Tips when doing a cleanse?

[rentayenta]

I'm starting a 7 day, all natural, vegan cleanse......and I am far from vegan. I am not doing this to lose weight, just to purify. There is an option to drink shakes or have a sensible meal with the cleanse. I'm going with sensible as I need to eat.

Just wondering if anyone has any good tips that helped them while on a cleanse of any kind? And I know, stay near a bathroom. although this is not one of those stomach cramping, witch doctor, lemon water and cayenne cleanses that I've read about.

Thanks for any insights.

 

[kirbydog48]

I would suggest eliminating all common allergen foods; gluten, dairy, eggs, sugar, nuts, corn and soy. Cut back on or eliminate caffeine. Tons of vegetables, fruit, whole grains like brown rice (in small amounts) and high quality protein. Is there any reason in particular you need it to be vegan? A vegan diet isn't necessarily healthy if it's full of processed foods. I would highly recommend Dr. Mark Hyman's Ultrametabolism cleanse. Very easy and gentle on the digestive system. He does have some delicious smoothies. Some protein powders are full of not great ingredients, so read labels. Lemon water (large glass of filtered water with the juice of 1/2 lemon) is wonderful for boosting the liver to eliminate toxins.

 

[fall08CP]

Are you simply eating vegan for a week or are you only eating fruits/veggies? There are plenty of junk foods that are vegan so I wouldn't automatically call it a cleanse unless you have strict rules in place, as PP mentioned. I'm a vegan and although I did feel better after eliminating dairy, it took about 2 months to affect me. Veganism is a lifstyle, not a diet or short term cleanse.

If you're considering raw veganism, that's a different story and may be more effective. Don't trying to criticize, I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into Feel free to PM me with any veganism questions!

 

[rentayenta]

I would suggest eliminating all common allergen foods; gluten, dairy, eggs, sugar, nuts, corn and soy. Cut back on or eliminate caffeine. Tons of vegetables, fruit, whole grains like brown rice (in small amounts) and high quality protein. Is there any reason in particular you need it to be vegan? A vegan diet isn't necessarily healthy if it's full of processed foods. I would highly recommend Dr. Mark Hyman's Ultrametabolism cleanse. Very easy and gentle on the digestive system. He does have some delicious smoothies. Some protein powders are full of not great ingredients, so read labels. Lemon water (large glass of filtered water with the juice of 1/2 lemon) is wonderful for boosting the liver to eliminate toxins.

The cleanse is vegan but I don't have to eat vegan while on it. I'm already off caffeine, have been for about 2 months. No alcohol won't be an issue either. High quality protein as in lean? The dairy will be the most difficult as I love vanilla fat free creamer in my decaf. I'm good with the veggies but bad with good carbs. Thanks for the tips. I'm looking to eliminate toxins while not becoming a total grouch due to being hungry. I'm not into protein shakes. I can't stomach that weird gritty thick taste.

 

[rentayenta]

Are you simply eating vegan for a week or are you only eating fruits/veggies? There are plenty of junk foods that are vegan so I wouldn't automatically call it a cleanse unless you have strict rules in place, as PP mentioned. I'm a vegan and although I did feel better after eliminating dairy, it took about 2 months to affect me. Veganism is a lifstyle, not a diet or short term cleanse.

If you're considering raw veganism, that's a different story and may be more effective. Don't trying to criticize, I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into Feel free to PM me with any veganism questions!

I'm doing no garbage. That's my goal anyway. The oil and cleanse ingredients are vegan but nothing says I have to eat vegan. It's basically the no white foods carb rule, fats, fried foods etc....but I'm totally willing to give healthy vegan a try.

 

[cornflake]

The cleanse is vegan but I don't have to eat vegan while on it. I'm already off caffeine, have been for about 2 months. No alcohol won't be an issue either. High quality protein as in lean? The dairy will be the most difficult as I love vanilla fat free creamer in my decaf. I'm good with the veggies but bad with good carbs. Thanks for the tips. I'm looking to eliminate toxins while not becoming a total grouch due to being hungry. I'm not into protein shakes. I can't stomach that weird gritty thick taste.

