A = Another Pizza, B = Beer, C = Chocolate, D = Detox?!? (Boots Detox 5 Day Plan)

Member Name: Fishbulb

Product:	Boots Detox 5 Day Plan
Date:	27/05/02 (10439 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Feel healthier

Disadvantages: No beer chocolate or crisps for 5 days :(

+++UPDATE+++

Three cheers for Boots who must have heeded the advice of my letter to them (and probably many others too) They have now introduced another flavour into the Boots 5 Day Detox range, a slightly more palatable strawberry. So now there's the choice of both Strawberry or Lime flavours! Hurrah for Boots, listening to the consumers!!!

+++END OF UPDATE+++

I bought myself one of these little kits while out one fine day doing my routine shop in boots. Now, I'd been thinking about buying one for a while, but never quite got around to it. If I'm perfectly honest, I only really bought it at the time because there was a special offer on the advantage card points scheme giving me a whopping 500 points (the equivalent of a fiver off my next purchase in Boots)

So, I've bought, my kit, feeling healthier already, I'm actually so excited about doing it that when I get back to the office after lunch I decide to take a look and see what I have just spent nearly 15quid on. Well, it's beautifully packaged, 5 silver glass phials and a pack of 5 tablets greet me when I open the clear box ? along with a small instruction manual for want of a better description. The phials are packaged in a soft foam outer casing, like little antique vases. The packaging is very similar to that of the Boot 'Botanics' range of toiletries.

Ingredients are

(Phial ingredients)

Water, Glycerol, Flavourings, D L Alpha tocopheryl acetate, Ascorbic acid, Sodium citrate, Stabiliser (Xanthan gum), Citric acid, Sodium Chloride, Preservative (sorbic acid), Peppermint oil, Selenium amino acid chelate.

(Tablet ingredients)

Glutathione reduced form, Sorbitol, Microcrystalline cellulose, Anticaking agents (Magnesium stearate, Silicon dioxide)

Nutritional information

Typical values, per daily dose, %RDA
Vitamin C, 500mg, 833
Vitamin E, 100mg, 1000
Selenium, 25ų
g
Glutathione, 50 mg

I bought this detox kit in about March, it's now nearly the end of May and I?ve only just got around to actually using it and if I?m honest, if I hadn't nearly run out of money for the month and thought I could afford to eat properly for the next two weeks I probably wouldn't be doing this now. There has been a reason every single week since I bought this kit for me not to do it, a dinner, someone's birthday a Wednesday (hey look I was fairly desperate not to do this)

For the next five days, my diet is going to be seriously turned around ? no cheese or red meat (difficult to digest) no alcohol, no tea or coffee?!?!? Or chocolate, cakes, sugar or pretty much anything apart from fresh fruit and veg. Hence the reason, my darling husband and myself spent majority of yesterday (Sunday) in a local pizzeria eating them out of amongst other things, mozzarella and tomato salad, followed by the biggest cheesiest pizza I have ever seen (with extra parmesan) and plenty of beer, dessert and double espressos to follow. I figure that if I?m gonna detox, I may as well 'tox' first ? I?ve convinced myself I'd feel the benefit more this way.

What is detoxing?

I think of detoxing as the human equivalent of an oil change in your car. You change the oil when it?s dirty and used (hopefully more than I do) and your car runs better. This is what detoxing is. The 5 day kit is a booster kit to help your body eliminate the build-up of toxins that day-to-day modern life throws at you. Toxin's build up within our bodies due to smoking, drinking, sometimes even due to pesticides used in food production along with pollution. So hopefully be detoxing and eliminating as much of these things along with a swift change of diet, should give my body the chance to catch-up with all the horrible things I put in it and perform an (albeit late) spring clean.

Depending on how healthy / unhealthy you a
re and exactly how seriously you take your own personal detox will determine the actual affects and how much you feel like you've benefited. I'm sure that like a lot of things, it's down to your frame of mind as much as anything else. Thing is though, here's the deal ? I smoke (Shhhh.) and I don't think I am ready to give up just yet, certainly not at a time when I am depriving my body of the chocolate, crisps and beer that it desires so much. So this is the level I have chosen to suit my needs best. Remember, this is an individual thing, you are paying for it ? you decide!

There's no point doing this detox (or any really) if it's going to make you miserable, so tailor it to suit your own needs. I wouldn?t ever go on a mushroom diet** and eat nothing but mushrooms no matter how good they were for me because I dislike them, but for someone out there, I'm sure that would be an ideal way to diet.

**I have nothing against mushrooms, they are particularly cute in terms of vegetable's I dislike the taste and texture of them and should you like them, then please do not take offence at this comment.

What happens when I detox?

Well, the toxins in your body are carried around in your blood and so into your liver and because it's full of toxins, it works inefficiently and therefore you don't feel as wonderful as you could and know you should. By detoxing, you are stopping adding to the ever growing list of toxin's inside you and hopefully giving your body a chance to deal with the level of pollutants it has already without you adding any more.

Diet

I cannot stress this enough, this product is a SUPPLIMENT to your detoxing process, it is not a replacement for eating and should not be used as a diet. It is unsafe to deprive your body of food for 5 days and daft as though it may seem. After reading the instructions for this kit I would have to say it took several readings
to establish that I could eat.

Well, we all know that we're supposed to drink 8 glasses of water a day (and no, lager, vodka & coffee although all made from water do NOT count towards your daily allowance. It is very important to drink plenty of fluids during your detox. Your body will only use as much as it needs, by drinking water regularly throughout the day you are assisting your body in it?s repairs.

