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MARY HONDROS: So detoxing diets are all the new rave. Basically, these diets tell you to consume a certain powdered form of liquid that they provide for you, for about 5 to 7 days straight, and absolutely no solid food. The idea behind this is that it's detoxing your body. And so there are some effects from doing this, such as rapid and severe weight loss and then also dehydration.
 The problem with these diets is that not only do they put you at risk for dehydration, but the weight that you loose is easily gained back as soon as you start eating solid food. So, some things to remember about detox diets is that they're generally not good for weight loss. They're generally unhealthy. And they do slow your metabolism down in the end because it does cause your body to go into starvation mode, which means that your body's consuming fewer calories because it thinks that you're starving and as soon as--it doesn't know the next time food will be available, so you're trying to conserve, so it slows down your metabolism which is kind of the opposite effect that you intended on.
 So, if you're looking at any kind of a detox diet, just remember the following 4 things. It's generally unhealthy, can cause dehydration. Also secondly, remember that your body does have systems in place to detox itself. That's what your kidneys and your liver are for, and your GI tract as well. Thirdly, just remember that the weight loss that you do loose from a detox diet will be easily gained back as soon as you start eating solid food.
 And lastly, you wouldn't need a detox diet if you just ate healthy. So those are the 4 tips--4 things to think about when it comes to detox diets.