Losing weight is impossible without cleansing the body of waste and toxins. To lose excess weight more effectively, it is important to prepare the digestive system for the diet, establish nutrition, and systematically follow the regime. Where to start and how does a diet that cleanses the gastrointestinal tract work? Let's find out!
When it comes to cleansing the intestines of waste and toxins, a strict diet and medical procedures often flash before your eyes. Of course, you can arrange a fasting day, take a course of a mono-diet or fasting. But this will not bring the expected result or even harm your health if taken unreasonably.
Therefore, before going on a diet, you need to think about your ultimate goal. If you want to quickly get rid of excess water after a breakdown or feast and want to improve your body’s health, then a detox diet will help with this.
In this article we will look at:
- what is a cleansing diet and how to prepare for the practice;
- basic principles of the method;
- types of detoxification based on popular weight loss methods;
- strengths and weaknesses of the approach.
What is a cleansing diet?
The creator of the cleansing diet is Dr. Alejandro Junger. The author believes that, unlike raw food diet and fasting, the method is absolutely safe. The practice of detoxification has a number of goals:
- nutrition is selected that cleanses the body of waste and toxins;
- relief from stress;
- elimination of bad dietary habits that have a detrimental effect on the ability of vital systems to self-heal;
- increase in energy reserves, vitality;
- weight loss, body rejuvenation.
Alejandro Junger claims that it is impossible to cleanse the entire body using one current. Therefore, to remove toxins, it is necessary to combine the advanced techniques of Western and Eastern medicine.
Main conclusions
- A cleansing diet promotes the gradual elimination of waste and toxins, helps normalize weight without harm to health, cleanses the blood and makes you feel great.
- Detoxification of the body and weight loss are two synchronous and interconnected processes.
- The most common nutritional system is called a fruit and vegetable diet; thanks to the huge amount of plant fiber, such a menu helps to quickly get rid of accumulated toxins.
A cleansing diet will bring exceptional benefits to the body if you approach it wisely. Remember to consult with your doctor before starting a cleanse and drink enough water during the detoxification period.
General principles of the approach
The introduction of new eating habits requires adherence to a number of general rules. At the same time, nutrition for cleansing is no exception.
Preparing to Detoxify
Aggressive changes in diet affect well-being and health, so changes must be made gradually. Detox cannot be used without preliminary measures. There is a preliminary phase, which involves cleansing the body before the diet, lasting from three days to two weeks.
The duration of the diet depends on your usual daily diet. If healthy food predominates on the menu, then 3-4 days of the preliminary phase are enough. Lovers of red meat, dairy products, simple carbohydrates, and coffee will need to extend the preparation up to a week. Fast food, soda, and alcohol increase the duration of pre-cleansing by two weeks.
During the preliminary phase of the diet to cleanse the body of toxins, it is necessary to consistently eliminate empty calories:
- sweeteners: white, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, high fructose grain syrups, evaporated sugar cane juice, chocolate;
- seasonings: ketchup, hot seasonings;
- oils: butter, margarine, trans fats, mayonnaise;
- processed meat products: sausages, frankfurters, cutlets, smoked meats;
- drinks: alcohol, soda, caffeine.
Bad habits are also excluded, since smoking is a depressing factor for the intestines.
Main phase
The duration of the stage is 7, 14 or 21 days, depending on how severe the intoxication of the body is. During this period, it is necessary to follow the recommendations of the chosen detoxification method, choose permitted products, avoiding prohibited ones.
Diet
In order to develop self-discipline and form habits, it is recommended to eat at the chosen time every day, observing the daily calorie intake and nutrient balance:
- proteins – 25-35%;
- fats – 15-25%;
- carbohydrates – 40-50%.
Ideally, a cleansing diet requires 12 hours between meals, because... The detoxification signal reaches the brain 8 hours after the last meal. However, this does not apply to the drinking regime. You should not allow a feeling of thirst to arise, since in this case the body will experience dehydration. You need to drink as much as your body requires. Namely, when a need arises.
In addition to the elimination diet, Alejandro Junger recommends clearing your mind and emotional sphere, moving more, relaxing, and meditating if possible.
