[SophieCormier]

Me and my boyfriend were thinking of doing a cleansing diet to start off our new year. I want to lose weight and am hoping that it will give me a kick start. I googled cleansing diet but there's so many I figured I'd ask here for advice. Any that you guys tried?

Thanks!

[nelie]

My personal opinion is that there is no 'cleansing' diet but I think eliminating things like sugar, white flour for at least a few weeks and focusing on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, drinking plenty of water, etc in portion sized meals can help you get over the yuck of the holidays from eating too many sweets and too much food in general. Remember to get in some exercise as that helps as well.

[CabernetKitty]

When you say cleanse, do you mean cleansing your colon or your body as a whole? Both?

If you want to clear out your system and become regular, drink a LOT of water and get a lot of vegetable fiber (spinach, broccoli, celery, green in general, etc) in your diet. Flaxseed also has a lot of fiber and 0 net carbs.

Stay away from processed stuff (anything that comes premade in a box), sugary drinks (sodas, juices, etc).

[deadkittens]

apparently chia seeds help to cleanse your colon. im personally going to try the chia seeds once i manage to find them

[MarjorieMargarine]

I agree with Nelie that the scientific consensus seems to be that there's no such thing as a "cleanse" as far as diet is concerned- (we don't actually store a bunch of toxins that can be released by consuming or not consuming certain things). I do think, though that certain foods cause allergic reactions, inflammation, or are just bad for digestion and leave us feeling bloated and logy.

Probably any diet where you're eating cleaner and less processed food will help you feel better. I just started drinking green smoothies for breakfast every morning and I am loving it! Basicially, it's green leafy veggies like spinach or kale blended up with fruit and liquid. Some of the pseudo-science behind it claims that it super-charges you or something, but in any case, they do help you get a LOT of nutrients and tons of fiber (which will clear you out if you're looking for something like that), they make me feel healthier, and they stick with ya if you make em right. I just posted a few recipes in the Calorie Counting sub-forum if you're interested. They look pretty gross, but they are DELICIOUS. So far, I've only used spinach, but I swear to you, I CAN NOT TASTE IT AT ALL. I just taste fruity, delicious goodness.

[nelie]

Originally Posted by deadkittens

apparently chia seeds help to cleanse your colon. im personally going to try the chia seeds once i manage to find them

Well any fiber 'cleanses' your colon including fiber in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains. Your colon doesn't need to be cleansed but if you aren't regular, then you should up the fiber in your diet. Things like dairy can also prevent you from being regular.

[finallyskinnyCARO]

Hey guys, I don' t know if you've heard of Eating Clean? It's an amazing way to lose weight permanently and cleanse your body of the toxins that are basically keeping you fat! I've been doing it for around 2 weeks, whilst still enjoying Christmas. I managed to drop 4lbs in the first week and it's been an easy transition as it's real food. No counting or points or anything like that. Tosca Reno has a website, but there is a book/ebook available on Amazon too. Good luck!

[CabernetKitty]

Originally Posted by finallyskinnyCARO

Hey guys, I don' t know if you've heard of Eating Clean? It's an amazing way to lose weight permanently and cleanse your body of the toxins that are basically keeping you fat! I've been doing it for around 2 weeks, whilst still enjoying Christmas. I managed to drop 4lbs in the first week and it's been an easy transition as it's real food. No counting or points or anything like that. Tosca Reno has a website, but there is a book/ebook available on Amazon too. Good luck!

Congrats on your weight loss. However, I'm highly skeptical of the notion that our bodies store toxins that make us store fat. People have lost weight eating McDonald's. Short of a metabolic or endocrine problem, weight loss is about calories. A cleaner diet may be lower in calories, which is why you have lost weight.

[finallyskinnyCARO]

I think the main thing I've read about is a healthy diet calming down all the hormonal reactions, such as oestrogen, leading to storing more body fat. A clean diet reduces a lot of exposure to these harmful toxins. Definitely true you can lose weight in a variety of different ways- eating Clean is all about quality and a permanent lifestyle change. No McDonald's encouraged! I've been on lots of diets before, but once you've lost the weight by controlling an aspect of your diet, the weight piles back on if it's not permanently sustainable. That's the real decision one needs to make I think- how will you eat/live once you've lost the weight?