Find Your Best
Cleansing Diet in 8 Steps

Best Cleansing Diet - As body cleansing becomes more popular, more ways to cleanse flood the health food industry.  Anyone can benefit from this practice because healthy eating and some nutritional supplementation helps us get the nutrition we need.  But if you decide to do a cleanse, how do you find your best cleansing diet? 

While there are many variations, all cleansing diets have common traits.  A healthy one should utilize foods that are easily digested, which in turn allows our bodies to naturally remove excess waste.  The food should also supply extra nutrition to help maintain energy levels and stay healthy as waste and toxins move out. 

How to Create the Best Cleansing Diet

The following are basic guidelines that all the best cleansing diets have in common. If you can work around these - you can create a program that is perfect for you.

#1 - Stop eating all junk foods - at least during your cleanse. Junk foods include the usual suspects; hot dogs, hamburgers, fried foods, sodas, foods made with white flour, and just about any processed foods. These types of foods contain "empty calories" that do not contribute to your health. But they will work against your health by contributing to body fat, low energy and sluggish metabolism.

#2 - Any best cleansing diet will utilize mostly fresh, whole, organic vegetables and fruits.  Consuming 50% or more of fresh fruits and vegetables is the best way to help your body cleanse.  Vegetables and fruits are easier to digest than other foods, which gives you more energy and allows your body to eliminate excess or built-up proteins, toxins and fat more easily.

#3 - Eliminate most milk products, at least for now.  These include ice cream, milk, cream, and dressings or sauces made with milk - including buttermilk.  While science continues to dispute the relationship between drinking milk and excess phlegm production, the the T. Collin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies lists 11 studies and published papers showing a link between dairy and various disease such as allergies and multiple sclerosis. (1)  Based on anecdotal evidence, eliminating dairy may expedite your body's natural cleansing process.

#4 - Replace coffee with green tea because it can your body cleanse. It supplies antioxidants to fight toxins that may be dislodged while cleansing, may curb hunger and studies show it helps your body shed abdominal fat. 

#5 - Eat less breads, starches and grains. The less you eat, the faster your body will cleanse, and the more of these you eat, the slower your body will cleanse.  If you do include these complex carbs in your diet, be sure to pay attention to portion size. The best starches to eat while cleansing are the ones considered to be "alkaline" such as; basmati rice, quinoa, and legumes. These are easy on digestion, which makes it easier for your body to naturally cleanse.

#6 - If you eat red meat - eat only organic, grass-fed products. These are higher in a substance called CLA, a type of essential fatty acid, which helps protect against heart disease, various cancers and even help you lose weight.  Grass fed meats are more likely to be non-irradiated, hormone-free and antibiotic-free, which is in line with a body cleansing diet.  In addition, the farms that raise these types of animals work harder to keep our environment clean.

As with any animal protein, keep the portion size no larger than the size of your palm, since our bodies are designed to digest only a small amount at a time.  Many health advocates choose to eat less meat than normal during a body cleanse while some use a cleanse as a stepping stone to vegetarianism.

#7 - Eat smaller meals using good food combining and to optimize your best cleansing diet.  To keep it simple, eat proteins with vegetables and fruits alone. Try to avoid protein and starch combinations, such as chicken/bread. These types of meals may take longer to digest, so may interfere with your body cleanse or colon cleanse.

#8 - Take cleansing supplements, such as fiber or herbs, before the morning meal and about 1 ½ hours after your last meal of the night. This may help you feel full, to avoid overeating or snacking. 

By following these simple rules, making adjustments where needed and paying attention to your body, it is possible to create your best cleansing diet. Eat sensible and remember that a cleanse is temporary and not to be done forever.   After your cleanse, start or go back to a healthy eating program.

Resources:

(1) Campbell, Thomas M., MD. "12 Frightening Facts About Milk - Nutrition Studies." Center for Nutrition Studies. Center for Nutrition Studies, 31 Oct. 2014. Web. 03 Oct. 2015.