Quitting the diet
In order not to harm digestion after completing the intestinal cleansing, it is important to organize nutrition with the consistent introduction of nutrients into the diet. To maintain the result and not harm your health, you must follow the rules:
- the usual ingredients are added gradually over 1 month;
- orientation to the principles of separate nutrition - the size of portions is reduced, the frequency of meals increases;
- organize one-day cleansing diets once a month.
Cleansing the body in the bath
A simple visit to the bathhouse is only a pleasant hygienic procedure that does not help get rid of extra pounds and effectively cleanse yourself. To start such processes, you need to prepare the body to get rid of harmful substances. First you need to establish proper nutrition. This is precisely what all the cleansing diets described above are aimed at, so the first trip to the bathhouse should be timed to coincide with the completion of cleansing or at least its third day.
The second requirement is to drink plenty of fluids. This condition is mandatory for any complete cleansing of the body. You need to drink clean water, unsweetened herbal teas or dried fruit compotes. Drinking enough water in the bath will ensure active cleansing and protect the skin from dehydration.
To get the maximum benefit from the bath, cleanse the entire body, lose weight and get healthier, you need to follow some important recommendations and act step by step:
- take a warm shower without detergents;
- go into the steam room for 5 minutes so that sweating just begins;
- go out, slowly drink a glass of warm herbal tea without sugar or honey;
- rest for 10 minutes, go into the steam room again, take a broom, hold it over your head for a while, shaking it slightly to heat it up;
- lightly stroke the entire body with a broom from bottom to top, walking three times from the feet to the neck;
- then begin to alternately press the broom to different parts of the body; if you feel hot, you can sprinkle it with cool water;
- moving from squeezing to light but intense quilting is the main stage in cleansing the body;
- The procedure ends with whipping.
Before entering the steam room for the second time, it is useful to smear yourself with honey, which will provide better nutrition, cleansing, moisturizing the skin, and relieve minor inflammations. You should not use soap, as it tightens the pores and reduces the release of harmful substances.
The high temperature in the bath increases blood circulation, which leads to the activation of cleansing processes. At the same time, the kidneys and liver can “rest”, since part of their excretory function is removed in the bath. High temperature also has a positive effect on intestinal motility, helping it to free itself from toxins.
Proper cleansing for weight loss using the above methods will help improve health, normalize weight, get rid of many diseases and significantly improve your appearance. The best confirmation of the effectiveness of a cleansing diet is the reviews of those who have used one or more of these methods and procedures.
Start: working with the intestines
The intestines are most susceptible to the accumulation of toxins. This is the starting point in working to detoxify the body and lose weight. To do this, it is supposed to give up junk food:
- Do not use a large amount of oil when frying, ideally eliminate it completely, cook in non-stick dishes;
- remove smoked, salty, spicy ingredients;
- fast food, canned food with added oils, and semi-finished products remain prohibited;
- snacks – crackers, chips, crackers;
- alcohol, packaged juices, soda, instant coffee.
The right food products remain a priority, and the preferred method of heat treatment is boiling, baking, stewing, steaming.
Colon cleansing products
Once you get started, to cleanse your intestines, choose a diet that effectively removes toxins. List of cleaning products:
- whole grain bread, pasta;
- cereals cooked without adding oil;
- lean varieties of fish, meat (beef, veal), poultry;
- vegetables fruits;
- low fat fermented milk products.
An important condition is maintaining water balance, since liquid removes waste products from the body.
Cleansing diets for weight loss work by eliminating toxins and improving metabolic functions. As a result, intestinal function is stabilized, and dynamics in the breakdown of fats is observed.
