The Truth About Cleansing Diets: What You Should Know Before Trying One

Remember the true meaning of a cleansing diet: Cleansing the body of its poisons and replacing it with something beneficial to the body. Essentially, you try to make the body a more efficient machine.

Unfortunately, we try cleansing diets (i.e. eating only grapefruits, drinking only fruit juice) that do the opposite. Basically, these diets deprive the body. It crashes the body and forces it to incorporate inefficient measures.

Your body sustains some change for a short period of time, but eventually returns itself to its pre-cleansing state (and sometimes worse!).

With this being said, supplying the body with natural, unprocessed foods is most ideal. Considering the amount of chemicals placed in most products, this can be a challenge. Keep in mind that humans have eaten natural foods for thousands of years. Our bodies have adapted to this diet by creating an efficient digestive system. Unfortunately, we challenge our bodies with chemical processed foods (i.e. Wheat Thins).

Ultimately, you must ask yourself: Can the body handle chemically processed foods? These chemicals act as a poison and challenge the body to efficiently break it down. Scientists suggest that a build-up of "dietary poisons" and stress to the system cause a negative response, such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

Follow the suggestions below for the most effective cleansing.

Water is important in any diet. Our body is made up of more than 75% water at the cellular level. Naturally, our body is most attracted to this resource. On average, you should drink 80 ounces of water per day. I suggest at least 150-200 ounces during this cleansing period. 16 hours=20-30 ounces of water every 2 hours (20 oz Gatorade bottle and a half).

Fiber: Fiber will help you rid of your body of waste (Elimination is a priority!!). Start your 1st meal with a fiber-enriched meal like oatmeal. Your body slowly breaks down the fiber and provides the starting push for a day of metabolizing. Which brings us to our next pointè¢'•�è¢'•�.

Eat every 2-3 hours: When cleansing, the body continually works to rid the body of its poisons. By feeding it every 2-3 hours, you are constantly refueling. Warning: Portion control is important. Healthy food is also dangerous to your health when heavily consumed. Don't forget that people die from an overdose of vitamins too.

Allow your body to understand a routine. If not, its glucose levels will spike (not knowing what to expect). The following excerpt from Outside Magazine (June 2006) describes this:

"When you sleep, your metabolism falls by about 10 percent. But maintaining core body functions drains your liver of its carbohydrate supply, and by morning your fuel gauge is on empty. Eating breakfast revs up your metabolism and helps you think more clearly by restocking your glucose-your brain's main source of fuel. It's this daily flux that makes meal timing so important. Replenishing with steady eating throughout the day maintains glucose levels and starves off hunger."

Keeping it simple: Stay away from processed foods including dressings, crackers, breads, pasta (unless fresh) etc. Not sure if it's processed? Read the labels. If your grandmother can't pronounce the ingredient, you should reconsider the product. Choose fruits, vegetables, and other foods enriched with antioxidants, fiber, and protein instead. You can make a homemade tomato sauce (stew your own and puree) over zucchini noodles and toss a salad with lemon juice, olive oil, and ground peppercorn (instead of bottled dressing) instead of buying the pre-made kind.

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