Design your own healthy diet cleanse
Feel like you’ve been eating all the wrong things lately and you’re looking to do a diet cleanse? Wait! Before you go on the Internet…
You can create your own diet cleanse at home, without complete deprivation. (Shutterstock)
Feel like you’ve been eating all the wrong things lately and you’re looking to do a diet cleanse? Wait! Before you go on the Internet and sort through all the different programs, you should know that you can do a healthy diet cleanse on your own, without starving yourself or eating a questionable diet.
SEE ALSO: Fasting and calorie restriction: The key to a healthier life?
That’s right, you have the power to design your own healthy diet cleanse as long as you are armed with a few important tips and tricks compiled for you by your friends at Saludify.
Say goodbye to days filled with nothing but lemon water; you’re going to design your own program and do it in a way that works best for your individual needs.
How to start your healthy diet cleanse
There are some basic things to remember when doing your own diet cleanse, and no matter what rules you ultimately establish for yourself, it will be important to keep these things in mind. First and foremost, it is important to remember that the body detoxifies itself on a daily basis, and any diet cleanse you do should be focused on helping the body through that process. How do you accomplish that? Read on!
- Eliminate the bad: If you read any commercial diet cleanse protocol there is one thing they all have in common: elimination. Most eliminate practically everything, leaving you with just a glass of water and maybe a few pieces of fruit. While fasting cleanses have gained a lot of support through the years and have a long history of use in many cultures, fasting can have some negative effects on the body. When designing your cleanse, keep in mind that you don’t have to stop eating all together. The core rule here is to eliminate the bad items in your diet like fried foods, processed meats, refined sugars, sodas, etc. During your diet cleanse you should be eating organic fruits, vegetables and proteins. Skip everything else.
- Portion control: Diet cleanses also have portion control as an important staple. This is your opportunity to get your body used to smaller portions consumed more frequently throughout the day. Not only will this help eliminate that “too full” feeling that makes you feel sluggish, it will help speed up your metabolism and help prevent you from feeling hungry throughout the day. Instead of the standard 3 meals a day, break down those portions and have 5-6 meals a day.
- Fluids: WebMD indicates the best way to cleanse the body is to flush it with fluids, but this doesn’t mean you simply drink a gallon of water a day. Flushing the body with fluids means drinking regularly, but it also means eating fruits and vegetables with high water content. Watermelon, for example, is a fruit that has a high water content. Eating foods like this, in addition to drinking plenty of water, is ideal in a diet cleanse.
- Duration: A diet cleanse isn’t designed to be a long-term arrangement though you can use the ideas listed here as a good guideline to eating healthy in general. A cleanse should be limited to several days, depending on how severe it is on the system. A fasting cleanse, for example, shouldn’t go on for weeks at a time because the body will eventually need energy and nutrients. Base your time duration on how strict your cleanse is. If you are allowing yourself plenty of food options throughout the day, your diet cleanse could last 3 days, maybe even 4. If you are only eating celery and drinking water, try not to go beyond the 1-2 day mark. Of course, the choice is yours, but remember your goal is not to starve your system; you are simply cleaning up your diet. You want to design a healthy cleanse.
Customizing your healthy diet cleanse
Like the health benefits of tea? Consider adding it to your diet cleanse. (Shutterstock)
Here’s where it can get creative. Now that you have the fundamentals down for creating your diet cleanse, think about things that make sense to you as an individual. An example of this would be the introduction of tea into your routine. Herbal teas have a number of benefits. Looking for antioxidants? Add a cup of green tea to your program.
Other ideas for customization include:
- Taking an herbal supplement: Though you will need to do a lot of research first, herbal supplements could be a part of your cleanse program. Natural News indicates some, like dandelion and milk thistle, are often used to help detox the liver. Just make sure that you consult with a doctor prior to adding herbal supplements to your routine. Some may interact with current medications or conditions.
- Meditation: For many people, diet cleanses are not just physical, they are mental as well. If you’re looking to reconnect with your inner self, consider adding some mind-body practices to your program. Meditation, yoga, or even just walking outside can be a good start.
- Specialized cleanse: Though we don’t recommend you stray from eating a well-rounded (but organic) meal plan during your diet cleanse, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a central focus. Take strawberries, for example. Recent research indicates people who ate half a kilo of strawberries once a day for a month saw a significant improvement in their cholesterol levels. If cholesterol is an issue for you, make strawberries an everyday staple in your diet cleanse. Have urinary issues? Blueberries may be the fruit you want to focus on.