Not for nothing, but the idea that some diet or fast or anything will 'cleanse' 'toxins' from your body is... not one with science.

What cleanses toxins from your body are your liver and kidneys. That's their big job.

There aren't some storehouses of toxins waiting for people to eat a certain diet to leave, or any way to 'flush' toxins (besides drinking liquid, which you do daily, presumably), or etc.

A lot of those fasts/cleanses - though this, with eating real food, sounds fine - have weird stuff about how headaches and other pains and etc. are evidence that your body is getting rid of toxins or whatever nonsense. They're evidence you're really hungry.

Again, if you want to try whatever diet you want, your business - and this one doesn't sound unhealthy (the lemon cayenne one...) or anything. If you're doing it out of the belief it will somehow rid you of imaginary toxins that are sitting in your body or whatever, that's bunk meant to sell books and cleanses and etc.

 

[furb & dez]

Not for nothing, but the idea that some diet or fast or anything will 'cleanse' 'toxins' from your body is... not one with science.

What cleanses toxins from your body are your liver and kidneys. That's their big job.

There aren't some storehouses of toxins waiting for people to eat a certain diet to leave, or any way to 'flush' toxins (besides drinking liquid, which you do daily, presumably), or etc.

A lot of those fasts/cleanses - though this, with eating real food, sounds fine - have weird stuff about how headaches and other pains and etc. are evidence that your body is getting rid of toxins or whatever nonsense. They're evidence you're really hungry.

Again, if you want to try whatever diet you want, your business - and this one doesn't sound unhealthy (the lemon cayenne one...) or anything. If you're doing it out of the belief it will somehow rid you of imaginary toxins that are sitting in your body or whatever, that's bunk meant to sell books and cleanses and etc.

DING DING WE HAVE A WINNER.

All the OP is really going to accomplish is spending a lot of time either grumpy, hungry, jittery, anxious, or on the toilet. Probably a combination of all of the above.

Once again, how to tell if something is pure, unadulterated crap: it references cleansing, toxins, or claims to "support XXXX health."

 

[zurgswife]

DING DING WE HAVE A WINNER.

All the OP is really going to accomplish is spending a lot of time either grumpy, hungry, jittery, anxious, or on the toilet. Probably a combination of all of the above.

Once again, how to tell if something is pure, unadulterated crap: it references cleansing, toxins, or claims to "support XXXX health."

I was going to point out the same thing...cleansing doesn't do anything positive for your body...and quite easily could do something negative. Just be careful.

 

[Tinaphpc]

I also very much agree with this view.

 

[Nayan]

"Cleanses" do nothing for you and in reality can do a lot of harm. I would instead change the way you eat as a whole. More fruits and veggies, less processed and junk food.

 

[mombrontrent]

"Cleanses" do nothing for you and in reality can do a lot of harm. I would instead change the way you eat as a whole. More fruits and veggies, less processed and junk food.

Exactly! This is basically how I try to eat everyday of my life. Once in awhile I will have a "treat" but it's like once a week or something. My "treat" might be cheese on my veggie burger or a small bowl of icecream. As you can see I am not vegan but do try to limit my dairy to once or twice a week. I have been vegertarian for 15 years though since the age of 17.

I eat TONS of fresh fruit and veggies. I try to revolve all meals around fresh produce. Every morning I have fruit for breakfest and snacks are fruits here. We also only drink water here but as a treat a couple times a week I serve smoothies with dinner. My DH and kids LOVE these but all I put in them are frozen fruits and almond milk and sometimes yogurt.

