Many experts believe that excessive toxicity of the body creates a whole range of serious illnesses, from osteoarthritis (where toxins settle in the joints), to heart disease, cancer and diabetes. To prevent such illness you need to be in tune with your body, aware of its condition and its needs, and be committed to giving yourself a good, thorough internal spring-clean at least once a year. At that time, also, implement the good eating and exercise habits that will help prevent the build-up of a toxic state again. A spring-clean for the body is an essential part of any preventative system of health care.
The ideal way to detox your body is to begin with a 24-hour fast, if you feel up to it and are not on any medications. Seek your doctor’s or nutritionist’s advice if you are unsure. Choose a day when it is not necessary to be very active – preferably a day when you are not physically challenged. You also need to drink lots of fluid during a fast, as dehydration must never be allowed, but drink only water or hot water and fresh lemon juice. To aid inner cleansing, a very good health habit is to both begin and end the day with a drink of hot water and fresh lemon juice. This has a cleansing effect on the liver and kidneys, as well as the rest of the digestive system.
After the first stage in your detox programme, your 24-hour fast, the idea is to eat as much raw food as possible for the rest of the week. Raw fruit and vegetables are not only the easiest food for the body to digest, and the means of getting the most nutrition from food, but they also have a brilliant cleansing effect on the body. Cooked food is more complicated for the digestive system; uncooked food enhances the metabolism and strengthens the immune system. Instead of a slow sluggish constitution, the body finds its best level for peak performance.
The high fiber content of fruits and vegetables is excellent for flushing toxic residues out of the body. If you try this approach, you will see an improvement in your overall health, with many minor niggling symptoms disappearing altogether. Whether you suffer from skin rashes, headaches or heart disease, you owe it to yourself to build your body with the right materials.
Try to buy produce that is as fresh as you can get it and buy organic fruit and veg where possible, as they obviously have fewer toxins. A good greengrocer will usually have much fresher fruits and vegetables than the large supermarket chains. The fresher the good, the higher the nutritional value. Fresh herbs are also full of healthful properties, so use them liberally. The ideal, of course, is to grow your own herbs and vegetables, but this is not possible for most of us.
When you do cook your vegetables, remember that many vitamins and minerals are destroyed by the heat in cooking. When we boil vegetables, the nutrients are leached out into the water and poured away down the drain. So, whenever possible, gently steam or stir-fry vegetables for just a few minutes instead, until they are tender – but only just – to preserve their nutritious goodness. Also aim to eat a variety of fruits, salad and other vegetables every day.
Detox action plan
{ 72 comments… read them below or add one }
if i do this detoxe how much weight can i loose in a week ? amd how often do i drink the lemon juice? do i mix it with the warter ? and how often do i drink it daily ? I am 5’1″ tall weigh 142 lbs. and want to loose 32 lbs. will this help me ? plus i run a mile on the tredmill 3 days a week how will this help me ?
lemon juice two times a day once in morning once at night and the water helps dilute the lemon so it isn’t so potent.
i was wondering if this detox program is for a life time or if it intended to do over so many weeks. thanks
its like spring cleaning once a year…
Will this make me feel tired and will I have to do this for several weeks.
how do u detox zinc
I’m Planing on doing the fruit detox for 10 days and want to no how much fruit juice can i drink in a day? Can i drink to much ?
Will this make me go to the bathroom better
How long should you do the detox? a weekend, a week, one month etc.?
start off with 3 days if you like keep on with 1week an so on and so on but you should not exceed 14 days
exercise is perfect for this but at a slow rate a drink lots of water the lemon juice at least 3xs a day
this should only make you an your body feel better an full of energy atleast by the end of the week
I did this detox over a year ago and lost 12 pounds in one week!
im having a gastric problem can i still do this detox.
Which means if i took acidic fruits it will gain more acid
in the stomach and will cause great pain.
as i knew some fruits that you had mention will have citric acid.
so is there other ways for gastric patient to do detox.
