A liquid diet consists only of liquids instead of solid food. This includes homemade or store-bought juices and smoothies, homemade protein shakes, premade protein shakes and store-bought liquid meal replacements. You can replace all meals and snacks with liquids or do a partial liquid diet, eating some solid foods as well.
There are countless diets on the market that promise incredible results, but going on a liquid diet can have a number of impressive benefits, if they are pursued in a safe and responsible way. If you are looking for a quick and effective way to lose weight, detoxify the body and stimulate the metabolism, a liquid diet might be precisely what you need. However, for anyone with poor health, a liquid diet can be dangerous. Before embarking on any new dietary trend, it is important to know the details of what is expected, what health benefits can be gained, and what potential side effects you may experience.
Benefits of Liquid Diets
The potential benefits of liquid diets include weight loss, a boosted metabolic rate, detoxification of the body and improved organ function, among others.
Weight Loss
The primary reason for most people going on a liquid diet is the goal of weight loss. By drastically reducing your caloric intake, often by more than 50%, you will create a calorie deficiency in the body – meaning that more calories are being burned than are being consumed. This is the foundation of weight loss and can be easily achieved – sometimes up to 1 pound per day – on a liquid diet.
Boosted Metabolism
When your body is denied calories, the metabolism will slow down to save energy, which typically isn’t a good thing. However, this can train your body to work more efficiently with a reduced level of calories. Unfortunately, many people report their metabolism speeding back up after the diet is over, causing the weight to return and improvement of the metabolism to be lost.
Eliminate Toxins
When we eat solid foods, the body works to eliminate toxins and puts forth an effort to dissolve those foods. On a liquid diet, more of a focus is on the detoxifying organs of the body, allowing them to cleanse the system and essentially play “catch up”. More liquid helps to flush the kidneys and bladder, and eliminate stored toxins in the colon and digestive tracts.
Improved Organ Function
Vegetable and fruit juices are essential during a liquid diet, which will provide the body with abundant nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. This can improve the function of all your organ systems, including the nervous system.
