Pros and Cons of the Fruit Flush and Similar Detox Diets

If you want to lose weight and become more fit, the only safe and effective means of doing so in the long run is to be physically active and to eat a balanced, healthy diet. You should consult with your doctor before beginning any type of a flush, cleanse or detox diet, since some may not be nutritionally sufficient for good health. Programs like the fruit flush, which is one of the most well-known and popular flush diets, are not long-term diet solutions. However, in some cases this type of diet may have some short-term benefits as long as you do not stay on it for too long.

People who work out will lose water and build muscle. The fruit flush diet helps to replace lost water and includes protein to help spare muscle. This three-day flush focuses on consuming raw, fresh fruit, which helps provide natural, slow-releasing sugars along with lots of fiber and water. Proponents of the fruit flush diet claim that it can lead to 9 to 10 pounds of lost weight by the end of the three days. Ideally, this quick weight loss boost motivates should motivate you to continue on with a long term weight loss regimen of healthy eating and regular exercise.

While you are on the fruit flush, you should avoid drinking coffee, tea, alcohol, or soda, as well as any other beverages or foods that contain caffeine. Most starches are also banned, as are preformulated juices, sweets, most fats and cooked vegetables. Since the diet is nutritionally limited, you should not stay on it for more than a short period of time, and then only if you have received approval to do so from your doctor, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The first of the three days is the pre-flush. If you are on the fruit flush diet, you should drink a 6 ounce protein drink every two hours between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. This drink should not contain any artificial colors or flavors or any sweeteners. Follow the protein drink with 8 to 12 ounces of water. Around 6 p.m., eat 3 to 6 cups of a raw vegetable salad with 3 to 6 ounces of lean protein or egg whites and one tablespoon of olive or flaxseed oil.

On the second and third days, every two hours between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. you should eat one serving of roughly 100 calories worth of fresh fruit, along with 8 to 12 ounces of water. Around 6 p.m. eat 3 to 6 cups of a raw vegetable salad that includes 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive or flaxseed oil or half an avocado, and half a lime or lemon. Accompany this meal with one protein drink.

Since the fruit flush diet focuses on very natural foods with no artificial additives, the diet can help lower the levels of these chemicals in your body. However, much of the weight you will lose on the diet will simply be water weight, which your body quickly gains back. Since this diet and most similar cleanses or flushes are nutritionally incomplete (they lack many of the nutrients your body needs to function properly), they can be unhealthy if you stay on them for more than the recommended short period of time.

Every Diet: "Fruit Flush"

MayoClinic.com: "Do Detox Diets Offer Any Health Benefits?"

WBAL TV: "Fruit Flush Diet Overview of Day 1"

WBAL TV: "Fruit Flush Diet Overview of Days 2 and 3"

Fitness Magazine: "Celebrity Detox Diets You Should Try -- and Avoid"