I desperately need to detox my body but cannot afford to lose any weight as I have had very bad eating habits i.e just not eating and have lost about 12kg and now only weigh 39kg which is why I have been suffering with my blood pressure dropping to a mere 90/47 making me feel very ill so I have starting hydrating my body but now need a quick fix detox
I wouldn’t do anything without consulting your MD first. This diet will diffidently cause weight loss. Sounds like you need to speak with a nutritionist. At times your local health foods store can be very helpful.
I was wondering if dried herbs detox the same as fresh. I have been battling wheat and dairy allergies and I’m trying a detox to get back in balance. Thanks.
What type of carrot/apple juice is recommended , does it have to be fresh or is v8 or something along those lines ok ??
if you have a juicer would be best. Use figi apple and organic carrots. If you don’t have a juicer go to your local health foods store by organic without preservatives. No not V8, it is processed with lots of preservatives.
Are their any certain steps to this detox? im 22 and 5’3″ in height and id say between 150 and 155 lbs. i am currently goin to schol for cosmetology and learn about the body skin n nails beauty etc….id like to feel better inside and out…any suggestions with this detox?
When detoxing/dieting should you feel pain, such as in your back and legs? ( it seems my pain has become magnified since I began this diet on Thursday.
i think everything has to be organic and we are suppose to do it for a week and also no dried fruits.
This is perfect. I was thinking I would have to buy gimmick tablets or suppliments for a detox from health stores or chemists. This is great to do at your own pace in your own home without having to buy special detox products!!
Properly cooked food is actually the easiest for your body to digest. It is a way to “predigest” the food which releases the nutrients from the cells making it less taxing for the stomach & intestines to process.
Raw food has the nutrients locked into plant cells, which have a rigid cellulose cell wall that is best broken down by a grazing animals digestive system like the cow’s which has 4 stomachs.
Casseroles & stews slow cooked at a low heat best predigest the food without destroying the nutrients with high heat. A little raw food daily does keep the bowel moving well & clean.
Finally a sane and educated comment! What do these people think? Have they even had high school biology? If they had, they wouldn’t listen to this bad science and take it serious.
Why the HELL would i want to detox my body?
To get rid of the toxins and bacteria that harms your body
Your body has it’s own detox system that works a lot better than fruit juice. Would you please name those toxins and I explain for you lady what mechanism your body has to get rid of those “toxins”. Apparently you don’t know much about biology of human body.
Yes, your body has it’s own detox system…the point is to not pre-occupy it from doing this successfully with all the crap we eat on a daily basis. Did your biology class say anything about the GMO’s, preservatives, and additives (all un-natural) that we eat everyday? Of course not! They don’t even cover this stuff in Biology so why that would be the crux of your answer confounds me. Sounds like you need to take a nutrition class. How can your body successfully detox when you keep filling it with crap? And are we really comparing our diet, which contains a variety of foods to that of a cow who eats grass? If so, why not bring up real carnivores digestive systems, which are about as close to ours as is the cows!! Slow cooking on low heat DOES NOT preserve the nutrients (minerals, flavonoids, etc)…most do not survive no matter how low and slow you cook it!! If you guys thinking is so correct the status of health in our country wouldn’t be as despicable as it is. We wouldn’t need to buy vitamins and extracts that are in natural RAW food. You sound like one of those people who believe corn sugar is the same as cane sugar and does your body no harm (only) because your body can’t tell the difference….
Why not detoxify your body might make u feel better rid the body of unwanted toxins ie drugs and processed crap from food? think about it dude.
What are some example of toxins that this would remove? I have seen many articles on about detox diets but never any specifics about what it is they are removing from my body that wouldn’t other wise be removed. Not that I don’t agree that eating mostly fruits and vegetables is the way to go.
