’t work.
If you have to do it again periodically, it doesn’t work.
If you can’t sustain it long term, it doesn’t work (and you shouldn’t even be doing it.)
If it doesn’t result in a permanent change to lifestyle habits, it doesn’t work.
If it goes against every fact of human physiology, it doesn’t work.

You can lose weight by amputating an arm. Losing weight is easy. Losing body fat, consistently exercising, giving your body what it needs – these are sustainable, life-enhancing behaviors. But there’s no gimmick, you just have to do it. And that doesn’t sell as well as false promises and bogus products.

The Death of Detox has arrived!
To celebrate, go have a nutritious, varied meal, and use the energy boost it provides to have a great workout, and enjoy life!

Jonathan Ross
2010 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year
www.AionFitness.com

A breakfast along these lines is not the way to drop body fat or to improve your health. Then there is the question, what should you be eating for breakfast that can help reduce body fat as well as nourish your body?

Look no further than an egg omelet. Sadly, eggs get a bad rap for their yolk not being healthy for us. Really? Says who? The cereal companies, that is who. You want to know what is not good for us? Eating a bowl of sugary cereal with a whopping 45g of carbs by the time you add milk, and a measly 8g of protein (mainly from the milk).

With an omelet simply toss in a bunch of your favorite veggies, or heck even ones that you can tolerate as they will be masked by the deliciousness of the eggs. The eggs provide you with the protein you need to boost metabolism and help maintain your muscle mass, as well as help keep you fuller longer preventing cravings later in the day. The yolks actually contain beneficial nutrients for eye health. Add in some peppers, onions, spinach, tomatoes and you’re getting more veggies in one meal than many of us get in a day. Need to give that omelet a little kick? Toss in some low-fat cheese and salsa.

Really, I dare you to come up with a better breakfast that is packed with so much nutrition and can help shed body fat. Yes, it will take a little longer to prepare than grabbing a strawberry sugar-laden yogurt, but if you really want to lose fat, you got to make some sacrifices. Is an extra 10 minutes worth it to be healthy and lose fat? That’s the question you have to ask yourself.

Are they right? If you read my newsletters, you may know by now I’m not a fan of those who say too much protein is bad for us. Simply look at the statistics. 66% of the US population is overweight or obese, and I can tell you one thing, it’s not because they eat too much protein. In fact, I’d say it’s because they don’t eat enough protein and are loading up on processed carbs.

If someone has kidney issues, then yes, protein consumption does need to be monitored, but for the vast majority of us, without kidney problems, higher amounts of protein can be beneficial for fat loss.

What better way to explain this than with actual results? A client of mine (Wendy) recently had her body fat taken with the Bod Pod. A few months ago she discussed with me that her weight loss was slowing down, and looking at her nutrition she wasn’t consuming enough protein. In fact, most women don’t. Take a typical portion controlled flavored yogurt (yup, tons of sugar in there) that people eat. One of those small containers has a measly 5-8g of protein.

I wanted Wendy to be consuming a minimum of 120g of protein per day. That would be pretty difficult if someone is only eating 5-8g per meal. We worked on her diet and over the next few months she was getting her protein intake up. After 3 months and the next Bod Pod test, she lost another 13 lbs of body fat, but just as impressive, she gained 2 lbs of lean mass (muscle being part of that). Hmm, seems like more protein did her body good.

 Strive to be better than the average, eat your protein!

After a busy year helping people lose weight, I’m on vacation this week at a cabin on the Shenandoah River. That’s when I get a text that interrupts the serenity of nature (I told myself I would turn my phone off, who was I kidding?).

The text was asking me if I had the next article for the newsletter. That would be a big fat no! But, I was told something quick and short would suffice. Hmm, what could be quick and short that can also help you lose fat? As I was sipping on my beer (hey, I’m on vacation), it hit me. Don’t drink your calories.

There aren’t many dietary changes that would be so simple to change, yet provide such massive results. As a society today, we drink way too many calories. Think I’m fabricating this? From 1971 to 2001, we as a nation are consuming an additional 278 calories from drinks alone. That is staggering! Left unchecked, this can cause upwards of 30 extra pounds per year.

Back in college I did a quick 10 minute speech on how we as a nation consume way too much sugar. I talked about how things like soda, and wait for it… fruit juice, are not good for weight loss. In the middle of the talk, a student held up her hand to ask a question, “What are we supposed to drink?”  I was dumbfounded. Have we been so brainwashed as a society to believe that we have to suck down sugary drinks all day, bombarding our taste buds with constant flavor? In a split second, without thinking about it, I held my water bottle up and said, “This!”

