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Jamie-Lynn Sigler’s “milk cleanse” isn’t the adjustment you should be making to your diet, according to an expert. Dietitian Abbey Sharp is calling out an eight-day food plan the Sopranos actress has adopted in hopes of handling her “gut issues.”
“No question, there’s absolutely nothing good that can come from this,” Sharp, who’s based in Toronto, toldYahoo Canada about the star’s plan to not eat. Sigler shared her new diet plans on a recent recording of her Not Today, Pal podcast, explaining she’s only consuming whole milk for eight days — “something called the milk cleanse,” the 43 year old said.
“And I take these pills. And the idea behind it is that parasites love dairy. And I’ve had so many gut issues, I’ve tried so many different things to try to fix it,” the How I Met Your Mother alum added. She continued to explain the milk reportedly helps draw out these parasites, which feed on the dairy she’s consuming.
Sharp stated there’s “so much misinformation” around the idea that people have parasites in their bodies and they’re wreaking havoc, noting “this is not evidence-based.” Moreover, she mentioned drinking only milk to help deal with gut issues is a “funny recommendation that’s basically contradictory.”
Sigler is taking on a ‘lazy elimination diet’
While Sharp admitted she doesn’t know which specific “gut issues” Sigler is experiencing, most people within that category are those who live with IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome.
“Most people, if you have IBS, will react to one or more FODMAPS, … [which] stands for fermentable oligo-, di-, mono- and polyolsaccharides,” she said. According to the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation, these are carbohydrates found in everyday foods that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine and can cause gastrointestinal symptoms.
“Lactose, in milk, is the most common FODMAP trigger. So, if she’s feeling better, it’s likely because she has cut out a bunch of other FODMAP triggers because she is only eating one food,” Sharp added.
According to Sharp, Sigler is taking on a “lazy elimination diet.” Instead of determining the actual cause of her gut issues, she’s simply cutting everything out and chalking it up to feeling better.
A low FODMAP diet, on the other hand, consists of three stages and aims to identify foods that trigger digestive symptoms. It’s not meant to be permanent, as a strict low FODMAP diet can lead to negative impacts to one’s microbiome and nutritional intake. Moreover, a person’s response to a low FODMAP diet is highly individual.
Sharp noted cleanses found online are often unnecessarily restrictive and could do more harm than intended since you’re cutting out nutrient-dense foods that might not even be triggering for you. Doing an in-depth investigation with a professional, “allows you to pinpoint the exact types of foods, the exact foods and the exact amounts that your body can tolerate before you have symptoms.”
How consuming only milk can impact your body
Sigler went on to explain it’s “crazy” how she hasn’t been getting up to poop three times a day. But Sharp explained that isn’t necessarily a good thing, explaining that it takes fibre to create “formed, normal bowel movements.”
I’m all for dairy. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with dairy or that dairy is bad.Abbey Sharp
Sharp said she’s “all for dairy,” as it’s a good source of nutrients like protein, fats and calcium. However, she warned there’s more to a healthy diet than just consuming milk, even if it’s just for slightly more than one week.
“You’re not getting iron, you’re not getting fibre, you’re not getting any kind of antioxidant micronutrients. … The moment she goes back to eating real food, she’s likely to have the exact same symptoms that she did before because she hasn’t actually figured out what the triggers are.”
She added that taking on this “milk cleanse” might won’t do any favours for your body. “You’re not doing your gut any justice whatsoever to not have any fibre and to be consuming one specific food that happens to be really clearing you out,” she explained. “It’s going to be a net negative for the gut microbiome.”
However, there is a risk of electrolyte imbalances with a cleanse like this, which can ultimately leave you in trouble. If you’re passing so many bowel movements each day, particularly wet stools like diarrhea, there’s a chance you might be hospitalized due to losing so many fluids and electrolytes.
Why you don’t have to cleanse your body
Sharp reminded people that cleanses like these are simply gimmicks. “There’s nothing you can do to cleanse your body. There’s no reason that you need to cleanse your body because your body has a whole bunch of natural mechanisms that detox every single day.”
Urinating, sweating, passing bowel movements and even breathing are all forms of detoxing, Sharp noted. Cleanses, whether it’s in another form like juices or broth, don’t have any evidence that they help your body detox any more than it already does.
She said she always recommends working with a dietitian if you’re interested in a proper elimination and reintroduction diet.
If you want to help your body detox, the best things to do are to move your body with lots of exercise, drink plenty of water and consume a lot of fibre.
“The ultimate detox is to just have a high-fibre, plant heavy diet, which this is the complete opposite of what I would recommend,” Sharp shared.
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