I have not gone one day without food in my life. So this will be something truly different for me, but I am convinced the health rewards are worth it. I’ve been suffering nagging backpain for a while. And it’s made me reevaluate my entire lifestyle, food and otherwise. I am not a big eater, but I haven’t been a wise eater either. Standing 5’8″ in height and weighing 125 lbs. in weight throws some people off a bit and reduces the likelihood that anyone would ask if I keep good eating habits. I didn’t use to. I used to load up on caffeine, sugar, hot chocolate, eggs and cheese. I rarely at vegetables. Because of poor understanding of nutrition I regulated caloric intake to 1600 Cal/day, but practically ignored the fact that one must eat from a multi-variety of food groups. I know that now. And with this nagging pain at the side of my abdomen and my right mid-back and lower-back, which is gradually healing, I think now is a good time to really start a new healthy lifestyle the right way through detox. I plan to commit to 3 days of fasting minimum, and then continue to maintain my recent healthy eating habits, which consists of two balanced meals with appropriate intake of veggies, fruits and nuts. Nutritious and necessary.
Best to you all on your health revolution.
Scot, good question. This used to happen to me all the time, but believe it or not, the lemon juice worked wonders!
Detox helps you get a priapism.
What a goof ball!
For how long should you detox? And how would you know that you are ok?
Excellent suggestions, many will benefit from this and know the improtance of detoxing.
“avoid all wheat products?”
what about oats (as in oatmeal..) are they a wheat product???!
Oatmeal would be fine. It does not contain any wheat gluten.
I mixed my raw veggies and fruits in a blender and drink them kinda like a smoothie . is it a problem mixing both together ? Also will the lemon juice with hot water be bad if i am trying to avoid acid due to acid reflux ?
I’ve read that fruit is best eaten alone and melons are only digestible eaten alone. Some foods require basic enzymes to break them down and others acidic. When they mix they can neutralize each other and inhibit digestion or you might end up with some toxic byproducts.
For more info, search: food combinations
Apparently ideally it’s best to eat one type of food at a time and let it pass through your stomach before eating anything else.
Oats are generally cut along with wheat, so therefore they DO contain gluten and traces of wheat unless you buy ones that were processed in a gluten free facility. I want to say that steel cut oats may be okay, but unless it says gluten free, it probably isn’t.
Also, you may want to try to stay away from fruit for the detox as it does contain sugar. Small amounts would be acceptable as your body will have sugar withdrawals. Blueberries and blackberries would be ideal as they contain antioxidants and lower levels of sugar/acid .
I like the idea of detoxing the body,should I also stop taking omega 3 fatty acids ? Also,
should I stop taking my multiple vitamins too?
John
HeY! I just wanted to say I tried an all fruit and veggie detox and in 2 days I lost 3 pounds! I’m currently on the 3rd day so there may be more weight lost! Granted, it’s mostly just water weight, but I still looked better and felt better after only 1 day!
I ate nothing but fruit and veggies- I drank a glass of green tea every morning, usually a smoothie for breakfast (with just fruit and fruit juice), along with some other fruit and veggies (gotta love frozen grapes!) and for dinner I’ve had beans (technically a vegetable) and salsa, except yesterday I went to Chipotle and got a salad with beans, green salsa, corn, lettuce, veggies, and guacamole, all totally pure veggies- and I still lost weight! Def. try this!
I varied my rare veggies and fruits in a mixer and drink them kinda like a smoothie . is it a trouble mixing both mutually
im doing this on Wednesday today is Monday but tonight im pigging out mmnmmm beef and pepper cheese sandwich. the next weeks r gonna suck
If I have highcholestrol what foods must I avoid for detoxing and I am blood group A postive
The page says that you should try to eat the veggies raw as much as you can but it also lists a few vegetables that I would not think you should eat raw; brussels sprouts, red cabbage, pumpkin & sweet potato. I don’t know how you’d cook sweet potato or brussels sprouts without taking out their goodness. Could someone please tell me? Also, is it ok to eat pepper or coconut milk on the detox?
Hey,
I study the digestive system and they are perfectly fine to eat raw as are mushrooms and onions ect…Just eat in small quanties just drink pleanty of water when eating them
how many days is this for?
