Why a 5 day detox?
Sometimes you need a kickstart. You just got back from a vacation and enjoyed foods high in carbs and saturated fat (pasta, pizza, bread, fried food, etc.), or you over-indulged in beer and cocktails last weekend, you have been feeling bloated or low on energy, or you just want to look amazing in a swimsuit by next weekend. This is a simple detox plan that actually works to detox and cleanse your body.
Are juice cleanses good for you?
When a client tells me they're doing a 7 day juice cleanse or eating less than 1,200 calories per day to quickly lose some weight, I cringe. When you do a juice fast and severely restrict calories, your body can easily drop a few pounds in a short time on the scale. In reality, all you lost was water weight, and you are set up for a rapid increase in weight after you're off the cleanse or extreme diet. Juice cleanses have a host of negative effects including slowed metabolism, constantly thinking about food, low energy and mood, brain fog, high sugar content, and lack of dietary fiber causing digestive issues such as constipation.
Your simple 5 day detox plan.
Detox starts in the liver, your body's natural detoxifier. Our bodies are intelligent and can detox wonderfully on their own. To truly cleanse your system, you will be eating foods that support the liver for detoxification. After 3 to 5 days you will feel leaner and lighter, energized, have dewier more hydrated skin, less cravings, less joint pain, and improved mental clarity.
Guidelines:
Base all your meals around vegetables and only eat the foods listed below.
Avoid the following foods during the cleanse: gluten, wheat, dairy, alcohol, refined sugar, red meat, and spicy food.
Drink 3-4L of plain water each day to fully flush and detox the system. Coffee is ok but limit to just 1 cup a day and have it before 12pm.
Get 8 hours of sleep per night for optimal results and recovery.
Keep your workouts short and intense. Perform resistance training 3 days and enjoy a 30-60 minute walk each day. Listen to your body, energy levels will be lower due to depleted glycogen levels so if you are tired, skip the workout and go for a gentle walk instead.
For more ideas on how to put meals together read this post.
Food list:
Vegetables: spinach, kale, arugula, cabbage, artichoke, cucumber, asparagus, fennel, beets, carrots, tomato, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, garlic, onion
Fruits: lemon, lime, grapefruit, apple, berries
Herbs/Spices: parsley, cilantro, mint, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger
Starches: sweet potato, gluten-free oats, quinoa, brown rice
Protein (organic and wild-caught preferred): eggs, chicken, turkey, white fish, salmon
Fats: avocado, olive oil, walnuts
Sample day of eating:
Wake-up: Drink 16oz lemon water or 1 T apple cider vinegar mixed with some water
Breakfast: Eggs scrambled with spinach and tomatoes with 1 grapefruit and black coffee.
Lunch: Big salad with spinach, arugula, beets, shredded carrots, grilled chicken, walnuts and dressed with olive oil & balsamic vinegar
Snack: Green detox smoothie (kale, parsley, cucumber, mint, avocado, lime)
Workout
Dinner: Baked salmon, brown rice, steamed broccoli and asparagus with squeeze of lemon
Dandelion root tea
Pick-me-ups:
Coconut water
Green juice (ex: spinach, kale, parsley, cucumber, ginger, mint, lime)
Spa water (ex: lemon & lime, cucumber & mint)
Tea (ginger, peppermint, chamomile, green, dandelion root)
Full body workout:
Warm-up for 5 minutes with cardio and then complete as a circuit for 3 rounds
A1. 20 x Squat
A2. 20 x Push-ups
A3. 20 x Banded row
A4. 20/side x Reverse lunges
A5. 20 x Hip bridge
A6. 20 x Banded tricep push downs
