Natural cleanse/detox ideas

[vangirl]

Sorry to start a new thread on this, but I couldn't find the earlier topic where people were discussing the various cleanses they were doing. For those reluctant to use a packaged detox or cleanse product for whatever reason, there are some natural cleanses that work quite well. I myself am going to start doing some of these, as I feel like my body has been retaining a lot of stuff lately.

One suggestion is drinking warm water with lemon juice (add stevia and make it lemonade!) in the evening before going to bed and in the morning upon waking, and doing this for several days in a row. Drinking in the night will allow the lemon-water to cleanse through your system while you're sleeping. Lemon juice is also a natural diuretic.

Another suggestion, which I've also used with success, is eating some grapes at night before going to bed. Works the same way, by gently cleansing out system while you sleep. No need to worry about runs or accidents during the day.

A few years ago, I did 4 weeks of a complete dietary cleanse, which worked wonders on my body and my emotions too. The guidelines (to the best of my memory) were as follows:

No sugar, salt, caffeine, dairy, nuts, or alcohol

Absolutely nothing that came pre-made in a package (e.g. no breads, pastas, sauces, cookies, juices, frozen dinners, etc.) It had to be all natural foods.

Only 3 tablespoons of olive oil or olive oil cooking spray. No butter or other forms of fat.

No artificial sweeteners, only Stevia allowed.

Only chicken or lean fish allowed (weeks 1 and 4 only)

Fruits and vegetables allowed, except for avocados. I think there were some limitations on certain high-sugar or high-calorie fruits, like bananas and grapes, but I can't recall completely.

Potatoes the only carbs allowed - no grains or even legumes allowed. I don't remember if rice was allowed or not. Possibly brown rice was ok, but again, can't recall completely.

Spices and non-salted seasonings allowed (e.g. Mrs. Dash, Bragg's seasoning, Miso). No soy sauce.

Lemon water, grapes, liquid chlorophyll recommended as above.

Because it is a detox and not a diet, it's not supposed to be something that is continued indefinitely. It was the hardest food plan I ever followed (except for the pre-op diet ) but I felt amazing during and after. Eliminating salt and pre-packaged foods had the biggest effect on me, as you don't realize how much salt and artificial-ness you put into your body until you detox from it. I don't see myself doing the entire thing again (too hard, and my lifestyle makes it difficult to stick completely to all-natural foods), but I would borrow certain elements from it.

[JazzyJude]

Vangirl ~ THANK YOU for reminding me of this! Gosh, it's been w-a-y too long since I've done this lemon cleansing and it worked well. This thread reminded me of it and when I am off the 30 day program with Dual Action Cleanse, I am going to do this. Where did you purchase the stevia?

[vangirl]

You're welcome JazzyJude I too had forgotten about the lemon water and even the whole diet cleanse until yesterday. I started the lemon water thing yesterday, and already I feel a difference.

I don't know what stores in the US sell Stevia, but I imagine you should be able to find it in most health food stores. I wonder if GNC might even have it. I recommend the liquid serum version of Stevia rather than the powder because the powder doesn't seem to dissolve very well. At least mine doesn't.

[JazzyJude]

You're welcome JazzyJude I too had forgotten about the lemon water and even the whole diet cleanse until yesterday. I started the lemon water thing yesterday, and already I feel a difference.

I don't know what stores in the US sell Stevia, but I imagine you should be able to find it in most health food stores. I wonder if GNC might even have it. I recommend the liquid serum version of Stevia rather than the powder because the powder doesn't seem to dissolve very well. At least mine doesn't.

Liquid - GOOD suggestion! Where did YOU buy yours from?

[vangirl]

I get mine at Save-On-Foods.

[JazzyJude]

Sorry to start a new thread on this, but I couldn't find the earlier topic where people were discussing the various cleanses they were doing. For those reluctant to use a packaged detox or cleanse product for whatever reason, there are some natural cleanses that work quite well. I myself am going to start doing some of these, as I feel like my body has been retaining a lot of stuff lately.

One suggestion is drinking warm water with lemon juice (add stevia and make it lemonade!) in the evening before going to bed and in the morning upon waking, and doing this for several days in a row. Drinking in the night will allow the lemon-water to cleanse through your system while you're sleeping. Lemon juice is also a natural diuretic.

Another suggestion, which I've also used with success, is eating some grapes at night before going to bed. Works the same way, by gently cleansing out system while you sleep. No need to worry about runs or accidents during the day.

A few years ago, I did 4 weeks of a complete dietary cleanse, which worked wonders on my body and my emotions too. The guidelines (to the best of my memory) were as follows:

No sugar, salt, caffeine, dairy, nuts, or alcohol

Absolutely nothing that came pre-made in a package (e.g. no breads, pastas, sauces, cookies, juices, frozen dinners, etc.) It had to be all natural foods.