Can I eat chicken? Im afraid I’ll be too low on protien…
Um…does this detoxing program help reduce body fat..and does it help with acne!!!!!(PLEAAASE REPLY IF POSSIBLE)
I would think that if you do this diet over the course of 2 weeks ( Day 1, nothing but water, Day 2-7, raw veggies/fruits, Days8-14, incorporating the other foods listed), you will notice a reduction in body fat over that time. As with acne, it might (I don’t know because I have yet to detox) because you are flusing out all toxins associated with the foods we eat. Some foods you eat regularly may be triggering an acne outbreak.
taking a shot of pure Lemon juice (not the bottle stuff) twice a a day is said to be amazing for your face. its been a models best kept secret.
i done this above detox plan for 40 days and lost 12 kg weight..but i use to walk 4 times a week for 2 hours…i done it in august….it was really helpful to loose this weight which i couldnt lose for many years……it was called water retention therapy….
I started my 24 hour water fast to prepare for the 7 day detox last night after dinner. Is it ok to workout during the water fast?
I would definitely not work out during the water fast, unless you are interested in feeling more miserable. Even while eating the fruits and vegetables, you should do only light exercise. Your body needs calories to perform activities that demand more energy. This detox contains so few calories, it would be unwise to do more than the normal day-to-day activity.
I have been doing this for years, twice a year. The improvement I get to my workouts and diets are quite noticeable to me as well as my skin condition. I was wondering is colon hydrotherapy would help or improve the process and benefits?
Detox really helps. I worked with a personal trainer/nutritionist and he had me do this for a jump start. I drank water and green tea for the first 24 hours. I couldn’t take lemon because of my acid reflux, but other fruits can make your acid reflux act up. Difference with this detox is I did this for 10 days rather than 7. My tummy wasn’t bloated anymore. I would go to the gym and felt like working out. Only down side is when I was detoxing I would see stars because I got so dizzy. I went from eating fried and canned food and alot of calories a day to tons on vitamins with less calories. This shouldn’t be more than to weeks. Milk and meat is good for you. Organic strait from the cow milk is amazing for you, though its illegal to sale where I’m at. So these foods should be re introduced to your body. That’s if your not a vegan, if you were I’m sure you wouldnt be reading this. Lol.
Also if I may note, don’t detox to lose weight. Is only for a kick start to a healthy life. Only thing that will get rid of unwanted weight or fat is eating correctly AND exercise. There is no easy way. Just eat like you should and stay active. If your looking for an extra flush you can also get colon hydrotherapy.
Recently I got very ill. At first, it was ‘winter time bugs’ for about 10 days – then I got a queasy stomach. I went to the doctor and he said “diabetes type 2″ – I freaked!
I couldn’t keep any food down, so I went into an involuntary ‘fast’, which then progressed into a ‘detox’.
All my toxins, built up over years (including nicotine!) left my body over the next five days. For the sceptics – ‘toxins’ are those things which remain in our system after digestion has occurred, and that do us harm instead of good. Most of them can be dislodged with various treatments, and detox/fasting is one that works quite well to that end. There are far too many to name.
All I could take were liquids (everything else came back up) so I made home made brews of iced tea and lemonade. At the end of all this (after 3 weeks, which ended about 5 days ago) I could retain solid food, and have returned to light meals (eg: eggs on toast for breakfast, 2 fried fish for tea, with fruit/juices in between) I have lost 10kgs (down from 136 to 126 kgs) and definitely feel much better. Incidentally, I’m now smoke free for the last 10 days! No desires or cravings to ‘light up’ again either!
If you are a ‘detox’ sceptic, I’d suggest that your doctor and Big Pharma have you fooled into believing that chemist drugs are better for you than nature’s own cures. Fruit/juices are easier and tastier for you than green veggies or herbs, but advice on using both is a good balance in the fasting/detox process. Take notice of the warnings here and elsewhere on not fasting/detoxing for ever!!!
Im guessing that at some point you will come off this detox but once you have come off this did anyone find they put on more weight after doing it ???
Can we eat tofu??
