A popular 10-day detox has my knickers in a twist

Lately, I’ve seen a popular 10-day detox program making the rounds on social media, and let me tell you, it’s got my knickers in a twist! The creator of this plan, Benson, is a civil engineer—not a dietitian, nutritionist, or healthcare professional. So why on earth are thousands of people following a one-size-fits-all nutrition plan from someone whose expertise lies in infrastructure, not human health?

Now, Benson seems to have taken “principles” from well-known health personalities like Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Andrew Huberman. But here’s the kicker: even Dr. Huberman recently stated on his podcast that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to eating. Our health needs are personal, and there’s no universal diet that works for everyone. So why are these principles being repackaged into something so prescriptive?

Misuse of Health Information

Dr. Mark Hyman’s recommendations often raise eyebrows in the evidence-based health community. Sure, he’s popular, but many of his claims lack robust scientific backing. He’s known for making extreme health claims, and while some of his ideas may work for certain individuals, they can easily be blown out of proportion when taken as universal truths.

This detox promises to minimise blood sugar spikes, reduce inflammation, and lower cortisol levels, but these claims are based on vague “principles” rather than solid evidence. There’s no actual research backing up these detox-specific effects, which makes the whole program shaky at best.

Red Flags All Around: Eliminating Whole Food Groups

Here’s another red flag: this detox eliminates entire food groups, including alcohol, caffeine, refined sugars, processed foods, and starchy foods. Where’s the evidence showing that these food groups are inherently harmful? Demonising foods and labeling them as “bad” is a huge problem in diet culture. When we assign moral value to food, it reinforces unhealthy relationships with eating and leads us down a dangerous path.

Not to mention, the program is only 10 days long. Even if you feel amazing by day 10, it’s not a sustainable way to live. And when you inevitably break the detox “rules,” you’ll feel like a failure—like you just didn’t have enough willpower. But it’s not about willpower; it’s about the unrealistic expectations set by programs like these that don’t consider your personal lifestyle, culture, budget, or preferences.

Why You Might Feel Good for 10 Days

You might feel good during those 10 days, but why? It’s not because you’ve found some magical cure for all your health woes. Often, it’s the result of short-term changes like reducing processed foods and focusing more on whole foods. But these benefits don’t come from eliminating entire food groups—they come from incorporating balance and variety into your diet. This is where gentle nutrition comes in: adding in nutritious foods rather than obsessively removing them.

When you take an evidence-based approach to nutrition, the focus is on balance, not restriction. This is why seeking guidance from qualified professionals who can tailor advice to your unique needs is so important.

Repeat Customers = Big Business

Let’s be real: these detox programs thrive on repeat customers. The more you come back, the more money they make. If diets actually worked in the long term, the diet industry wouldn’t be worth nearly $200 billion. They count on your failure, not your success.

So, what are you really looking for with this detox? Can you achieve it through sustainable, evidence-based health behaviors instead of a quick fix? It’s crucial to remember that what works for one person may not work for another. I’m an active, premenopausal woman. My nutritional needs are vastly different from someone who is inactive, perimenopausal, or stressed.

Dieting’s Dangerous Connection to Eating Disorders

Here’s something even more concerning: dieting is one of the strongest predictors of developing an eating disorder. A three-year study of nearly 2,000 adolescents found that dieting is the strongest predictor of new eating disorders. Shockingly, 95% of people who lose weight on a diet will gain it back.

When you follow a diet that limits energy intake, requires calorie counting, or eliminates entire food groups, you’re entering high-risk territory for disordered eating behaviors. There’s a blurred line between dieting and disordered eating, and detoxes that label foods as “good” or “bad” only make that line blurrier.

Even more troubling, people with eating disorders are over twice as likely to seek help from health professionals for weight loss than for treating their eating disorder. The mortality rate for people with eating disorders is up to six times higher than for those without, and anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric conditions.

The Harmful Effects of Weight Cycling

Weight cycling—losing weight, gaining it back, and repeating the cycle—has significant health impacts. It’s been linked to depression, an increased risk of endometrial cancer, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and stroke. Every time you engage in intentional weight loss, you increase your susceptibility to weight gain.

Detox Diets and Diet Culture: A Harmful Cycle

Maybe Benson is well-meaning. Perhaps they’re just as inundated with false health information and diet culture as the rest of us. But the lack of qualifications and experience in understanding the latest evidence on nutrition and health leaves their program—and the people who follow it—vulnerable to harm.

What worries me most is how these detox programs are marketed on social media, where young people—who are already at a higher risk of developing eating disorders—are consuming this information. Or worse, they’re seeing their parents or caregivers engage in detox behavior, which normalises it.

These programs make us feel like there’s something wrong with our bodies and how we eat, and that we need to “fix” ourselves. But here’s the truth: you don’t need to detox your body. Your liver and kidneys already do that for you.

A Final Thought: Be Kind to Yourself

At the end of the day, it’s your body, and it’s your choice how you want to live. My goal isn’t to tell you what to do, but to offer an alternative perspective so you can make informed decisions that impact your health and well-being. Diet culture is pervasive, but it’s not the only option. Sustainable health comes from practices that respect your body, your lifestyle, and your individual needs.

Be kind to yourself,

M x