Tips for Sticking to a Detox Diet Plan
A detox diet plan is restrictive by nature. You must cut out sugar, brown sugar, honey, high fructose corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, alcohol, processed foods, refined carbohydrates, wheat and gluten-containing grains and products, pork, most dairy, liquid calories, preservatives, excess sodium, most packaged foods, chocolate, baked goods, veal, red meat, margarine, shortening, and condiments. Detox diets involve eating all natural, whole foods and drinking lots of water for seven days. The diet should revolve around fruits and vegetables, lean protein, beans and legumes, and healthy fats.
Once the detox is complete, you can reintegrate the healthy foods back into your diet. These plans have become increasingly popular because they eliminate toxins and pollutants from the body, end food cravings, reduce bloating, shed pounds, improve digestion, enhance immunity, balance the mood, boost energy, slow down the aging process, prevent disease, promote the body’s natural healing response, clear headaches, pinpoint food allergies, and bolster concentration. As an added bonus, following a seven day detox diet plan stimulates the metabolism and sets the stage for a successful healthy eating and weight loss regimen. It will make any diet more successful in the long run. To maximize the benefits of detox diets and experience a surge in vitality, follow these simple tips:
- Buy local, organic, fresh produce. Find a farmers’ market or natural health store in your area and stock up on fruits and vegetables. This is also an ideal way to obtain fresh, hormone- and antibiotic-free lean meat.
- Avoid packaged foods whenever possible, as most are processed or refined. Instead, prepare to cook your own meals for the week and eat an abundance of raw foods.
- Detox diet plans are notoriously difficult to stick with when you have a busy lifestyle. Therefore, plan ahead. Cook meals in advance and keep baggies of cut veggies and fresh fruit on-hand.
- Start on a weekend to give yourself time to get into the groove and plan your menus. It’s best to focus on a week when you aren’t exceedingly busy or likely to be under a lot of stress. Stress can affect the detoxification process.
- Commit whole-heartedly. When the craving for a cookie threatens to derail your diet, remind yourself it’s only seven days. Focus on the foods you can eat, as opposed to the foods you can’t.
- Ensure that you are having regular bowel movements and urinating frequently. This is how the body releases toxins. Eat at least 30 grams of fiber per day, mostly from fruits, vegetables, legumes, and beans, drink lots of water, and try natural remedies like senna tea.
- It is essential for the liver to have the antioxidants and enzymes necessary for detoxification. Support the organ with herbs, such as burdock, milk thistle, and chlorella.
- Drink healthy liquids to lubricate the body and flush the system. Drink at least half of your weight in ounces of filtered water. If you weight 160 pounds you will need to drink a minimum of 80 ounces or 10 glasses of filtered water. Supplement your fluid intake with caffeine-free green tea, ginger tea, lemon water, cucumber water, herbal detox teas that contain herbs such as milk thistle, burdock, artichoke, and dandelion, and fresh vegetable juice.
- Include a probiotic supplement to your detox diet plan to increase the natural, intestinal flora and bolster the digestive system.
- Practice inversions. Lie on the floor with your legs straight up a wall or incorporate yoga postures such as headstand and shoulderstand. Inversions drain the lymph from the legs and promote healthy blood flow.
- Get plenty of rest. At the start of detox diets, individuals often feel fatigued from eating less and missing out on familiar food items. Don’t push yourself too hard during this week.
- Incorporate light exercise daily. This helps move toxins from the lymphatic system, which is an integral component of detox diets.
- Exfoliate your skin with natural products to remove dead skin cells and stimulate the release of toxins through the skin.
- Stay focused and relaxed during the process by taking slow deep breaths in and out through the nose. Breathe into the belly so that it expands on the inhale and contracts on the exhale. Meditation is also a good tool to implement.
- Don’t undergo a detox diet if you are pregnant, nursing, or have certain chronic diseases. Consult a physician.
- Replace your morning cup of coffee with hot water and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. This aids digestion, flushes the system, and gives metabolism a necessary boost.
- When the detox diet plan is complete, slowly start to reintegrate more healthy foods into your diet. Don’t go back to wheat, caffeine, cereal, bread, chocolate, and pork all in the same day. This a recipe for an upset stomach.
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- Detox Diet Plan