Most people know that drinking sodas are not good for us. Sadly though, the millions of dollars pumped into advertising sugary drinks have brainwashed us into thinking there is nothing wrong with drinking fruit juices, Gatorade, and Vitamin Waters. If you’re out performing hours of intense exercise, Gatorade might be a decent option.  But, if you’re sitting at your desk all day, then go to the gym for a 60 minute workout, Gatorade probably won’t be conducive to your weight loss goals. That glass of OJ in the morning can pump just as much sugar into your bloodstream as a can of soda. And Vitamin Water? Why didn’t I think of that name? I could have bought this cabin we are staying at, rather than renting it for the week.

If you’re looking for an easy way to lose body fat, start by reducing the number of calorie containing beverages during your day. 

Article update: If you are going to be outside for prolonged periods of time on such a day as this, it would be a good idea to drink an electrolyte drink such as Propel (only 10 calories) or something like Powerade Zero. You get the benefits of preventing dehydration without the sugar bombardment.

Why should you be eating them everyday? They pack 5g of fiber per tablespoon which accounts for all the carbs in them (a good thing for a fat loss diet). More importantly they offer 2.5g of heart healthy omega-3’s per serving. Omega-3’s are an anti-inflammatory for which many diseases can be tracked back to elevated inflammation in the body. The great thing about these fats is their ability to help with fat loss. Low blood levels of omega-3’s are also associated with depression.

I know it may seem weird at first to start eating seeds from something thousands of people have bought as a gimmick household plant, but quirkiness aside, they are healthy.

They  also  don’t have a taste. Simply add them to your protein shakes, or what I do is toss them into my oatmeal. A word of caution when adding to a shake is that the seeds will grow in size due to drawing water into them. Experiment with a tablespoon at a time.

If you decide to try them, you can pick up a 1 lb bag for about $16 (at MOMs Organic Market in Bowie) and they will last quite a while. If you find them to be a staple of your diet then you can buy a 5 lb bag on Amazon for about $25 shipped.

Vitamin D- the “sunshine” vitamin gets that name because we can actually produce the Vitamin D we need by being exposed to sun light. But, let me ask you a question. When was the last time you were outside for a solid 15-20 minutes with a good amount of your skin exposed to the sun, and without sun block? We have been inundated with scare tactics from the media about the dangers of sun exposure, but the question must be asked, “Does sunblock cause more harm than good?” As someone who has been known to lather on sunblock every 20 minutes when out in the sun, I have since changed my ways and will wait 15-20 minutes, to help ensure adequate Vitamin D levels.

But, if I eat foods with Vitamin D, that will take care of it right? Nope! Unfortunately, the amounts that studies have shown we need, you will no way get from food alone. Even fortified milk isn’t doing the job. Close to 80% of Americans are deficient and the health risks are alarming. But before I get to those, let’s talk about the immediate problem. Those of you looking to lose body fat, low levels make it much harder.

As for the health risks, studies have shown low blood levels of Vitamin D can include; increased risk of cancer, pregnancy problems, birth defects, autism, chronic fatigue, seasonal depression (hello lack of sunshine), obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and the list goes on. Hmmm, getting the picture? You better believe supplementing with this vitamin is crucial for long-term health. If you’re weary of supplementing, your best bet is to get a blood test done to see where you’re at.

At the Shields’ house we supplement everyday with Vitamin D (higher doses in the winter and when tackling fat loss phases). Most experts suggest anywhere from 1,000-4,000 IU’s/day. The key is to make sure you get D3, as other forms of Vitamin D are not as potent. Carlson’s makes a great product, which you can pick up at Amazon.com for about $15 for 6 months worth. Not a bad deal to help ensure your health and body fat levels are where you want them.

If you want to know more about testing your Vitamin D levels and which test is the gold standard along with what your blood level should be, contact me.

Editor’s note: As of the last publishing of this article, a recent study on Vitamin D supplements has shown that many on the market shelves are much lower in concentration than what is listed on the label. Further proving the point to buy from reputable companies.

I did some research online and figured I’d go down to the local Auto Zone and purchase the parts needed to fix my problem. $65 later I was back in my driveway changing out the master cylinder. For a competent car mechanic it may have taken them all of 20 minutes to change it out, but not me. What should have taken a short time ended up consuming the better part of my day.