I make soup all the time. It's a great way to get in alot of different veggies. I make a big batch 2-3 times a week and it will last 2-3 days. On Thursday I made one with shredded cabbage, zuchhini, swiss chard and carrots, diced onion, celery and potato. For the broth I used tomato jucie, carrot juice and veggie broth. Last night I made my favourite "orange soup". I roast a butternut squash and then scoop out the flesh into a pot with sauteed onion and celery. Pour in some veggie broth and carrot juice and a couple diced sweet potatoes. Simmer for 20-30 min and then puree in a blender. It is so good, my whole family loves it. Soup is never the exact same twice, it's just whatever I have on hand or whatever looks good at the farmers market. Tomarrow I am making potato and leek, which is another favourite here. I always tell my kids that soup is a "bowlful of health".

We also eat alot of stirfrys where it's mostly a huge pile of veggies on top of a little pile of grain (could be whole wheat noodles, brown rice, quinoa, bulgar, barley ect). We also eat alot of salads. I feel like my body is always cleansed by eating this way and I honestly I feel my food tastes better. Another thing I tell my kids "fresh is best"!

I don't feel bad that I spend alot of money on produce (think about $100+ a week) because we are eating well. My kids do think I am nuts sometimes but one day they will thank me, I am sure of it

 

[handicap18]

I'll take this from another point of view. If you want to cleanse out your body do a 5-10 day juice fast. Get yourself a decent juicer and buy organic fruits and veggies every few days. Kale, spinach, chard, collard greens, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, summer squash, beets, apples, oranges, pineapple, grapes, plums, pomegranates, cranberries, raspberries, blueberries, lemons, and ginger root. Not all at once, but you can get some great tasting juice from a combination of just a few of these.

This wont necessarily cleanse, but more detoxify and fill your body with natural vitamins and minerals.

I haven't done a juice only fast myself, only do it as a supplement 1-2 times a day (25-50 ounces of fresh juice). I started doing it back in April after I was diagnosed with stage 4 rectal cancer and it has made a huge difference in my overall health and helped me tolerate chemotherapy much easier than most. My blood pressure is down, my cholesterol is down, my glucose has maintained steady in the normal range, cuts I get heal quicker. My overall health is better now than it was before I was diagnosed.

Check out the documentary film "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" on Netflix or at www.jointhereboot.com

In the film it shows 2 guys doing 60 day juice fasts and one woman doing a 10 day juice fast and all the health benefits they get from it. Both guys in the film have an autoimmune / histamine disease that no prescription drug had been able to cure. They both were also very overweight and on many different prescriptions for high blood pressure, cholesterol and a number of other issues. By the end of their fasts their disease went away, they lost a ton of weight and with exercise were off all their medications within months after finishing their fast. The woman in the film didn't need to lose weight, but suffered from massive migraines. After 8 days her migraines went away, she lost some weight, her energy level went up and her overall health was better. She ended up doing her fast for 20 days.

Again, you don't have to go as long as they did. Its recommended to do between 5 and 15 days. If you do a juice only fast you'll want to drink approx 6 16 ounce juices each day along with about 60 or so ounces of water.

My wife suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. She pretty much has switched her diet to mostly juice and when she does eat, its mostly fresh veggies. Her energy has gone way up. She doesn't spend 12-14 hours a day sleeping like she did before.

A juice fast is very healthy. In fact my nutritionist at my cancer center (Dana-Farber in Boston, which is a top 5 cancer institute in the United States) is also the nutritional consultant for the film I mentioned above and appears in the film.

Here is the link to my profile story:
http://www.jointhereboot.com/amid-a-health-crisis-kyle-turns-to-juicing-and-sees-big-improvements/

Here are all the profile stories that come from people who have watched "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" and have taken control of their own health as a result:
http://www.jointhereboot.com/category/rebootprofiles/

Good luck.

 

[rentayenta]

Not for nothing, but the idea that some diet or fast or anything will 'cleanse' 'toxins' from your body is... not one with science.

What cleanses toxins from your body are your liver and kidneys. That's their big job.

There aren't some storehouses of toxins waiting for people to eat a certain diet to leave, or any way to 'flush' toxins (besides drinking liquid, which you do daily, presumably), or etc.

