We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Health

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is the 3-Day Detox Diet?

Nicole Madison
By
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 9,920
Share

The 3-day detox diet is a type of fad diet that a person follows for just three days. Proponents of this diet assert that it stimulates rapid weight loss and also helps to free the body of toxins, allowing the dieter's liver to recover from their effects. Interestingly, there are a few diet plans that are called the 3-day detox diet. They all have rapid weight loss and toxin removal as their goals, but they are slightly different from each other. No matter which of these diets a person selects, he can usually count on eating very little each day.

One type of 3-day detox diet requires the dieter to eat very light meals each day. For example, a dieter may make his meals out of steamed vegetables or organic fruit. Brown rice is also an acceptable addition to this diet, though the dieter is supposed to eat small amounts of it. An individual on the 3-day detox diet is only supposed to drink water, and nothing else, for the duration of the diet. After being on this diet, a person is supposed to slowly work back up to eating more calories by consuming mostly fruits and vegetables, soups, water, and other light foods.

Another form of 3-day detox diet has dieters consuming very low calorie foods for three days, eating normally for a few days after that, and then going back to following the 3-day detox diet once more. On this diet, a person can consume black tea or coffee, fruits and vegetables, proteins, carbohydrates, and a very small amount of fat, but the calorie intake is scant. For example, a person on this form of the diet may drink black coffee and eat a half of a grapefruit and a slice of toast with peanut butter spread on it for breakfast. For lunch he may consume a small amount of tuna, a slice of toast, and more black coffee. Dinner may consist of a small amount of lean meat, two to four servings of vegetables, and an apple; a small amount of ice cream may be allowed as well.

Opponents of this diet assert that it is unlikely to produce sustainable weight loss. Often, people who follow the 3-day detox diet manage to lose mostly water weight and regain the pounds once they begin to eat normally again. Additionally, failure to eat enough calories on a daily basis can have negative health consequences.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Nicole Madison
By Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison's love for learning inspires her work as a WiseGeek writer, where she focuses on topics like homeschooling, parenting, health, science, and business. Her passion for knowledge is evident in the well-researched and informative articles she authors. As a mother of four, Nicole balances work with quality family time activities such as reading, camping, and beach trips.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
By indigomoth — On Mar 08, 2012

@irontoenail - That was a doctor prescribed and presumably, a doctor monitored diet though. What worries me about these trendy detox cleansing diets is that there is no regulation of them.

Anyone can claim that they know the secret and throw it up online or in a book, asking for money. Most of them are just a scam, to be honest, and even the ones that don't ask for money are usually built up of urban legend and rumor.

Three days isn't going to hurt the average person, but people who are already desperate and following diet after diet, or are actually clinically anorexic might hurt themselves though particularly if the diet is of only one food, or just fasting for three days.

Plus there are ones like the juice detox which could play havoc with your blood sugar and make you much more likely to relapse into bad ways after you're done.

A healthy, varied diet and exercise is the only answer to weight loss and general fitness. People need to stop looking for easy answers.

By irontoenail — On Mar 08, 2012

@croydon - I'm not sure about detox cleanse part of these diets either, but they can make your stomach function better.

I had a friend who had real problems with her stomach and her doctor (her real, licensed GP) gave her a diet to follow that was similar to these kinds of diets, except was for a longer period of time. It started out with her only being able to drink clear fluids (although I think she maybe had to have vitamins as well? I'm not sure) and worked its way up to solid foods.

It was supposed to give her stomach a chance to rest and recover. I don't think there was anything about "cleansing" her system, but it did make her feel much better, once she had finished it.

I also think these things can be good psychologically. If you make a big deal about it as a gateway to a new life, with new habits, you might prepare yourself for the real task of living well, and losing weight that way.

Whatever works for you, as long as you are sensible.

By croydon — On Mar 07, 2012

I find the debate about these kinds of diets very interesting. For the most part I think they are fads, and can even be dangerous. And I do have to say that I don't believe this diet alone can provide lasting weight loss.

But there are some things which I think it can provide. For example, if you start off fasting (which is an ancient diet technique) you shrink your stomach and if you work yourself up to eating only small meals, it can be easier to accept smaller portions than you are used to.

And portion control is one of the most important habits a person needs to learn for long term weight loss.

I don't believe that you are getting rid of toxins, frankly. I think if you feel better it's because you aren't stuffing yourself with processed food, but you could have that same effect if you went straight onto the non-processed food without the fasting.

Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison's love for learning inspires her work as a WiseGeek writer, where she focuses on topics like...
Learn more
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-is-the-3-day-detox-diet.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.