I am very interested in fasting….i am not over weight but i ear horribly, always on the go and feel unheualthy and anxious….my question is…..i eant to fast for one day to start but i get weak and shakey if i dont eat something. When i feel like this….shoyld i drink a glass of water to not feel shakey? What is ur opinion? I have to start some where…
There is ZERO actual evidence that body detoxification works. These fad diets make claims that toxins build up in your system over time but there isnt a shred of evidence of this ‘fact’. These people make you believe “toxins!! Toxins!!!!! Everywhere! Youre going to die!! ” the actual truth in the matter is your body does a perfectly fine job at ridding sweeteners, pesticides, and other toxins within hours of consumption or exposure.
If you are looking to these diets as a get thin and lose weight quick skeem you are sadly mistaken. Nothing but balanced diet containing whole foods, many fruits and vegetables plenty of complex/complete protein (low fat lean meats like chicken and fish, not plant proteins, they don’t support muscle developement and health.). Also good quality carbs such as oats, brown rice and wheat bread. Eating like this with plenty of excersize is the healthiest and best way to lose weight. Any weight you lose durin your detox period will quickly gain right back as you return to your normal eating habits.
In closing these quick detox regimes are psuedo/junk science at best. If you do try the diet and feel better, more energetic and possibly euphoric, it’s most likely caused by two factors: the placebo effect (you have a pre-determined notion you’re going to feel better so your brain will make you believe you’re better) and also you’re not used to eating anything but fast food, hohos and gummy bears so OF COARSE you will get a boost of energy eating nothing but sugar loaded fruit.
PS when our ancient ancestors were able to cook food such as meat, it IS easier to diges and acted as rocket fuel for our hungry hungry brains. Cooking our food rapidly spead up the evolution of our brains.
this is in response to the last comment by keith…i usually dont respond to such comments…but seeing that somebody could actually read his comments, believe what he is saying ,and then become discouraged, would be a tragidy in my mind….first i want to point out that keiths claim that there is no scientific proof that detox removes toxins and heals the body, is so far from the truth that it is actually laughable…all anyone has to do is search online and you will find THOUSANDS of actual documented cases of fasting, detoxing, and healing that have been done with specific studys by scientist and nutritionist since the early 1900′s…second fact that keith is completely wrong about is weight loss…again there are many documented cases of dramatic weight loss AND i myself am living proof that you will lose about a pound a day on a fast and keep it off (70lbs in my case)…and the only way you gain it back is if you go right back to your bad eating habits…and finally the last thing keith is wrong about is the energy and feel good feeling as being just you and your brain fooling your body??…ive never heard such rubbish in my life…he also says its because of the large amounts of sugar from the fruits…well i have done two water fast without the fruit juice and i get that same energy and euphoric feeling after about a week, and trust me when i say my brain is doing anything but trying to help me…if anything it is SCREAMING food food food…so to all that read this and other comments, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE just do your research with many different sources such as internet and library and you will be able to just laugh and quickly move on from false information that people such as keith have so boldly tried to pass on as fact…good luck with your detox! ps..also movies like fat sick and nearly dead, food matters,forks over knives are also VERY good sources of documentation and information concerning food, detoxing, and healing the body
If you body didn’t get rid of toxins it’s own way and all they did was build and build and build up people would not live a long time. And your detox you lost 70 pounds from detoxing? Apparently you didn’t actually understand what I said, 2 weeks of flushing these “toxins” from your body and going abouts your normal eating habits isn’t going to do anything beneficial. My guess is that you changed every aspect of your diet around to be well balanced. Of course doing that your going to lose weight. My comment was geared towards these 2 week detox plans where you’ll lose weight quickly those 2 weeks and afterwards gain most back bc it’s mostly waterweight anyhow. I have done plenty of research on my own. You and these detox plans are nothing but laughable empty hope to fat people. Here’s a messege to all overweight ppl, get off the couch balance your diet out if you need help with an excersize regiment or diet ask me I have plenty of info and are probably more well rounded to this subject then most.
