Byline: By Julie Cush
Most women would rather have a nice cup of tea then undergo the rigours and side effects of a strict detox regime, according to a new survey.
A third of women said tea and coffee were the hardest things to give up, while just 25 per cent Chanel Earrings said they would miss alcohol most.
Around 20 per cent they would be sad to say goodbye to chocolate, even if only for a few days.
More than 70 per cent of the women taking part in the survey, by handbag.com, said they did not detox, but more than half said they would consider it in the future.
Reasons for starting a detox plan - which involves giving up processed food like caffeine, bread, pasta, meat and milk - included the wish to "cleanse" the body (83 per cent) and get more energy (62 per cent). Losing weight was seen a less important reason.
Handbag.com editor Debbie Djordjevic said: "Our poll results suggest that detox is still a grey area.
"While women can see its tremendous benefits, they are also wary of the side effects and certainly find it hard to give up pleasures such as caffeine."
The researchers also found that more than a quarter of women said they detoxed once a year, while more than a fifth said they did it twice yearly.
Most women also said they managed to detox only for between two and six days, while just under 10 per cent followed plans advocated by celebrities such as television presenter Carol Voderman, managing to last for a month.
Having to drink more water was seen as the hardest thing about detoxing by 38 per cent of women, while 26 per cent said they found it difficult to eat more pulses and fruits.
The side effects were also a concern, with 68 per cent saying they suffered from headaches and 53 per cent saying that rather than giving them more energy, detoxing actually made them Monogram canvas Handbags tired.
Natural health therapist Rumana Ramzan, 35, is a member of the Institute of Complementary Medicine.
She runs a clinic in Darlington called Natural Health and holds regular detox workshops in Newcastle.
She said people often suffer headaches because they cut caffeine out all together instead of eliminating it gradually.
She is a passionate believer in getting the most out of good wholesome food while detoxing. She said: "I do recommend supplements, but many people cannot afford them.
"A good investment is a juicer. There is nothing like freshly squeezed carrot juice which, is packed with vitamins A, C and E, for maximising health.
"I am also a great believer in using herbs in cooking - nothing fancy, just common ones like rosemary, which is an excellent mood-lifter, and thyme, which aids digestion."
At the heart of Rumana's detox plan is cleansing the vital organs of the body, including the bowel, kidneys and liver.
She recommends ridding the bowel of "debris" just like changing the oil of the car with a two-week herbal programme.
For the liver, a daily drink made of ginger, olive oil and garlic is advocated, and for the kidneys, herbal teas and parsley are an integral part of the detox.
She also recommends skin-brushing and hot and cold showers for a sluggish lymph s