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Liquid Detox Diet Plan

Jun 14, 2011 | By Karen Eisenbraun
Liquid Detox Diet Plan
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Environmental toxins, pesticides, preservatives, food coloring and other additives can take a toll on your health. According to Charlotte Gerson and Morton Walker, D.P.M., authors of "The Gerson Therapy," there are 49 different classifications of stressors that add to toxic buildup, including prescription drugs, industrial toxins, radiation from microwaves, nutritional deficiencies and parasites. Detox diet plans suggest that a periodic detox focus can help your body's natural detoxification processes work more effectively to flush out some of these accumulated toxins. These diets often use fruit and vegetable juices and other liquids due to their high nutritional value and ease of digestion. Consult a medical professional before making any major changes to your diet, especially if you are under a doctor's care for a chronic health condition.

Detoxing Safely

A safe detox program should work to reduce your level of toxicity while also providing your body with the nutrients it needs to strengthen the digestive and detoxification systems, writes integrative physician Dr. Frank Lipman. He recommends focusing your diet on fresh fruits and vegetables, and eliminating any processed foods, wheat, refined sugar, dairy, red meat, eggs and soy products. Be wary of any detox diets that recommend eating only one type of food for an extended period of time; these can lead to nutritional deficiencies.

Benefits of Liquids

According to "The Gerson Therapy," drinking fresh fruit and vegetable juices allows for maximum absorption of nutrients that may otherwise be lost in the digestive process. Liquid detox diets may also have other benefits, according to Dr. Alejandro Junger, author of "Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself." He writes that because liquids are easy to digest, they allow the digestive system to rest, giving the body the opportunity to conserve energy that it can then use for detoxification.

Meal Suggestions

Dr. Junger's Clean program involves soups, juices and smoothies made from fresh ingredients. He cautions against using conventionally grown produce, as the pesticides and herbicides used in growing these foods will add to your body's toxic load. If organic produce is not available, wash your produce thoroughly with a non-toxic food cleanser. He recommends making soups with raw vegetables to preserve their nutritional value, and using dairy substitutes such as almond milk in smoothies. His program also allows one solid meal a day made with allowed foods. The solid meal should be eaten for lunch so that your body is not working to digest solid foods overnight.

Staying Healthy

Short-term detoxification diets will produce short-term results, writes doctor of homeopathic medicine Patricia Fitzgerald, writing on Dr. Lipman's web site. To maintain your health, she recommends avoiding extremes with your diet and focusing on optimum nutrient intake on a regular basis. While a short period of detox focus may provide some results, supporting your body's detoxification system on an ongoing basis involves regular intake of essential vitamins and nutrients such as zinc, magnesium, and vitamins C, E and B complex.

Warnings

Detox diets can result in a temporary worsening of symptoms, including headaches, body aches, bloating, gas and digestive problems. According to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, this is not due to the diet itself, but is caused by the release of toxins previously stored in your tissues. UW recommends continuing with the detox if possible, but notes that if your symptoms are severe, you may have to stop or alter your diet.

References

Article reviewed by Jenna Marie Last updated on: Jun 14, 2011

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