While detoxing, we are encouraged by the good people at Boots to 'change to a more balanced diet' this will assist with weight loss and increased energy levels.

The following two lists are directly taken from the advisory leaflet that comes with the kit

Good detoxifying foods include
Fruit - fresh or dried
Vegetables - preferably raw or steamed
Nuts, pulses and seeds
Fish
Brown Rice
Wholemeal Bread
Olive, Walnut or sesame oil
Garlic
Herbal Teas
Fruit juice - preferably not made from concentrate

Things to avoid

Dairy products (difficult to digest)
Red meat (difficult to digest)
Processed or convenience food
Artificially sweetened food
Tea, coffee & Alcohol (dehydrate your body)
Sweets & chocolate

I thought the best way to talk you through this is by means of a 'detox diary' so here goes.

SUNDAY

Weighed myself today, to say the least I was a little shocked.

D-DAY whoops meant MONDAY

Well, wake up all excited and still full from yesterday's cheese, pizza and alcohol binge feeling quite good, will be much better once I've got a cup of tea. Dagnamit. Hubby starts making me a cuppa and I remember I'm not allowed, so he kindly makes me the herbal version. Orange, Mango & Cinnamon, lovely, but NO substitute for the caffeine sugar and milk provided from the other kind. I weighed myself this morning and had a bit of a shock, I now officially weigh?.pah, like I'm telling you. r>
I mix my first phial of detox stuff in a bottle with a litre of water. I'm thankful I mixed it in a bottle as the liquid is like a gel and needs a good shaking. I dutifully take my tablet from the kit with some of the liquid that even though it tastes watery has a distinctive limey, blackcurrant aftertaste, I HATE blackcurrant. I took half of the liquid to work and reserved some for when I got home.

At work, sip liquid as required in-between which I drink about 2 litres of water. For lunch I have a salad of tomato's, lettuce and onion with a slice of wholemeal bread ? it's foul. I forgot that I was allowed olive oil and could have had dressing. Never mind. Had a cup of lemon herbal tea to cheer me up.

I get dragged around Tescos, past the bakery and all it's delights and through the crisp, chocolate and beer sections also. I have to try to restrain myself from launching at this lovely snack food and shaking, go to the till to pay.

For dinner I cheat a little after feeling like I missed out at lunch I use a teaspoon of olive oil to make homemade ratattuio that we eat with salmon fillets which are grilled with plenty of fresh pepper and rock salt. Hubby said dinner was delicious. I dislike fish so I wasn?t impressed. A glass of orange juice to wash this down and several glasses of water later I have a headache. I can hardly keep my eyes open. Is this due to the detox, I wonder. It hurts and I go to bed early.

TUESDAY

Another cup of orange & mango tea for me for breakfast. Made up my detox liquid and obediently take my tablet as directed. The liquid is not to my taste and I'm having trouble controlling my gag reflex. Hubby is very supportive, praising me, and singing because I've made it through one day already. I want to kill him. I'm sure he's hiding chocolate somewhere in the house. I brought three nectarines with me to work for lunch. I ended up buying a salad too I
threw it away it was horrid. I ate a banana in the end. I'm feeling very distant and dizzy and have got to go to the gym this evening. I don't think I'm going to make the whole five days. I do have mild 'discomfort' in my lower back; I think my kidneys are growing back!!! Went to the gym, hubby forgot his trainers (apparently) so only got in half an hour ? frankly that was enough. Homemade French onion soup for dinner. Found a tub of mint choc chip ice cream in Sainsbury's bought two! Can't eat them for another three days - had unbelievable uncontrollable hiccups for about an hour.

WEDNESDAY

Couldn't face the herbal tea this morning, had a glass of orange juice instead. Liquid is revolting still, but I calm myself with the knowledge that there's only two more days after this one. Feeling a bit better than yesterday, headache is coming and going. Had a cup of lemon tea this morning. Had fruit for lunch. Probably soup again for dinner. Ho-hum. Should have planned this a little better. Got bad hiccups again at work ? how embarrassing. Hubby rings me up to tell me proudly that he's bought me some more fruit in Tescos. GREAT! He says he's got enough for the next couple of days for me. I haven't eaten a whole piece of fruit since I was at school a few ahem years ago. A week ago, two pieces of fruit would have lasted me a lifetime.

THURSDAY

"One more day to go, One more day to go" Well my spirits have been lifted a bit by the fact that I?ve made it half way. I've had ample opportunity to cheat and I haven't which will make my eating proper food again all the more satisfying.

FRIDAY

Last day today ? hooray! I am feeling rather content with the fact that I made it. And in the process, lost about 11lbs in weight. Even the liquid is tolerable now (nearly)


Am I going to keep up this new healthy lifestyle ? naghh? it was nice w
hile it lasted but I couldn't see me buying another detox kit. I think that if I had planned my diet a little better instead of stomping around a shop every evening stumped as to what to eat I might have been better prepared for this detox. This is definitely not the right thing for anybody with low willpower. I am VERY proud of myself for getting through these five days and if I never see another piece of fruit I will be a very happy Fishbulb.

Was it worth it? I hear you cry, well, yes, it was, I learned a lot about my eating habits and the foods that I crave and yes, I even learnt to enjoy fruit (reluctantly) but I can't help but think that I might feel exactly the same way had I just changed my diet without buying the detox kit. I am a little thinner and lighter and I'm treating this kit as a 'kick start' to my weight loss curb and getting in more exercise at the gym.

This is one of those things that you should probably do, just once, like a skydive. You'll either love it or hate it but either way you've done it and can cast your opinion out there to the masses. Happy skydiving people!