New Year's diets, cleanses and detoxes create false hope, doctor warns

If over the next few weeks you plan to have most of your meals in liquid-form or skip a few entirely it could actually reverseyour goal of getting healthier after the holidays, according totheCalgaryEyeopener'smedical contributor,Dr. RajBhardwaj,

Bhardwajwarns thatthere's no science proving a diet intended to "cleanse" or "detox" the body actually works and itcan evenbe harmful.

"They lead to magical thinking," said Bhardwaj."They lead people to thinking this stuff really works and life isn't that simple, sorry."

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He said cleanses have grown in popularity because they often lead to fat loss, but only for the short-term and create false hope.

"It can make your body more resistant to insulin, which in the long-term will actually make your body put on fat rather than get rid of it."

Muscle loss, loss of strength, hypoglycemia, and mood-swings canall negative effects of cleanses,saidBhardwaj.

While there is some research that proves fasting for short terms can have some benefit, but they won't work for everyone.

"If you are on any medications you probably shouldn't be fasting,or cleansing for that matter," Bhardwajsaid.

People often start to fast or keep a strict low-calorie diet with the hope of kick-starting the immune system to burn more fat, when they are actually known to impact cholesterol and stress hormone levels, "both in bad ways," said Bhardwaj.

Not to dash the hopes of those hoping to undo any harm done over the holidays, dieters should use that motivation to makechanges with long-term benefits.

"We want to be healthier, not just lighter for two weeks."

He says set smallgoals likeaiming to eat breakfast each day, eating like avegetarian one day aweek, or going for a walk each day at lunch.

Then, don't beat yourself up if you don't hit every single goal.

"If 80 per cent of the time you are making good, healthy decisions and if the other 20 per cent of the time you're not going totally off the rails, then give yourself a pat on the back."