Funny how Chris had nothing to say about my other comments about balanced diet with good proteins and good carbs. Chris you’re a joke my information comes from reputable websites such as webmd and so on, go ahead look it up. Also are you naive enough to. Believe everythin you read on the Internet as well?
Also Chris show me these study’s since the 1900′s and I want you to specifically name these toxins and how they’re harmful. I also want a study of before and after a detox that shows levels of this harmful substance to the body that has greatly reduced because of this detoxing and nothing else.
actually keith i did read exactly what you said…and i will repeat myself that you in fact gave a lot of false information…you said if someone is looking to lose weight quick on a fasting/detox diet that they are sadly mistaken that it will work…then you go on to mention that” NOTHING” but changing your diet and exercise will get rid of weight and keep it off…well im sorry sir but that is just not true…while in fact yes what you mentioned about a good diet and exercise is a great way to lose weight and certainly to be recommended , it is indeed NOT the only way and most certainly not the quickest way to start…and like i mentioned before i am living proof that folks will NOT be sadly mistaken (as you say)that other methods can get rid of the weight fast and keep it off…again i lost 70lbs in about month and a half AND i have kept off all the weight now that i am on a good diet and exercising daily…now please try and tell me of anybody in the history of the earth that has lost that much weight that fast with JUST a healthy diet and exercise to start with…sorry you wont…takes a LOT longer, even though you will definitely achieve weight loss results eventually….and of course it is a no brainer that if you return to eating junk and crap food NO MATTER HOW YOU LOSE THE WEIGHT , you will gain it all back……however one correct sentence by you in a paragraph full of incorrect statements just isnt a productive message..and then there is your next paragraph about your information on how the body and mind feels during a detox and the reasons you gave for this..and even though i cant get inside the head of somebody else, like you somehow did, i know from my own personal experience that the entire paragraph on the subject by you is extremely misleading and narrow….now of course i am just one of many and your comments about pre determined notions and sugar loaded fruit (which wouldnt even be possible on a water detox)might actually apply to some people in certain detox scenarios…however you did not put it that way and were coming across as that information being VERY general and VERY standard, which is incorrect….and as far as giving you references about fasting and detoxing and healing the body all being documented, i dont feel it my duty to indulge you in that way by taking the enormous amount of time that it took me to do the research on my own…..and the immature personal attacks like “i am a joke” and “i am naive” also kinda kills the motivation for me from wanting to take that time for you as well…keep in mind i only disagreed with you and stated that i believe your COMMENTS were wrong and sometimes grossly wrong….BUT i never once attacked you personally like you have me …BIG DIFFERENCE…that being said, you have a computer, you have internet, you know of a library, you can look up nutritionist in the phone book and call around….and i promise you will get what you ask for….now even though i was only assuming that there were “thousands” of cases, i myself found about hundred or so in about a months time of research and assumed i didnt find ALL of the documented cases in the world…lol…AND i gave the three movies that i watched that also documented these things….and no keith im not naive enough to believe everything i read on the internet…why do you think i completely disagreed with most of your comments… so now the people have your comments and they also have mine…and basically since we just repeated ourselves from our original comments, why dont we just let those that read what we have to say do their own research and decide for themselves what is best for them……take care keith
Chris, I like your comments and appreciate your maturity.
I have been detoxing fpr 7days now and my sense of smell has drastically improved. I’m having a more restful sleep at nights, and can see some benefits in my skin also .
The first 3-4 days is the most difficult but after that ‘Mr Willpower’ kicks in and you feel great! I would suggest to research recipes and try new things out so you dont get too bored eating fruit and veg. For the best results I recommend eating fruit until 12pm and the remainder of the day purely veg and small portions of carbohydrates. You should not feel hungry as you can eat as much fruit and veg as you would like.
I have 3 more days to go . . wish me luck
I’m thankful for Cris and Keith. I guess everyone digested pieces of info that’s best with their quest for detoxification. Just don’t take it personally guys.
I was just wandering how you can eat raw vegetable? I can’t imagine munching on a raw brussel sprout for instants might break my teeth lol