e.Newsletter
January 2007

Can You Flush Fat Away?

Losing weight is the number-one New Year’s resolution, and some people who are resolving to shed pounds in 2007 may be hoping to flush the fat away.

Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., C.N.S., who developed the Flat Flush Plan, claims her diet boosts metabolism by detoxifying the liver. Gittleman’s diet prohibits consumption of white flour, white sugar, margarine, vegetable shortening, artificial sweeteners, and caffeine. The diet emphasizes essential oils (e.g., flaxseed and GLA [gamma-linolenic acid]), protein (8 ounces or more, plus two eggs a day), vegetables, thermogenic spices (e.g., ginger and cayenne), water, and diuretic beverages (eight glasses/day of diluted, unsweetened cranberry juice).

Detox diets, fasts and even pills promising to rid the body of toxins and speed up metabolism are becoming more popular thanks in part to media coverage of celebrity diet trends. For example, singer Beyonce Knowles reportedly lost weight by adhering to the “master cleanse” diet—maple syrup mixed with water, lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Nutrition experts warn that people looking for a quick weight-loss fix from these plans are flushing time, effort and money down the drain.

No credible evidence has yet been presented to support the claim that you can detoxify your liver by eating specific foods, and stepping up your metabolism in the ways recommended by these plans will give you the jitters, but not much more. Any weight loss from detoxifying diets probably derives from calorie restriction.

The Fat Flush Plan restricts dieters to 1,100 to 1,200 calories per day for the first two weeks and then raises the level to 1,300 to 1,500 per day thereafter.

The Fat Flush Plan would appear to be just another low-calorie diet with some useless but provocative prescriptions added. Most dieters would lose weight on 1,200 calories per day, but hunger would lead them to abandon the plan and regain the weight in short order.

Keep Diet Goals Afloat

Instead of trying to flush fat away, the American Institute for Cancer Research recommends following a predominantly plant-based diet, reducing portion sizes and increasing physical activity to achieve a healthy weight.

AICR’s New American Plate offers nutritional guidelines and recipes based on filling your plate with two-thirds (or more) plant foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans, and one-third (or less) with animal proteins like meat and low fat dairy products. According to the AICR, eating high-fiber plant foods helps to fill you up so you consume less. In addition, the phytochemicals, minerals and vitamins in plant foods have been found to boost the immune system and help ward off cancer, heart disease and stroke.

To learn more about the New American Plate, log on to www.aicr.org.

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