BLOG 445 CLEANSES

 BLOG 445 CLEANSES

Sometimes our gut speaks to us and we might consider giving it a tune up or detox to potentially reset the digestive system, lose weight, or to find more energy. The idea of a cleanse would be to clear out or clean pe se the organs. A cleanse is certainly a temporary or short-term approach and there are many types to consider that might involve juices and/or herbal supplements.

It is important to note the difference between a detox and cleanse. A detox is usually to eliminate some sort of toxin or pollutant. Due to the substance a person might be experiencing digestive issues, nausea, fatigue, hormone imbalances, allergies, and/or rashes. Headaches and migraines are also common. Some common substances a detox might focus on eliminating include industrial chemicals, pesticides, heavy metals, or allergens.

A cleanse is more about eliminating the unhealthy by replacing it with healthy. Nutrient dense foods and whole foods are the main ingredients. Most times a cleanse involves no more sugar, wheat, gluten, soy, corn, alcohol, dairy, or processed foods. There isn’t a clearcut rule of thumb when it comes to doing a cleanse, and some have gained more popularity over time. Again, all types are temporary and not fully sustainable in their entirety.

Here are a few trends:

1.      Juice cleanses – these primarily consist of juice and water and take place for 5 to 7 days. There is usually a line up of fruit and vegetable juices to be consumed in a particular order.

2.      Lemonade/Master Diet – the person only consumes lemon water, cayenne, and maple syrup for 10 full days.

3.      21 Fix – the person eliminated sugar, dairy, eggs, and processed foods for 21 days.

Ultimately, a cleanse is a type of very low-calorie diet, so weight loss is a probable outcome. A person may have as low as 450 calories per day and probably only as high as 800 per day. Obviously, that is why sustainability is not recommended or even possible. The other good part about a cleanse is that it is highly likely a person will lower their blood sugar and cholesterol. The problem is that muscle mass falters without the needed protein in our diets. A person isn’t having a balanced diet by any means, and this could lead to nutritional deficiencies and set someone up for binging. Being aware of how this affects any medications a person is taking is also very important. Feeling lightheaded and dizzy is likely to happen, so it’s good to plan ahead for when this will take place.

It takes mental toughness to complete a cleanse successfully, but in doing so, you may actually feel better after or sometimes during with a boost of natural energy. This is not true for everyone and the weight loss from a cleanse is sometimes misleading. Like the practice of doing a cleanse, weight loss may be temporary. Keeping up eating whole foods and nutrition packed food is always a good idea to continue, but your body needs that protein too. Without it, you are doing more damage than good in the long run to your health.