Colon cleansing diet menu
An approximate cleansing weekly diet, including permitted ingredients:
| Day #1 | |
| Breakfast |
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| Dinner |
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| Afternoon snack |
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| Dinner |
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| Day #2 | |
| Breakfast |
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| Dinner |
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| Afternoon snack |
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| Dinner |
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| Day #3 | |
| Breakfast |
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| Dinner |
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| Afternoon snack |
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| Dinner |
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| Day #4 | |
| Breakfast |
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| Dinner |
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| Afternoon snack |
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| Dinner |
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| Day #5 | |
| Breakfast |
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| Dinner |
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| Afternoon snack |
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| Dinner |
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| Day #6 | |
| Breakfast |
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| Dinner |
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| Afternoon snack |
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| Dinner |
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| Day #7 | |
| Breakfast |
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| Dinner |
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| Afternoon snack |
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| Dinner |
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The portion is calculated in accordance with the daily energy requirement. Fermented milk drinks up to 2.5% fat, fresh vegetables, and smoothies are suitable as a snack.
results
If you follow the rules, provide preparation, exit, then a diet aimed at cleansing the intestines allows you to achieve visible results:
- swelling is relieved;
- weight loss due to the removal of excess fluid;
- bloating and heaviness in the stomach go away;
- the functioning of the digestive organs is stabilized;
- activity increases;
- the skin becomes cleaner, more elastic;
- relieving signs of an allergic reaction.
Understanding Detoxification
Detoxification begins in your liver. Although this is a complex process and the liver essentially does it in two stages. It first converts toxic substances into highly reactive metabolites and then removes these toxins. Your kidneys, lungs, and even your intestines also play a role in detoxification.
Toxins can affect these organs both acutely and cumulatively. More dangerous are persistent, low-quality toxins, such as the residues you regularly consume in conventionally grown fruits and vegetables. The reactions are not immediate, and you may not see the connection between chronic low-grade toxicity and your struggles with weight loss.
Menu
In addition to maintaining the principles of a healthy diet, a cleansing diet is based on the principles of operational methods of getting rid of excess water and unloading the body during one-time situational overeating.
Express diet for 3 days
As a rule, quick cleanses last three days or more, since a shorter period will not lead to detoxification. High efficiency is achieved by including fruits and vegetables in the menu. The fiber included in the products removes the accumulation of toxins and breakdown products, and vitamin and mineral complexes supply the body with nutrients. The approach is presented in two options - mixed and apple.
Mixed: fruits, vegetables
The food set consists of vegetables and fruits that undergo various types of heat treatment.
An approximate three-day detox diet to cleanse the body:
| Day | Power type | Peculiarities |
| 1 | Fruit |
|
| 2 | Vegetable | The quantity and volume of servings are identical to the fruit day, the method of heat treatment is optional, but without adding oil. |
| 3 | Mixed | It is recommended to spend the third day on juices from vegetables and fruits, but if you don’t have a juicer, then whole fruits are used. |
Important rules:
- exclude intense physical activity due to a lack of incoming energy from food;
- maintain a drinking regime and avoid dehydration;
- It is not recommended to practice if the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted.
Apple
Benefits of apples:
- low calorie content, which allows you to increase portions without fear of overeating;
- Availability – available in any season;
- prices are not prohibitive – they will not burden the user’s wallet;
- The apple diet is important for cleansing the skin, eliminating oily sheen, and inflammation.
The duration is 3 days, and the method is easy to organize:
- the volume of portions, the number of meals has no restrictions;
- compliance with the drinking regime - water, teas without added sugar.
There are contraindications:
- gastritis;
- ulcer;
- increased stomach acidity.
If problems with the gastrointestinal tract are identified, a diet is used - a formula where the cleansing lasts a week.
7 days detox
Less stressful is a cleansing diet for 7 days, the results of which are lasting. However, the menu is not without difficulties, since days 1, 3 and 6 are considered drinking days - water, herbal teas without sweeteners, freshly squeezed juices diluted with water. Meal schedule for other days:
| Day #2 | |
| Breakfast |
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| Dinner |
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| Afternoon snack |
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| Dinner |
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| Day #4 | |
| Breakfast |
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| Dinner |
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| Afternoon snack |
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| Dinner |
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| Day #5 | |
| Breakfast |
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| Dinner |
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| Afternoon snack |
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| Dinner |
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| Day #7 | |
| Breakfast |
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| Dinner |
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| Afternoon snack |
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| Dinner |
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On porridge
Since childhood, many people know that porridge is the breakfast of a champion, energizing the whole morning. Lyrical digressions aside, this is a dish made from steamed grains with high nutritional value, improving digestion and subsequently cleansing the gastrointestinal tract. Prolonged digestion eliminates the feeling of hunger for several hours.
