Liquid Diet

What is a Liquid Diet?
A liquid diet is one of the hardest diet plans to follow because they are so restrictive.  Some liquid diets encourage individuals to follow a diet plan composed of just liquids and this can be extremely difficult.  Other liquid diets recommend liquid supplements to go along with a particular meal plan.  Liquid diets are common for individuals that must undergo certain types of medical procedures but they have also become popular as weight loss plans.   Regardless of whether the plan contains food or does not, the liquid supplement is the major and most important part of the diet.

Common Liquid Diets
As stated previously many people drink certain supplements prescribed by doctors before undergoing surgery or other procedures.  However, for a liquid diet that an individual’s begins on their own most of the time they receive their liquid diet in the form of shakes.  Weight loss shakes are very popular diet items and there are a variety of shakes that individuals can choose from depending on what they are looking for.  These shakes generally claim to contain all of the daily nutrients that individuals need to remain healthy and sustain their energy level.  Nutrients such as protein, vitamins and fat are generally a few of the components that make up the shakes.  Some of the shakes instruct individuals to drink them for every meal and other plan have individuals drink the shakes but combine them with a certain type of meal plan.  For some liquid diets, the user must prepare the liquid supplement.  Generally, individuals must obtain simple ingredients in order to make their liquid supplement.

Pros
Individuals will experience weight loss on a liquid diet.  The drastic cut in calories and focusing on only fresh fruits and vegetables will cause people to experience noticeable weight loss.  Liquid diets such as those that focus on cleansing can help to cleanse the body of toxins and clean out the digestive system, which can lead to weight loss.  Liquid diets are also very flexible.  Individuals can make changes to the diet and include what they need depending on the results they are looking for.  Many people like to use a liquid diet along with a low calorie meal plan in order to achieve weight loss.

Cons
Like many extremely low calorie diets, liquid diets cannot be done for long periods of time.  In addition, most of the weight lost is water weight and individuals gain it back as soon as they start eating normally.  A liquid diet is not very nutritional and most of them do not take into account the daily need for vitamins, protein and other nutrients.  It is also generally not safe to exercise on a liquid diet because of the low calories and lack of nutrients.

Conclusion
A liquid diet is okay for cleansing purposes or for medical purposes but unless an individual is just looking for short-term results it is not a good idea.  These types of diets are also hard to follow and cannot be used for long periods of time.  Liquid diets can also be dangerous because of the low calories consumed.