On a three-day liquid diet, you consume only water and fruit and vegetable juice and no solids in an effort to cleanse and detoxify your body. There are billions of pounds of chemicals pumped into the air and many more in most food products. A liquid diet helps flush them from your system and gives your liver a well-deserved rest. You should notice weight loss, but side effects may include nausea, fatigue and dizziness.
Detox
Your water systems and the air you breathe are pumped full of billions of pounds of colorless, odorless chemicals each year. These chemicals include arsenic and mercury, notes the Centers for Disease Control. When a lot of food is processed and preserved it is also pumped full of chemicals. According to InnerSelf.com, colds, headaches, fever and joint pains are side effects of these chemicals, while the University of California's Dr. Robert Hatheril believes they cause violence and aggression in children. A detox liquid diet aims to flush these chemicals from your body by increasing urination, and the fiber in the juice increases bowel movement. Detox diets last between one and three days. Any longer is unsafe and the risk of harmful side-effects increases. Three days on the diet rather than one or two enhances the benefits of the diet and leads to greater weight loss.
Water
You should typically drink eight 8-oz. glasses of water per day, notes MayoClinic.com, and on a liquid detox diet, you may drink up to 16 glasses per day. Water dilutes toxins and waste products so your body can drain them. It also helps flush fat from your bloodstream, keeps your joints lubricated and protects your brain and spinal cord. Excess water consumption will cause you to urinate more frequently, but this just means poisonous chemicals are leaving your body quicker.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Juice
It is vital that you choose organic fruit and vegetables to juice into smoothies, because they are free of the harmful toxins you are trying to flush. Juice fresh produce in a juicer rather than buying cartons. Go for a wide, colorful range of fruit and vegetables to get the full range of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Citrus fruits are particularly high in vitamin C, which repairs your cells, organs and tissues. Green vegetables contain lots of chlorophyll, which helps flush toxins from your liver, while berries are full of antioxidants, which help prevent diseases like cancer and heart disease. The American Heart Association believes you should eat eight portions of fruit daily, and you can double this on a three-day liquid diet.
Benefits
Apart from an overload of vitamins and minerals which strengthen your bones, teeth, skin, hair, immunities, circulation and muscles, the main benefit of a three-day liquid diet is the rest it gives your vital organs. Your liver capacity will improve, your colon will rid itself of the putrefied matter that could infect you in future and your kidneys, sinuses, skin and bladder will also rest. You should lose weight and your blood sugar levels should become better regulated.
Considerations
Your body is depleted of protein and fat during this diet, and dehydration, dizziness, fatigue and nausea are possible side effects, notes MayoClinic.com, while vomiting and diarrhea may occur. After the three days of liquid, gradually return to solids. When juicing smoothies, do not include rhubarb or carrot tops, mango, kiwi, banana or avocado skin, or apricot, peach or cherry pits because they are not strictly edible and do not digest properly. Avoid soda, coffee and alcohol because soda is full of sugar that leads to weight gain and heart problems, and coffee and alcohol are not the type of liquids that promote good health and weight loss.
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