A liver cleansing diet based on cereals lasts up to two weeks. Types of cereals used:
- millet;
- oatmeal;
- buckwheat;
- rice;
- pearl barley;
- from bulgur;
- multigrain.
For the porridge to be effective, it is important to follow the rules:
- cook a dish in water;
- do not add sugar, sweeteners, salt, butter;
- Liquids consumed include water and herbal tea without sugar.
Cooking method:
- Rinse the cereal, add water in a ratio of 1:3.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer covered for another 5 minutes.
- Wrap up and leave until morning to steam.
Products
A healthy diet excludes fried foods, hot sauces, salty foods, and canned foods. Each product is of high quality. Dishes cannot be prepared yesterday. Only freshly prepared.
Recommended Products
Herbal decoctions help ensure a good result of the diet. The intestines will be supported by burdock and licorice root. Rosemary, calendula and echinacea are beneficial for the circulatory system. Add peppermint, sorrel and parsley for the liver.
List of products:
- Greenery. Replace ready-made seasonings and spices with fresh parsley, dill, basil, and cilantro.
- Fresh fruits with coarse fibers: apples, citrus fruits, plums, apricots, grapes.
- Dried fruits. Contains fiber.
- Vegetables are raw, steamed.
- Vegetable juices. Carrots, beets, and pumpkin will be beneficial for the skin.
- Legumes. With restrictions.
- Cereals. Rice, buckwheat, millet, oatmeal.
- Wholemeal bread, bran bread.
- Vegetable oils without heat treatment.
- Nuts.
- Fermented milk products. Improves microflora.
- Poultry, steamed fish.
The list will help you create a diet for the week. Plant foods are easily digestible in small quantities and stimulate brain activity. Cereals and bread will reduce body fat. A healthy liquid (juices, herbal decoctions, non-carbonated mineral water) will help remove harmful salts and deposits.
Harmful products
Nutritionists advise excluding from the menu foods that are present in large quantities in the normal diet. They cause deviations in the functioning of body systems. Example: lovers of legumes suffer from flatulence; this food is poorly digested and provokes the appearance of kidney stones. A person knows what and in what quantities is consumed daily.
Products to be excluded or replaced:
- Alcohol. It is possible to take medicinal tinctures (up to 30 ml per day). Sometimes - drinking dry white wine.
- Canned foods, industrial semi-finished products. They do not contain useful substances and clog the body.
- Sugar, confectionery.
- Salt. Reduce consumption.
- Smoked meats. Contains carcinogens.
- Coffee, black tea. Natural coffee - no more than 1 cup per day.
The rule of any diet is strict adherence to the diet. Cleansing benefits the body when harmful foods are not on the menu. The main thing is not to deceive yourself!
How to enhance the effect of a diet
The human psyche is designed in such a way that when a significant portion of effort is invested, instant returns and high performance are expected. However, effective cleansing is impossible without stress, since a restructuring of eating behavior occurs. The basic stage of detoxification is psychological preparation and self-discipline. Following the rules, switching attention during temptations and following recommendations will allow you to achieve your goals.
Physical exercise
The skin is also an indicator of body cleansing. This largest organ removes harmful compounds through sweat. To activate sweating, intense physical activity is necessary, but the problem is that detox diets provide the body with little energy due to the poor diet. During the period of cleansing practices, it is recommended to give preference to measured loads - yoga, Pilates, stretching, Nordic walking.
Active leisure comes to the rescue - cycling, rollerblading, dancing.
Cleansing in the bath
Bath procedures bring not only hygienic benefits, but are also relevant for cleansing the body and losing weight. But still, the initial task is a diet to cleanse blood vessels, the gastrointestinal tract, in order to launch the mechanisms of getting rid of toxins. The bath is only a supportive remedy, the use of which is important on the third day of selective nutrition.
High temperature conditions increase blood flow, activating cleansing processes. This also takes the load off the kidneys and liver.
