Most of us are aware of the saying about there being no shortcuts in life; and now might be a good time to start taking the adage seriously.

Piggyback riding on the general brouhaha around conscious eating, scores of unverified articles online and "life coaches" are doling out unsolicited advice on how to live and eat. Information on alluring week-long regimes, drastic diets and eating fads, as such, are ubiquitously available on the Internet, but it is important to take a minute before jumping on the bandwagon with a blindfold over your eyes. And while a five-day juice cleanse might seem like the best way to address months of binge-drinking, the truth is, such regimes - colon cleanse, food restriction and liver detox included - have no credibility. Yet, online shopping portals are buzzing with adverts for Ayurvedic products that promise better health. Among them, supplements designed for a kidney cleanse show up, too.