When I curl up with a bunch of teen/fashion magazines, checked out from the library, I invariably run into a specific topic — the latest diet fad.

Detox diets are especially popular. Think of the Lemon Detox or Master Cleanse in which you live on some maple syrup concoction. The Martha's Vineyard Diet Detox focuses on juices, and the Fruit Flush Three-Day Detox diet aims rid your body of toxins through protein shakes.

Most detox diets involve some version of a fast. You give up food for a few days, consuming only liquids, after which natural food (not the unwholesome junk you used eat) is gradually introduced into your diet. And soon after you will be a whole new you. These regimens are eagerly followed not only by weight watchers but also by those who simply want to feel and look better.

Unfortunately the healthy eating habits of our infant days when we ate only good stuff like milk, fruits, and veggies don’t last.

Sugar is introduced and loved alarmingly early. Fats are in abundance. Most teens eat considerable amounts of prepackaged and overly processed hormone-infested and pesticide-infused food. I hardly know anyone who doesn’t love caffeine, and some of us have even started drinking alcohol.

Apparently none of this is good for you, certainly not in excessive quantities, and according to some, not at all.

In addition to bad food, environmental pollutants have a toxic effect on the body. Since it is hard to avoid all of it, one should detoxify from time to time, because as the detox proponents claim, the buildup of unsavory substances can cause allergies, exhaustion, and even certain cancers.

Fasting is of course not a radical new concept. Many religions have some type of fasting ritual. Religious fasting is associated with enlightenment and atonement. It’s a way to start afresh. Christians fast during Lent, Muslims fast during Ramadan, and Jews fast on Yom Kippur.

The hunger strike, a form of fasting, has been employed as a political weapon. The Chinese have used fasting as a part of preventive health care.

Detox diets can also claim they are way for people to start afresh, taking charge of their health in a proactive manner.

However many Western doctors have their doubts about the legitimacy of these diets and their claims of promoting good health. They argue that detox does little good, and may even be harmful.

Your body actually knows how to take care of itself, thanks to millions of years of evolutionary development. The body has its own built-in mechanisms to detoxify and remove waste. The skin, liver, and kidneys are all chemically-controlled organs that respond to remove waste products — typically detoxifying the body constantly.

So it may not really be necessary to put yourself through a fast in order to rid your body of toxins. You can get the same effect by sweating them out naturally through physical exercise and eating a high-fiber diet.

Detox diets can actually be harmful for teenagers, who need lots of good nutrition with dense calories and protein to augment their growth and development.

When you fast for several days, you may shed weight but most of it will be water and muscle, which may make you look slimmer but will also slow down your metabolism, which will make it harder for you to shed weight later.

The one advantage of thinking about detox diets is that it may at least prompt a reassessment of one's lifestyle and eating patterns. Focusing on what you are eating is good. Obsessing about it is exactly the opposite of good. So try to limit the junk and just relax. We have enough to worry about as it is.