Have you noticed how popular detox cleanses have become in the past five years? They’ve been around for decades, but there seems to be a major detox boom lately, or, as some might say, a detox epidemic. Detox cleanses can be great for your health if done effectively, but just because your friends are doing it or sponsored posts on Instagram are telling you their detox cleanse is an absolute must, doesn’t mean it’s right for you. 

Before you decide to try a detox cleanse, consider the following pros and cons.

PROS:

• Pro 1: Though our bodies naturally remove toxins from our system, many of us have a toxin overload due to chemicals in our products and free radicals in the air. A detox cleanse can help your body to get rid of those excess toxins and reboot your health. You’ll feel more energized and refreshed throughout the day.
   
• Pro 2: A detox cleanse is designed to flush out everything your body doesn’t need, including excess fat. So, obviously, one big appeal is weight loss. Cleanses aren’t meant to be done for an extended period of time, so you can’t rely on it for long-term weight loss, but you can use it to clean the slate while you plan a healthier lifestyle. 
   
• Pro 3: Many of us are hooked on sugar, and one of the reasons is because it has numbed our taste buds, making us less likely to enjoy the flavors of natural, nutritious foods. A cleanse can re-adjust your taste buds to their original state, and you may find that your sugar cravings have gone down or vanished all together.
   

CONS: 

• Con 1: The chances you’re getting enough calories during a detox cleanse are LOW. Without enough calories, you’ll feel fatigued throughout the day, and your energy reserves will be too depleted to successfully go about your day. 
   
• Con 2: During a detox, you eliminate most or all of the fiber from your diet. Without fiber, your digestive system will go haywire.
   
• Con 3:  If you plan to use a detox to lose weight, you’ll be greatly disappointed. While you very well may lose weight during the cleanse, as soon as you go back to eating solid foods, you will gain it all right back. 
   

If you’ve ever tried a detox cleanse, you know that no matter what the ads say, it isn’t fun. And if you’ve never tried a detox, you should learn it now: it isn’t fun. For a predetermined amount of time, you say goodbye to the foods that bring pleasure to your life, and replace them all with liquids that may or may not taste good, depending on your personal preferences. You’re often light-headed and tired, and every day is a struggle to stay away from food. But people put themselves through this because there are benefits in the light at the end of the tunnel in the form of clean, healthy blood, glowing skin, and a regain in energy these toxins were sucking from you. 

If you can stomach the cons of a detox cleanse, then this could be an effective way for you to get a new lease on your health. If all of this sounds awful, don’t worry. There are less severe ways to to get healthy and toxin-free. Life is short, so if a detox cleanse feels like it would be a torturous task, don’t lose a minute of sleep or let anyone scare you into doing it. Remember: most people are misinformed, and you know your body better than anybody else.