Exercise for cleansing
Skin is the largest organ of the human body. Through it, along with sweat, a significant part of harmful substances is removed. But sweating requires intense exercise that requires a lot of energy from food, whereas most cleansing techniques provide very little of that energy. Therefore, they require special exercises. And sweating is best induced through bath procedures.
Exercise 1
Place your feet shoulder-width apart, raise your arms above your head, palms up, and interlace your fingers. Inhale, rise on your toes, look up, hold your breath as much as possible. Exhale, lower and relax. Repeat 4 times. Exercise activates the functioning of the stomach and excretory system.
Exercise 2
It is performed in the same way, but when looking up you need to make deep lateral bends - 8 times in each direction. Exercise improves intestinal motility.
Exercise 3
Feet wider than shoulder width, arms at sides. Turn to one side, put both hands as far behind your back as possible, look over your shoulder - 8 times in each direction. The exercise massages the small intestine.
Exercise 4
Lie on your stomach, spread your legs wide, raise your torso on your toes and straight arms. Turn your head and torso to one side to see the opposite heel, then to the other - 8 times. The exercise massages the rectum, improving the emptying process.
Exercise vacuum
Take a deep breath, then exhale completely and immediately draw in your stomach strongly, holding your breath for as long as possible. You can take small breaths to increase the duration of the retraction. Exhale, relax. Repeat 4 times. Exercise improves metabolism and strengthens the transverse abdominal muscle.
This set of exercises should be performed daily in the morning on an empty stomach. For greater effectiveness, they can be combined with yoga practices.
Pros and cons of the approach
No method is without strengths and weaknesses. The detox diet is no exception:
| Strengths | Weak sides |
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The importance of proper nutrition when treating acne
Acne (acne) is a common skin disease caused by changes in the sebaceous glands, their ducts and hair follicles, which affects not only teenagers, but also adults. Most often, the problem is genetic and inherited, but even in this case, if you follow the recommendations of specialists, the intensity of the rash can be controlled by maintaining healthy skin.
Dermatologists and cosmetologists, in addition to individual instructions for the treatment of acne, recommend that patients adhere to a low-carbohydrate diet and pay attention to products that will help reduce the amount of sebum production and reduce its density, preventing the formation of new foci of inflammation. It is also worth paying attention to the list of products whose consumption is recommended to be reduced, as they have a negative effect on the condition of the skin.
Recommendations and contraindications
The diet is not recommended for practice in the presence of pathologies and characteristics of the body:
- type 3 diabetes;
- oncological diseases;
- inhibition of the function of the pituitary gland, hypothalamus, adrenal glands;
- pregnancy, lactation;
- disruption of the gastrointestinal tract;
- if necessary, take medications that require stable concentrations in the blood.
Indications for the use of cleansing diets are:
- overweight, obesity;
- weakened immune system;
- intoxication of the body, excess of decay products;
- being in polluted areas, poor ecological environment;
- interaction with harmful substances according to work specifics.
Following the rules of cleansing from toxins leads to health improvement, weight loss, improves well-being, and rejuvenates cells. The choice of duration, food set remains in the comfort zone of each person. Go towards your goals and achieve results!
Advice from professionals
As general guidelines, follow these rules:
- if you have chronic diseases, you should definitely consult a doctor before starting to cleanse your body and lose weight;
- do not prescribe energy-consuming activities during the diet - physical activity should be light;
- Regardless of how you feel, you are prohibited from following the diet for more than 9 days in a row, otherwise the risk of vitamin deficiency increases. To achieve your goals, it is better to repeat the cleansing course after 2-4 weeks.
K.V. Savelova, gastroenterologist
I won't deny that cleansing diets are quite effective. Only girls often neglect to visit the doctor, which is why they end up in a hospital ward (chronic problems with the gastrointestinal tract worsen).
As an example, I will describe the story of one of my patients: during hospitalization, she was diagnosed with a pre-ulcerative condition. It turns out that the girl had gastritis for a long time, which she did not know about. Spontaneously deciding to cleanse her body with the help of a diet, she brought her health to a critical state. I am concerned about the question: “Is it really so difficult to consult a specialist before starting any diet?” In my opinion, any detox of the body should begin with a routine examination!
