Every day modern people living in cities ingest a great number of chemicals. They get them through water, air, and food. These substances, usually called toxins1, include antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides in food, numerous chemicals from household cleaners, pollution, cigarette smoke, heavy metals, and detergents.
Detoxification can be explained as the process of eliminating or neutralizing toxins from the organism. These waste products of cell activity are potentially very harmful and kidneys, liver, lymphatic and blood system, intestines, and skin work together in order to excrete toxins from the body. Detox diets help them to do it.
Detox Diet Guide for Beginners
Many people think that detoxification (or detox) can only be used as a treatment for drug or alcohol dependence, but this term is also applied to different ways of removing dietary and environmental toxins from a person’s body.
As a rule, detox diets are short-termed and there are many types of it. They emphasize organic foods providing nutrients, antioxidants, and vitamins necessary for detoxification. A detox diet contains much water and many high fiber foods. They increase the frequency of urination and acts of defecation, which eliminates toxins.
Detox diet programs usually include not only eating recommendations but also hydrotherapy, physical exercise, supplements and herbs.
What Are the Benefits of Detox Diet?
People who have tried detox diets report perfected energy, improved digestion, clearer skin, increased concentration, better clarity, regular bowel movement and other health benefits. What is more, most of them lose excessive weight if they have it.
Are There Any Health Risks?
First of all, you should realize that before going on a detox diet you’d better consult a doctor or a dietician. Pregnant women, nursing women, children and people suffering from certain diseases should not follow detox diets. These programs are not meant for drug or alcohol detoxification either.
When you go on a detox diet you may experience some side effects, like headache, excessive diarrhea, constipation, irritability, hunger, acne, tiredness. If any of them worsens or last too long you should go to a doctor.
What Foods Should Be Eaten on Detox Diet?
There are a number of different detox diets but they all allow quite similar foods because all of them are focused on removing toxins from the system. Thus, one can eat the following foods:
- fresh, dried and frozen fruits,
- various vegetables,
- brown and wild rice,
- quinoa,
- oats,
- whole grains,
- lentils,
- nuts,
- seeds,
- extra-virgin olive oil, flax oil, coconut oil,
- stevia,
- raw honey,
- black olives.
Dieters are allowed to drink natural juices, water, green and herbal teas, almond milk, mineral water.
In a detox diet includes animal protein, dieters may eat organic turkey and chicken, cold-water fish, wild game, and lamb.
It is also recommended to drink at least eight glasses of water during a day and to chew food well.
What Foods Should Be Avoided?
Detox diets do not allow eating the following foods: all dairy products, eggs, wheat, sugar, artificial sweeteners, corn, gluten-containing grains, soy, coffee, soft drinks, pork, beef, veal, hot dogs, shellfish, ketchup, soy sauce, alcohol, yeast, margarine and many other product.
Detox Diet Plan
The maiт goal of a detox diet is to clear out the body and to get rid of toxins by providing healthy foods including fiber, antioxidants and vitamins. So a dieter should eat organic, natural and unprocessed products.
There is no universal detox diet plan but we can provide several important instructions on how to follow this diet.
Tips and Warnings
- Drink much spring or filtered water, vegetable water, or herbal teas. Start your day with one-two glasses of pure water.
- Consume whole grains.
- Eat various fresh fruits.
- Eat fresh vegetables which can be stir-fried, steamed or used in soups. Don’t be afraid to experiment with methods of preparation.
- Vegetables should be eaten for lunch and/or dinner.
- Add some protein to vegetables. Chicken or fish will be good.
Sample Detox Diet Menu
Here is a sample daily menu for detox dieters.
Before Breakfast
- One or two glasses of lukewarm water flavored with lemon juice.
Breakfast
A normal detox breakfast should consist of about fifty percent vegetables or fruits. For example:
- Fresh fruit or berries
- Smothie
- Avocado with gluten-free bread
- Oatmeal
- Gluten-free cereals
- Green or herbal tea
- Nut milk
Snack
For a snack one can eat the following foods:
- A piece of fruit
- Up to fifteen raw almonds
- An apple or a pear with almond butter
- A carrot, cucumber or celery with hummus
- Kale chips
- Gluten-free crackers with hummus or guacamole
- Vegetable juice
- Smoothie
Lunch
A lunch for a person who is on a detox diet should include at least sixty percent vegetables, better raw. You are also allowed to eat steamed fish, baked potato, gluten-free grains, chickpeas, broccoli, and other plant foods.
Here are some lunch ideas:
- Vegetable salad
- Vegetables and chickpeas with ginger, cumin, and turmeric
- Kale salad with cranberries and pine nuts
- Lentil soup
Dinner
- A dinner should consist of up to eighty percent vegetables. You may try the following variants:
- A Buddha bowl
- Steamed kale with lemon juice, pine nuts and olive oil
- Quinoa
- Brown rice
- Black bean salad
- Steamed salmon
- Broccoli soup
Remember that this is just a sample menu. Of course, you may eat other foods suitable for detox dieters.
Detox Diet Success Stories
Jenny M.
Jenny is a mother of two little children. Her height is four feet eleven inches. When she decided to go on a detox diet, her weight was about 160 pounds. She tried to lose weight by starving herself and taking some pill but her results were poor. When Jenny started a detox diet, she was almost 150 pounds. In the first four weeks, she lost ten pounds.
Later Jenny repeated the program twice. Her goal weight was 120 pounds but now she is below it. Jenny weighs less than 100 pounds. Of course, this made her a healthier and happier person.
Michael K. Atkinson
Michael is 48. He is on military service. Several years ago he noticed that had begun to gain weight. He remembered his group commander recommending a detox diet and decided to follow this program. He created a new diet for himself and kept it. It took him about a week to lose eight pounds and two inches off his waist.
Since then Michael no longer eats foods that are not healthy for him. He says that he just does not want them. Now he does his detox diet once a quarter and shares his experience with numerous friends. Many of them have tried the diet too.
Emily Jean S
Her weight was always important for Emily, because she went in for figure skating since age seven. When she began to gain weight, Emily tried numerous diets like high carbs, low fat, no carbs, no fat and so on but none of them worked out for her. Moreover, she had health problems because of unbalanced eating plans.
Finally Emily Jean decided to follow a detox diet and it was a breath of fresh air for her. The program helped her to lose the excessive weight. In fact, now she is the thinnest she has ever been. The diet has changed her life.
Alicia R
Over the past three years, Alicia has done a detox diet several times and has lost over thirty pounds. She is an ambitious actress and it is very important for her to keep herself in shape. She realizes how important it is to know about the products she eats and how they effect on her body, so Alicia choose the foods thoroughly according to her detox eating plan. It really helps her to stay slim and feel great.
Linda M
Linda started a detox diet after she had read a book about it. She works as a personal trainer and fitness consultant and she tries to keep abreast with the latest research in order to better serve her clients.
Linda has always taken good care of herself and has been in good shape. But after she had tried a detox diet, she noticed some difference in her body. New healthy eating habits helped her to get rid of her cellulite. She looks and feels her best thanks to this program.
Now Linda recommends a detox diet to all of her participants if they need to lose some weight.
Bottom Line
Most dieticians and medical doctors say that people do not need detox diets because the body is able to detoxify without extra help. It will be more useful to eat healthy food, do physical exercised and brake off bad habits. As for losing weight, detox diets are not very effective either.