Nonetheless, I finished and was ready to take it for a test drive. Wouldn’t you know the problem persisted. So, I went back online to do some further research. I asked fellow car enthusiasts what the problem might be. Air in the lines seemed to be the recurring answer.

I called up a friend who has been working on cars for several years. He had experience with fixing brakes, so he came over and helped out. After working his magic still no luck. So, again we went at it, and again no improvement.

Cold weather was approaching and if you’ve ever been to Frostburg, MD you know being outside for long periods of time is no fun. Seeing how this was a weekend car, I let it sit all winter and figured I’d get back to it when the weather warmed up. Don’t most of us treat our bodies the same way?

April rolled around and the weather was getting nice, so my friend and I figured we would try again. Looking back on it, I can’t imagine why I would keep returning to the same thing that just kept failing me.

So, here I was about 4 months later and $100 poorer. I finally bit the bullet and took the car to a mechanic. The shopped called me and explained what was wrong and gave me an estimate. Within one day they had my car fixed and on the road for under $200.

How could I have been so stubborn? Here I had wasted not only my money, but more importantly my valuable time.

Ok, so if you made it this far, you might be wondering, “Great, so what does this have to do with me and fitness?” Let me ask you two simple questions. How much time have you wasted trying things that just leave you frustrated? And how much money have you wasted in the process? Believe me; wasting time is far worse than wasting money. The simple lesson is, stop wasting your valuable time and money; seek the guidance of a true fitness professional. You’ll get the results you work for and can begin to enjoy living in a body that you love.

Don’t get me wrong, the article raises some very good points; but those points need addressing. One such point is that the supplement industry is loosely regulated, and until that changes, you should be buying your supplements from a reputable company with a proven track record of integrity and loyalty to the customer. But, shouldn’t this be true for anything we spend our hard-earned dollars on? Unfortunately, we all have to bust our humps to save a buck in this economy, and the one area we shouldn’t be nickeling and diming on are the nutrients we put into our bodies.

The article goes on to explain that out of 15 tested protein powders on the market, three can expose you to high levels of toxic heavy metals that could be dangerous to our health. We should be buying brands that are not contaminated, that really goes without saying. But, stop right there! There are a lot of things that we do that are dangerous for our health. But, suddenly when something generally does more good than harm, most people start getting all uppity, saying things like “Oh no, I don’t eat tuna. That has mercury.” Now, I guess we will hear the same about protein powders. Sadly, the people saying crap like this don’t hesitate to pull into McDonald’s when they get hungry. They don’t seem to mind sluggin’ back a few beers every weekend; or just ‘cause it’s Wednesday. Why is it, with things like tuna, and now perhaps protein powder, is everyone an overnight health nut?

Look America, I got news for you. Our health isn’t in the toilet because too many people are drinking protein powders, or eating too much tuna. We are so disconnected from the food we eat that we don’t use common sense anymore.

The take home message here shouldn’t be to shun all protein powders. Buy from companies that are reputable, and keep in mind it’s always a good idea to get a majority of your protein from whole food sources.

Another part of the article that hit a nerve are these so-called experts saying things like, “The body can only break down 5 to 9 grams of protein per hour, and any excess that is not burned for energy is converted to fat or excreted, so it’s a ridiculous waste to be recommending so much more than you really need.” Really?? What “health writer” pulled this from their circular file? I’ve read varying reports that adequate protein intake is anywhere from 20-30 grams per meal. Are any of them right? I really wish when people decided to pull opinions out of a hat, that they all got together to pull from the same place, that way consumers wouldn’t be so inundated with varying levels of crap. I guess we should all change the way we eat. You know, have a piece of cheese at 9am, one bite of chicken at 10am, 2 bites of salmon at 11am, and a cup of green tea for dinner.

Get real! I’d like to know what would happen if I ate 9.01 grams of protein in an hour. Is that the magic cut-off point that the human body, in all its glory and efficiency, has decided ‘Woah buddy, that’s too much protein, we’ll store this extra as fat,’?

Most people are overweight but NOT because they eat too much protein. Perhaps it’s all the processed carb-laden foods that we were never meant to eat in the first place. Perhaps it’s that double quarter pounder from McDonald’s, or the 48 oz Pepsi people suck down at the movie theater without a second thought. But, after reading this article, it appears the real devil is those nasty protein powders. In the eight years that I’ve been in the fitness industry, I have yet to meet the person who can’t lose those 30 lbs because, horror of horrors, they drink two protein drinks a day.

