Healthy Detox or Cleanse?
 

Hi girls!

Does anyone know of a healthy/natural detox or cleanse?

I want to try something that won't make me starve myself. I don't necessarily want to just lose weight--but I want to start a healthier lifestyle this year and I think a cleanse might be the best way to jumpstart this.

Let me know if you have any good ones!

Thanks. :)

*countdown to the 'friend' who happens to sell a detox solution*

I really would like some suggestions...

Ever tried veganism?

It really should be a full lifestyle change, and not just something used to detox or cleanse with, but it really does have those benefits. When you do it correctly (basically, don't become a "junk food vegan") the benefits are astounding. I would suggest doing some research and giving it a try for a while. It's done wonders for me and many others around the globe, and it's not difficult at all.

in all seriousness, there is absolutely no such thing as a healthy detox/cleanse. no real doctor/nutritionist would ever advise one. your body, liver, etc. takes care of anything not beneficial to your body all by itself and foods that you eat don't really contain "toxins" anyway. every cleanse/detox ever is either a scam or a way to quickly lose weight (as long as you're okay with gaining it all back & maybe even more once you start eating real food again).

For those of us "lucky" enough to have had colonoscopies, there is a liquid that you drink the day before - the last time it was a gallon of it. It didn't taste wonderful, but I always have felt great afterwards. I can't see a doctor prescribing it just for kicks, tough.

^^ That's not ridding your body of toxins, it's helping you empty your colon of poop. Combined with the liquid diet that is. It's apparently mostly a laxative as well.

Not something that is actually healthy, just preparation for medical treatment.

And, when used in other ways (such as the insipid cayenne pepper/lemonade cleanse), it also causes people to think they're excreting "toxins" in small, pellet form - "plaques" and other garbage. It's usually blood.

There's no such thing as a quick-fix cleanse. If you're serious about it, drink nothing but water and eat raw foods for about a month. There's really just no other way.

My theory is that the pre-colonoscopy liquid is the same thing as this:

http://www.bestquickweightlossdiets....ywood-diet.jpg

Or rather, the other way around.

Back to the topic, I have found that eating only fruit before noon is somewhat helpful, as far as ensuring regular elimination.

1. Your liver does this already.
2. Drink a lot of water. Every day. More if you work out. (Obviously don't overdo it).
3. Eat more whole and fresh foods.
4. Eat a balance of fat, carbs and protein.
5. Eat smaller meals throughout the day versus three large ones.
6. If you eat meat, make sure it's lean and hormone free.
7. Cut back on sodium - it makes you hold onto excess fluid.
8. Read labels. MSG and other chemicals just gunk up your body.
9. Add more movement to your day, in addition to exercise. This will help keep your muscle tone, helps keep your systems from getting clogged (circulatory, digestive, urinary) and keep your mind fresh. Take a five-minute break every hour and move.
10. Living well is a lifestyle. There is no jump-start or quick solutions.

Good luck.

high fiber, high water, no meat for a few days, plenty of sleep, no alcohol. In other words, eat a healthy diet for a couple days. You'll probably get gas and then tons of poo, but your colon, liver and kidneys will thank you for it.

Get and read the book "In Defense of Food." Eat food, not too much, mostly plants. Genius. Also, I haven't read it yet, but I always have someone jump in with "The Omnivore's Dilemma" at the same time to teach you about healthy eating. Neither have anything to do with "diets" or cleanses.

I haven't gone through the colonoscopy process, yet, but I know from my mother what's involved. Start drinking, sit on toilet, go NOWHERE for several hours. I think she hates that part worse than the actual colonoscopy which she says is no big deal. I can't imagine anything over the counter working that powerfully, but who knows? People are dumb and will do a lot of unhealthy stuff to shed 5 pounds.

I read an awesomely horrible diet book one time about eating only baby food, getting a colonic every 3 days, getting a massage every day, you know, all the normal healthy diet stuff.

I no longer drink apple juice because of the colonoscopy I had to have sophomore year in college. I had to drink this Fleet lemon-and-lime stuff and drink either water or apple juice for 12 or 18 hours before the procedure. I figured that since I liked apple juice that I'd just knock a bunch back. Oh man it was 11 years ago and I still can't touch the stuff.

There's this wonderful thing called water...

