Health Liquid Diets

Liquid diets may have health benefits in certain situations. According to WebMd, patients with Crohn's disease, a disorder that causes the inflammation of the intestines, can give their digestive systems a chance to rest in the event of a flare-up. Although people who want to lose weight also use these diets, in some cases the diets fail because after they return to solid food they regain their previous weight. For this reason, the website advises you not to choose one too low in calories. However, each person is different. Your doctor and dietitian can work together with you to determine which liquid diet, if any, is right for you.

Clear Liquid Diet

• A clear liquid diet consists of fluids that leave no undigested residue in your intestines. According to the Mayo Clinic website, if you have certain digestive issues, your doctor may prescribe this type of diet. He may also direct you to follow a clean liquid diet prior to surgery. He may order a regimen prior to a procedure, such as a colonoscopy or a digestive system x-ray. He also may suggest such a regimen if you have nausea, diarrhea, or following a surgical procedure. The goal of a liquid diet is to help you maintain hydration and to provide sodium and potassium, two important electrolytes. A clear liquid diet allows you to drink lemonade, sports drinks, clear soda pop, honey or plain gelatin, according to Mayo Clinic.

Juice Fasts

• Liquid dieters use juice fasting for detoxification, as well as for weight loss purposes. However, as the Every Diet website explains, you are most likely to only lose fluid weight, as opposed to actual body weight. In this type of diet, juices replace meals. It is, at best, a short-term regimen. The website recommends you do not pursue this type of fast fast without checking with your doctor. Furthermore, the site does not recommend juicing your fruits and vegetables. For when you do, you remove the fiber and other nutrients that were in that apple, orange, or watermelon. This could result in a slowing of your metabolism, which, in turn, could reduce your energy.

Shake Diets

• People sometimes use shake diets, such as supplementary protein drinks, to replace solid food at meals. Instead, they drink smoothies, or milkshakes, at the intervals of the day when they would normally eat meals. According to the Disabled World website, people usually use these diets to quickly start the weight loss process. One of the drawbacks, however, is that shakes may contain a hefty amount of calories, depending on if you make the shakes yourself, and on what kind of milk you use. The Disabled World website recommends skim milk, as it only contains about 80 calories a cup. It is not a recommended long-term substitute for a good old-fashioned healthy meal.

100 Percent Liquid Protein Diets

• A liquid protein diet of this nature may include shakes, but you may also include soups, puddings, or hot drinks. To ascertain if this type of diet, which involves total abstinence from solid food, is right for you, consult a health professional. This is especially true if you suffer from a chronic condition, such as diabetes.