There are numerous reasons to include extra protein in your diet. Protein is satiating. It helps control hunger. When someone is dieting it would probably be a good thing to include a food source that can help control appetite. Higher amounts of protein also boost metabolism. Hmmm, that sounds like something the typical American could benefit from.  Because protein is a complex chemical structure, it takes your body more work to break it down, thus you burn more calories in the digestion process. Studies have shown that higher protein diets are beneficial for fat loss, and help prevent muscle loss while in a caloric deficit.

Protein powders offer versatility as well. How many of us can’t stand the taste of plain yogurt, or plain oatmeal? Apparently a lot, which is why just about everyone buys sugar-laden flavored yogurts and oatmeal. I choose to use a better alternative: protein powders. Adding a small amount of chocolate or vanilla protein powder to some Greek Yogurt makes a very tasty meal without all the excess sugar. Add some chocolate protein powder and peanut butter to oatmeal, and you have an amazingly delicious and healthy meal without tons of sugar.

One final thing about this article agitated me. For once and for all, there has never been a study done showing that excess protein is damaging to otherwise healthy kidneys.

One good statistic came from this article, “The average American consumes 82 grams of protein per day.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to look like the average American and I don’t want to feel like the average American. I want to look lean, feel great and not be on several different medications. I’ll keep protein powders as one of my defenses against being just an “average American”.

Bottom line is this: most of us that are active don’t get enough protein. Does this mean we should be drinking protein shakes all day long? Of course not, but protein shakes are very beneficial around your workout, and they can help boost your protein intake when a solid meal is not accessible. We would be a much healthier country overall if we would opt for whole food meals whenever possible and use protein powders wisely.

Yes folks. It appears the answer to your weight loss and health struggles are going to fixed by including three servings of chocolate milk per day to your normal diet. Wow, and here I thought sodas were bad for us? So, just because it’s milk, which has some calcium and a pitiful amount of vitamin D, it’s supposed to be a great health food? Let’s get real. The reason people are overweight is multi-factorial, but it’s due in large part to us taking in way too much sugar.

Now, a supposed article is telling us to drink even more sugar, just because we will get some calcium, some vitamin D, and be able to pedal faster on a bike? PUUULEASE! I’m not denying some chocolate milk can in fact enhance results from a tough and grueling workout, but let’s not fool ourselves. Most people aren’t working out at the intensity required to warrant this. Nor is it even necessary for the vast majority of people seeking fat loss. Especially for breakfast and dinner.

I’m not sure if the authors of this ingenious article are getting a kick-back from the dairy industry or if they are misinterpreting the results of these studies. Look folks, I realize most people with half a brain can see the fallacy in this article, but this is the kind of stuff that makes me shake my head. I’m fortunate enough to work in an industry that I love, but it’s crap like this that really sets me off.

If you actually want to get your vitamin D and prevent many of the health risks associated with deficiency while helping yourself lose body fat, check out my YouTube video workout.

Click here to view the embedded video.

It’s amazing with all these ab devices that I see more muffin tops than six-packs. For those unfamiliar with what a muffin top is, here ya go.

However, there are times when certain pieces of equipment can literally change the way people exercise. A long time ago dumbbells did it. In the past decade or so stability balls did it. And now there is the TRX.

Perhaps my new favorite piece of equipment. Not because it’s a “miracle device” that will somehow transform someone from obese to athletic within 15 minutes with no effort involved. But, because it has many great qualities. For one, it’s portable. Yup, if you don’t have access to a gym, a TRX can give an effective total body workout. It’s perfect for those that travel a lot; or perhaps for those that can’t quite muster up the desire to travel to the gym after a long day of work. Its versatility enables you to literally challenge all the muscles in the body. It’s time efficient. Because you can do all your exercises in one spot, you cut down on your time walking from one end of the gym to the other. You can easily change hand or body position to get an all new challenge, without having to change attachments like on cable machines. I’m not saying that a regular gym routine is bad, I’m just saying this can allow you to cut down on your exercise time when you’re in a pinch.

Enough of my rambling. Check it out for yourself. Here is a quick eight minute video of me doing one circuit of exercises on the TRX. Total exercise time was 12 minutes which included a little bit of metabolic conditioning work at the end for good measure. And yes, I’m shirtless in the video. This is not out of vanity, rather health actually. Considering about 80% of us are deficient in vitamin D (which has a whole host of health risks associated), I took the opportunity to not only be out in the fresh air on a beautiful day, I also got my vitamin D for the day from the sun.

You can pick up your TRX here:

Click here to view the embedded video.