In the past, I have been known to over-indulge in alcohol. My parents drank daily, often to excess. I've cut back and resolved to drink socially, and occasionally at home. Otherwise, it's coffee in the AM and then water throughout the rest of the day.

Even just switching to water will do wonders for your complexion and your health. If I were you I'd give that a go first.

I like the suggestion I've been hearing from dietician's lately that you shop the perimeter of the grocery store rather than the aisles. The perimeter has the fresh meat, dairy, produce and usually the freshly baked items. The aisles have processed foods which tend to be high in fat with lots of chemicals. It's a very easy way to remind yourself what you should be eating :)

Having Crohn's Disease cleanses you pretty regularly but I don't recommend it! Colonoscopy prep is awful. Colonoscopies are easy peasy.

^^ Alton Brown was on that shopping suggestion years ago! Damn dietitians for taking credit :p

I was just reading about the virtues of water, and picked up my glass to enjoy some first hand! Do I look thinner yet?

For me, water cures hang nails and does wonders for my always horrendous sinuses. It bugs the crap out of me that I'm not better about drinking it. When you KNOW it makes you feel better, why should it be such a challenge to change a habit? All upside, no downside, it's free (more or less)... what's the problem?

Completely random, but... One day I was watching the show '1000 Ways to Die' (if you've never seen it, you should check it out.. it's basically a show for Darwin Award winners..), and this woman had tried every diet she could think of, with no results. So she decided to go on the tapeworm diet. Yes, she thought it would be a good idea to eat a tapeworm. And then the tapeworm ate her.

This can NEVER happen to me. I LOVE apple juice! That, and chocolate milk. I'm like a 5-year-old :D

The problem is... I hate the way it tastes. And I don't find it refreshing at all.. unless I'm working out. But I never drink it with meals. The thought of any food mixing with water is disgusting to me. But I still include it in my diet. Sometimes, I'll drink a glass of half water, half lemonade, to give the water some flavor. I also found a flavor of Propel water that I like (and it's the ONLY flavored water I like), and I buy the packets of it, rather than the bottles - and I always carry a few in my purse. If I'm out, and I have to drink water, I empty some of the packet into the water to give it a slightly fruity taste. I usually do this throughout the day at work, too. Added bonus: it's cheaper than buying the bottles!


I've always been thin, but I haven't always been in the best shape... and my abs had been hiding from me for quite some time! But I found that more than anything else, it's all about how you eat, rather than what you eat.

Don't get me wrong - if all you're consuming is junk food, high in fat, sugar and carbs, then yes, that's going to be a issue. But I also have friends who only eat salad when we go out to eat, and who tell me that all they have for breakfast is yogurt, and all they have for dinner is half a can of dry tuna. First of all, that's no way to live, IMO. And I can tell by the look on their faces when they talk about food, they don't think so either. Some things to try (and that you'll have to condition yourself to do):

- Don't eat 2 hours before bed
- Eat 6 smaller meals during the day, rather than 3 huge ones
- Make sure you have a healthy balance during the day of all the items on nutrition labels
- Count calories (but not to a point that you're having a mental breakdown if you go 10 over one day)
- Chew more
- Take your time eating.. it gives your body time to let the food "settle" and you'll feel full faster

And work out! If you're like me and you hate working out, do something fun that forces you to be active. And remember - joining a gym doesn't mean you have to work out on those awful weight-lifting machines. When I was in high school, I joined a gym that had EVERYTHING (and with my student discount, it was only $11/month). I would use the bikes, the pool, and I took a kick-boxing class... I actually didn't dread going to the gym!

Just don't use these cleanses! It really doesn't help you. If you're getting all the healthy nutrients, vitamins, etc. from all of your food groups (remember that pyramid from elementary school?!), and you're active, then your body will take care of the rest.

Have you tried adding Airborn or Emergen-C to water? I know there's a lot of doubt that those actually prevent colds or whatever, but some people find they make it easier to handle the taste of water and you know you're getting added benefits of extra vitamins!

Another odd tip for people who hate the taste of water: I've been on several backcountry backpacking trips where we had to use iodine tablets to purify water (and iodine tastes sick). But adding a Jolly Rancher or 2 not only got rid of the nasty iodine taste but made the water taste really good. You can just drop it into a bottle of water and it slowly disintegrates. Sounds crazy but it works!

Fruits and Vegetables are your best friends :)