A lot of those fasts/cleanses - though this, with eating real food, sounds fine - have weird stuff about how headaches and other pains and etc. are evidence that your body is getting rid of toxins or whatever nonsense. They're evidence you're really hungry.

Again, if you want to try whatever diet you want, your business - and this one doesn't sound unhealthy (the lemon cayenne one...) or anything. If you're doing it out of the belief it will somehow rid you of imaginary toxins that are sitting in your body or whatever, that's bunk meant to sell books and cleanses and etc.

I'm not expecting any miracles with this or anything more than feeling a little better. It has to do something positive. If after a week of overindulging makes me feel sluggish (like when on vacation), I'm guessing this will have the opposite effect if nothing else. Plus, it's 7 days. I can tolerate almost anything for 7 days. I'm sure I spent no more on this than people do on their daily diet sodas and Starbucks.

"Cleanses" do nothing for you and in reality can do a lot of harm. I would instead change the way you eat as a whole. More fruits and veggies, less processed and junk food.

Harm? I'm not going to be starving myself or popping energy pills, what kind of harm? I eat a fairly healthy diet already, small portions, etc......just thought it would be interesting to see if I can feel even better. Not looking for a miracle or weight loss.

I'll take this from another point of view. If you want to cleanse out your body do a 5-10 day juice fast. Get yourself a decent juicer and buy organic fruits and veggies every few days. Kale, spinach, chard, collard greens, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, summer squash, beets, apples, oranges, pineapple, grapes, plums, pomegranates, cranberries, raspberries, blueberries, lemons, and ginger root. Not all at once, but you can get some great tasting juice from a combination of just a few of these.

This wont necessarily cleanse, but more detoxify and fill your body with natural vitamins and minerals.

I haven't done a juice only fast myself, only do it as a supplement 1-2 times a day (25-50 ounces of fresh juice). I started doing it back in April after I was diagnosed with stage 4 rectal cancer and it has made a huge difference in my overall health and helped me tolerate chemotherapy much easier than most. My blood pressure is down, my cholesterol is down, my glucose has maintained steady in the normal range, cuts I get heal quicker. My overall health is better now than it was before I was diagnosed.

Check out the documentary film "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" on Netflix or at www.jointhereboot.com

In the film it shows 2 guys doing 60 day juice fasts and one woman doing a 10 day juice fast and all the health benefits they get from it. Both guys in the film have an autoimmune / histamine disease that no prescription drug had been able to cure. They both were also very overweight and on many different prescriptions for high blood pressure, cholesterol and a number of other issues. By the end of their fasts their disease went away, they lost a ton of weight and with exercise were off all their medications within months after finishing their fast. The woman in the film didn't need to lose weight, but suffered from massive migraines. After 8 days her migraines went away, she lost some weight, her energy level went up and her overall health was better. She ended up doing her fast for 20 days.

Again, you don't have to go as long as they did. Its recommended to do between 5 and 15 days. If you do a juice only fast you'll want to drink approx 6 16 ounce juices each day along with about 60 or so ounces of water.

My wife suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. She pretty much has switched her diet to mostly juice and when she does eat, its mostly fresh veggies. Her energy has gone way up. She doesn't spend 12-14 hours a day sleeping like she did before.

A juice fast is very healthy. In fact my nutritionist at my cancer center (Dana-Farber in Boston, which is a top 5 cancer institute in the United States) is also the nutritional consultant for the film I mentioned above and appears in the film.

Here is the link to my profile story:
http://www.jointhereboot.com/amid-a-health-crisis-kyle-turns-to-juicing-and-sees-big-improvements/

Here are all the profile stories that come from people who have watched "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" and have taken control of their own health as a result:
http://www.jointhereboot.com/category/rebootprofiles/

Good luck.

Wow, thank you! What amazing stories. I will look further into this. I'm glad it's been such a benefit to you and your wife. We've got Netflix, I'll have to check out the film. Detoxifying sounds like what I'm after.

