Detox or eating disorder? Here’s the ‘skinny’ on celebrity diets, helpful or dangerous?

Our obsession with being thin and constantly trying to shrink ourselves to fit into an imaginary standard of beauty has been something that both men and women have been battling for years.

From fasting to detox diets to cleansing to hot yoga, the list of things that many people are trying and emulating from celebrities is seemingly endless.

In fact many of these detox or hunger diets are recommended by celebrity doctors themselves, aka case in point, Gwyneth Paltrow who has recently come under fire for her meagre meal of coffee and bone broth saying it has been endorsed by her doctor to combat inflammation.

The Detox Buzzword

Specialist Gastroenterology dietician Dr Sammie Gill says, “Detoxing is a buzzword and a marketing term, based on the unfounded idea that we need to rid our bodies of toxins that build up on a daily basis. There is no evidence showing detoxing is effective or safe. In fact, it can be harmful.”

Registered nutritionist and author of The Science of Nutrition, Rhiannon Lambert said, “The diet industry also promises that a detox can help you lose weight or restore gut health, but in terms of overall health and people’s relationships with food, it’s best to avoid this type of celebrity nutritional advice.”

Gill said that our body already has its own built in detoxing equipment in the form of our kidneys and liver.

“If you’re over restricting, cutting out food groups or eating erratically, then your gut won’t like it.

Instead of cutting things out, add them in she says. Gill recommends fruits, veggies, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains and plant food in general.

“Each community of microbes in your gut have different preferences so keep them well fed and nourish them with a variety of plant-based foods,” she said.

IV Drips

The other trend to address is the IV drips which have been popularized by celebrities to party all night, avoid hangovers and to ease long haul airport travel.

“People who are healthy do not need IV drips. At best they are an expensive way to fill your bladder – and then flush hundreds of pounds down the toilet – but at worst they can cause significant damage to your health […] Exposing the liver and kidney to large quantities of vitamins can place them under significant stress, and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has prohibited companies from offering drips without screening liver and kidney function beforehand,” said Professor Stephen Powis who is a medicals director at NHS England.