Jump-start a weight-loss diet by undergoing a cleansing program. You might choose a juice fast of freshly juiced fruits and vegetables or take a more moderate approach of eating whole foods, including lean proteins and non-saturated fats.
In each case, to assist cleansing, consume detoxification teas that include dandelion root, burdock root, senna, cascara sagrada, red clover, buckthorn and yellow dock. Exercise at least three to four times a week to boost metabolism and speed weight loss safely.
Identification
Cleansing weight loss diets are directed at detoxifying all the internal organs so that they function more efficiently. For example, Carrie L'Esperance, author of The Seasonal Detox Diet, recommends different types of fruit or juice fasting programs to cleanse and encourage weight loss. There is an apple diet designed to cleanse the liver and gallbladder by eating apples of all types for three days and drinking olive oil with lemon juice on the fourth to remove gallbladder stones. She also detailed juice fasting to cleanse the large intestine.
You could also consider eating a diet of fresh produce that is seasonal. Elson Haas, MD, author of The New Detox Diet, writes that eating according to the changing seasons supports the internal organs. For example, consume squash, sweet potatoes, brown rice and collard greens during fall, and corn, tomatoes, melons and strawberries during the summer.
Time Frame
Cleansing regimens run the range from rigorous to more moderate. If you are new to cleansing, begin with a short, three-day juice fast that can be done over a long weekend when you are away from school and office duties. You might choose to juice your favorite fruits and vegetables and consume herbal teas to cleanse and help you shed weight. Later, transition to fresh whole vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins and non-saturated fats. This phase of your diet may be indefinite. Use the dietary guidelines provided by the USDA My Food Pyramid according to your age, gender and weight loss goals.
Many people decide to cleanse between the seasons of fall, winter, spring and summer as a way to prepare the body for different seasonal foods and changes in the weather. This means heavier foods for winter and more fruits during spring and summer.
Types
If you are in excellent health, you might try the "master cleanse," a lemonade fast that may last for 10 to 21 days. Designed by Stanley Burroughs in 1971, it remains popular because of its simplicity and ability to cleanse the body. People report weight loss of four pounds or more, depending on the length of the liquid fast. The master cleanse is a lemonade made from lemons, filtered water, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. Juice fasting from a few days on up to 21 days is often provided at weight-loss spas to cleanse toxins and help people shed weight quickly. This is best done during a vacation, when you can rest more often rather than during a normal busy work or school routine.
Eating a whole foods detox diet can be a way of eating all the time to promote ongoing, long-term cleansing and to maintain a healthy weight.
Function
All cleansing diets remove toxins from the body. We are all exposed to environmental pollution from car exhaust, pesticides, cigarette smoke and other manufacturing pollutants. All those toxins are processed through the lungs, kidneys, liver and colon. By cleansing, you remove these toxins from the body, decreasing its burden.
Always cleanse the colon first as it removes a great deal of waste from the body. Drinking detox teas containing different herbs will also encourage detoxification of the kidneys, liver, gallbladder, lungs, bloodstream, the heart and skin. The idea is that once the colon is cleansed, a longer detox that addresses all the other internal organs will not dump too many toxins into the bloodstream.
Misconceptions
Avoid extreme detox diets that entail only consuming water or only liquid protein drinks. Consuming too few calories or too few nutrients will place the body into a "famine" state. Your metabolism will slow down and you will burn fewer calories. In a famine state, the body will actually metabolize lean muscle tissue. These tissues are what you must preserve for long-term weight loss as they have higher calorie needs, meaning more calories are burned.
Rather, with a doctor or nutritionist to guide you, determine which kind of cleansing program is more appropriate for you. If you have a very demanding job, school or family commitments, doing a juice fast may be too rigorous. Aim to lose no more than two pounds per week unless you are under direct medical supervision.
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