 

[rentayenta]

Exactly! This is basically how I try to eat everyday of my life. Once in awhile I will have a "treat" but it's like once a week or something. My "treat" might be cheese on my veggie burger or a small bowl of icecream. As you can see I am not vegan but do try to limit my dairy to once or twice a week. I have been vegertarian for 15 years though since the age of 17.

I eat TONS of fresh fruit and veggies. I try to revolve all meals around fresh produce. Every morning I have fruit for breakfest and snacks are fruits here. We also only drink water here but as a treat a couple times a week I serve smoothies with dinner. My DH and kids LOVE these but all I put in them are frozen fruits and almond milk and sometimes yogurt.

I make soup all the time. It's a great way to get in alot of different veggies. I make a big batch 2-3 times a week and it will last 2-3 days. On Thursday I made one with shredded cabbage, zuchhini, swiss chard and carrots, diced onion, celery and potato. For the broth I used tomato jucie, carrot juice and veggie broth. Last night I made my favourite "orange soup". I roast a butternut squash and then scoop out the flesh into a pot with sauteed onion and celery. Pour in some veggie broth and carrot juice and a couple diced sweet potatoes. Simmer for 20-30 min and then puree in a blender. It is so good, my whole family loves it. Soup is never the exact same twice, it's just whatever I have on hand or whatever looks good at the farmers market. Tomarrow I am making potato and leek, which is another favourite here. I always tell my kids that soup is a "bowlful of health".

We also eat alot of stirfrys where it's mostly a huge pile of veggies on top of a little pile of grain (could be whole wheat noodles, brown rice, quinoa, bulgar, barley ect). We also eat alot of salads. I feel like my body is always cleansed by eating this way and I honestly I feel my food tastes better. Another thing I tell my kids "fresh is best"!

I don't feel bad that I spend alot of money on produce (think about $100+ a week) because we are eating well. My kids do think I am nuts sometimes but one day they will thank me, I am sure of it

Great ideas here too. While I have no desire to become vegetarian, I appreciate those who are. It can be a very healthy lifestyle. I've also seen very unhealthy vegetarians. We already eat pretty healthy at home but I love the big soup idea. I think I'll make a big pot and have in the fridge for the kids when they get home from school, easy and ready to be heated up.





Really, just looking for tips on how to maintain sanity and health while trying a cleanse. No energy drinks, popping energy pills, cayenne water, or any of the other bad things generally associated with a cleanses. I appreciate the thoughtful responses.

 

[rani8600]

Hi, i am vegan and even i cleanse every so often. Cleanses do work, but not in the fashion that a lot of ppl assume. The point of a good cleanse is to give your body a break. As the OP stated after a week of vacation eating your body is not going to be working as well as it could. So giving your body a chance to do what it does naturally instead of taking in more not great food helps is to reregulate.

OP i would suggest drinking fresh ginger tea once or twice a day. This helps get your digestive system in order. Green tea is another good one, look for organic if you can.

If you feel really adventurous i would recommend the book Crazy, Sexy, Diet. There is a great 30 day natural vegan cleanse in there that you can either do for 30 days or just stick to a week.

 

[kimmar067]

....stay near your bathroom....

 

[wvjules]

Harm? I'm not going to be starving myself or popping energy pills, what kind of harm? I eat a fairly healthy diet already, small portions, etc......just thought it would be interesting to see if I can feel even better. Not looking for a miracle or weight loss.

Then why a need to "cleanse"?

 

[furb & dez]

Then why a need to "cleanse"?

Particularly when, as already pointed out, you're going to feel horrid during it? The best part about it will be when it's over and you're no longer dashing to the bathroom or cramping. Doesn't mean that there is any point or benefit to doing it.

I get it — women love the whole pampering, self-indulgent, I'm-a-pretty-precious-princess, look-at-how-much-money-and-time-I-can-waste, Oprah/Ellen/*insert random star's name here* says it 'works wonders!', 'one-weird-trick' thing.

I guess 'cleansing' is just their chance to actually be Pamper(s)-ed (or rather, need to be...). LOL