Personal evaluation of The Beauty Detox Solution.

(ISBN 13:978-0-373-89232-7: Snyder, K, 2011)

Personal evaluation of The Beauty Detox Solution 

Abstract. This non-calorie counting diet appears to cleans body through combined process of high-alkaline foods, food pairing, eating light to heavy, drinking water in-between meals, use of digestive enzymes and probiotics which will concurrently provide weight – probably with concurrent muscle mass reduction because of food combining restrictions.

Pros:

1.     Likely lower total calorie diet without calorie counting.

2.     Cleans you out! Expect numerous bowel movements with this detox approach  to eating which is likely helpful in the early stages of weight loss due to its "desludge" colon-cleaning effect, particularly if adding digestive enzymes and probiotics.

3.     Feel lighter! I also personally “felt” that one of the diets best tenets was the progression of eating light to heaving – starting with vegetables, then adding more “complex” starches, oils and/or meats – rather than starting with heavier foods first and ending with high sugar foods like fruits.

Cons I experienced:

1.     Always hungry due to low fat and protein. By design this diet requires a lot of diet planning and encourages simple eating – which for me is very difficult due to high energy needs and desire to consume moderate amounts of a variety of foods.

2.     Complicated and restrictive.  For this diet to work you must commit to the “Food pairing cheat sheet” on page 48 which requires you to never mix different starches, never mix different protein, almost always eat fruit by itself and minimizes/excludes all dairy products. While you can eat organic meats – you can’t enjoy most pastas, pizza or rice dishes that mix meat and starches. This excludes most traditional “combination foods” that are not Vegan.

3.     Anemia: A week after I started the diet, combined with typical monthly flow, I felt extremely exhausted and unmotivated – consistent with previous experiences of anemia when I follow a Vegan diet. While I do believe either increased intake of an iron-rich supplement and/or highly absorbed iron rich foods (particularly beef) during periods of blood loss can prevent or minimize anemia – there is no question that some individuals will struggle with the lower iron content of the diet and possibly also lower intake of zinc and B12 if no animal foods are consumed.

4.     Expensive!  Unless you primarily eat produce from your garden, particularly if you buy all recommended supplements, this diet may be expensive and time consuming.

I did not test recommended magnesium oxide supplement or colonic treatments; would have definitely lost a lot of weight if I could have stayed on the diet.

Bottom line.  Short-term use for colon cleansing very likely to be helpful for most people on a periodic basis, particularly after holidays, travel or regular consumption of “heavy meals.” Long-term use will likely to result in weight loss, loss of muscle mass, and anemia due to restrictive diet tenets that is not recommended for athletes, pregnant and lactating women and growing teens.