Cleanse/Detox Question

[Stacy]

I have a friend who is interested in this, but I dont know enough about it to answer her questions. Is it possible to do this kind of diet without buying a juicer/blender?? She's not a fan of smoothies and would rather chew her food. Also, how long do you stay on a detox diet and where do you get your protein from? Is it recommended to still do your regular workout. Also (I'm sure TMI so sorry) my friend has the opposite problem of constipation and she fears going on this type of diet will have her running to the bathroom all day at work!

She had researched some cleanses online but most seemed very gimmicky and "buy my product" ads. Any comments would be great so I can pass them along!

 

[geomom]

Everything I've read about them is they are unnecessary and a bad idea. I would tell her to eat a lot of fiber and drink a lot of water if she wants to clense. 1/2 your body weight in fluid ounces is the general recommendation, but more doesn't hurt. Fiber -aim for more than 25 (ack, the unit escapes me and I'm to lazy to look it up) but also, once you've acclimated, more can be fine. Water and fiber - a diet you can stay on forever.

 

[DixieGirl]

I agree w/ Geomom. The cleanses you can buy are not safe and could make her sick. The best thing she can do to cleanse is exactly what Geo said, lots of fiber and water. One little trick is squeezing the juice of a whole lemon into warm water first thing every morning and drinking it. Joy Bauer has a 3 day detox that is pretty good:

New year, new you: Joy Bauer

HTH

Tracy

 

[Kat2002]

I agree w/ Geomom. The cleanses you can buy are not safe and could make her sick.

I agree.. because I made this mistake..tried out a detox pill and fiber mix supplement that I picked out from Whole Foods...I was SICK for 2 days w/ vomiting that started about 6 hours after I drank the fiber mix...it was as if I had food poisoning but it was too coincidental with that detox junk...never again! I was looking for a quick fix solution to feeling sluggish and bloaty..what I really needed to do was up my activity and cut down on eating too much bread (even with whole grain, I found I was having too much). Make some tweaks to improve your diet to make it healthier all around and you'll feel better long term..not just during the temporary detox.

 

[JodelleFitzh20]

I agree too. The body is made to detox itself without special products and pills that can sometimes mess up your system rather than help it. The liver is specifically designed to help you detox everyday, so rather than taking a pill, have her add foods that enhance liver function to do what it's made to do! Like: foods rich in sulfur. Sulfur-containing compounds are one of the primary types of molecules used to help the liver detoxify a wide range of prescription medications, pesticides, and other types of environmental toxins. Foods in this category would include onions, garlic, and eggs.
Spices are also good to help detox and they include turmeric, cinnamon, and licorice.
Eliminating any kind of alcohol will go along way to help the liver detox, and foods like celery and asparagus are natural diuretics and will help to flush excess water that the body may be storing. Have her focus on incorporating these foods along with whole organic lean protein like grass fed organic beef, and wild caught fish to help naturally detox, and maybe even lose some inches!