Only 3 tablespoons of olive oil or olive oil cooking spray. No butter or other forms of fat.

No artificial sweeteners, only Stevia allowed.

Only chicken or lean fish allowed (weeks 1 and 4 only)

Fruits and vegetables allowed, except for avocados. I think there were some limitations on certain high-sugar or high-calorie fruits, like bananas and grapes, but I can't recall completely.

Potatoes the only carbs allowed - no grains or even legumes allowed. I don't remember if rice was allowed or not. Possibly brown rice was ok, but again, can't recall completely.

Spices and non-salted seasonings allowed (e.g. Mrs. Dash, Bragg's seasoning, Miso). No soy sauce.

Lemon water, grapes, liquid chlorophyll recommended as above.

Because it is a detox and not a diet, it's not supposed to be something that is continued indefinitely. It was the hardest food plan I ever followed (except for the pre-op diet ) but I felt amazing during and after. Eliminating salt and pre-packaged foods had the biggest effect on me, as you don't realize how much salt and artificial-ness you put into your body until you detox from it. I don't see myself doing the entire thing again (too hard, and my lifestyle makes it difficult to stick completely to all-natural foods), but I would borrow certain elements from it.

OK...now I am going to try this natural cleansing as well, since I've finished with the Dual-Action Cleanse program for 30 days. This one here seems doable and to me, will fit in with my menu planning quite well. I will keep you posted on how I fair on this...

[ValleyGirl]

how many lemons and how much water???

[Lindsay]

ugh. detoxing. Advocates recommend many methods to help you detox. These range from the mild and pleasurable like saunas, massages and body brushing to the extreme and unpleasant such as colonic irrigation, bowel enemas and fasting. Herbal supplements like milk thistle, detox drinks and ‘liver’ tonics are often recommended. And making dietary changes, is of course, a bit part of most detox plans.

The foods allowed and banned can vary widely amongst different detox diets, but generally fruit, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, herbal teas and massive amounts of water are allowed. In contrast, wheat, dairy, meat, fish, eggs, caffeine, alcohol, salt, sugar and processed foods – in fact, most of the foods that many of us love – are banned.

What do the experts say?

HOWEVER,

There’s simply no scientific evidence to suggest that our bodies need help to get rid of waste products if we are healthy and there’s little proof to support the claims that detox diets work. Quite rightly, most nutritionists, dietitians and doctors believe that our bodies are completely capable of excreting waste without the aid of ‘detoxing’ – that’s what our liver, lungs, kidneys and skin are designed to do, after all. Most experts also say that strict detox diets followed in the long term, can lead to nutrient deficiencies and health problems associated with this. For example, by eliminating dairy products from your diet, it’s very hard to meet nutrition needs for calcium, a mineral that’s needed for strong bones and teeth. And in the long term, a deficiency of calcium can lead to osteoporosis or brittle bone disease in later life.

Experts also say that any benefits that are seen can be easily explained. Fewer headaches, for example, are probably the result of being fully hydrated due to drinking so much water and better skin may be due to eating more antioxidant-packed fruit and veg. Cellulite may well improve if you pay more attention to your thighs and bottom by body brushing these areas and less bloating is probably due to the fact that you feel ‘empty’ much of the time!

Just sayin'.

More info:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/d/detox_diet.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/humanbody/truthabo...ung/detox.shtml

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18595886/

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art...rticlekey=64306

and i could go on and on -- but basically, they're all saying the same thing.

There is no proof there is any benefit.

I would stay away from it, as you're taking in such a limited amount of calories as is -- why you'd want to limit yourself even more it beyond me.

I can't imagine being able to maintain any level of energy, especially while working out, living on lemon and water.

I'd be concerned about the decrease of lean muscle mass, while you're starving your body ...

[JazzyJude]

how many lemons and how much water???

HI sweetie...when I had done this many moons ago, I treated it like a "lemonade" as Vangirl says. Either use real lemons or lemon juice, enough for a 16 oz (a water bottle is fine) and if you want to sweetened it, use the liquid Stevia or any other liquid sweetner you prefer. Back in my days, regular regular white table sugar was all I used. NOTE: Table sugar is actually better for you than the artificial sweetners. But I like to try the liquid Stevia, as I like the quickly dissolving action the liquid can provide instead of the powder/granulates, where I have to constantly keep shaking to mix well.

Here is what I am doing: Drink close to 2 oz (1/4 cup) of water from the water bottle, add lemon juice (if using the brand Real lemon juice, maybe 2 Tbsp worth), and currently, I am sweetening it with regular white table sugar until my order of liquid Stevia comes in.

[tootsie_lou]

Hi'ya Jazzy Jude!

Do you have to warm up the water? A few posts back talked about lemon juice in warm water. Do you know if it matters?

I have also know folks that drink warm apple cider (not sure if it is supposed to pasteurized or not) that also works the same way that the lemon/water is supposed to.