Cleanse or detox is the new acceptable word for diet

When we have a hard time self moderating we will reach for rigid rules in the short term that we believe will provide a so called reboot for our systems.

So we all now know that saying "I'm on a diet" will create a perception of ourselves that appears to be less informed and old school in a bad way.

In keeping with our love of short term, oversimplified solutions to larger issues, people now feel somewhat self-righteous saying they are on a cleanse or a detox. Cleanses and detoxes can (not always) feed into the unconscious fast food culture that exists all around us.

The most common detox diets?

Gluten free or sugar free.

But the people who reach for these extreme measures are likely finding it difficult to live in the place of constant free will and the grey zones of having to make mindful choices moment by moment. So in trying to find a way to self regulate over indulgent or binge like behaviours people will say they have an addiction to white sugar for example. And like old school addiction treatment, the belief that once the substance is gone and cleansed from the system, the problem is solved.

But the real truth is that we all are engaged in addictive behaviours, addicted to substances or thought processes that are a way for us to dissociate from pain or from some truth that we would rather avoid. And in cleansing our systems of a substance, we are still left with the deep underlying reason of what drove us to find ways to dissociate in the first place.

As you can probably gather, I'm not a big proponent of cleanses or detoxes unless prescribed by a skillful holistic health practitioner that is doing so in order to improve overall health and wellness. Self prescribed detox diets are, most often, an attempt to reign in demons in a less than healing way or to mask a need to do deeper work.

We all could find daily opportunities to find foods that are more in balance with what our body really needs. And sometimes we do need a little chocolate. It's really quite simple. Eat whole foods in balance! Avoid foods that aren't nutritionally dense or that create digestive upset. Getting into a state of rigidity is not healthy for our spirit or mind. And if you really want to lose weight, do it the slow way. Slow and steady wins the race! Moderation! And if you can't find moderation, it's time to find out why.

Extremes have a rebound affect. Chances are someone who has made cleansing sugar, caffeine or wheat entirely from their diet in one fell swoop will find themselves using again in a matter of months. Living in a grey zone of allowing oneself occasional indulgences in less than perfect food choices is what is healthier in my mind in the long run. It's tantamount to finding a sense of inner peace with the fact that we shouldn't strive for perfection. Anyone who has a hard time self regulating about food is like any other addict that needs to take a deeper look at what this behaviour is masking.