Full Body Detox Program: Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

This is a simple, easy fast to follow. It could be called a juice fast if you limit yourself to only juice, in which case the fast would actually be more beneficial to you. The purpose of the fast is to rest your digestive system while maintaining nutrition and energy to go about your daily life. You will be eating a substantially reduced calorie diet, however, so no aerobic or cardiovascular exercise can be recommended.

Program #1: Juice Only Detox

Since our goal is making the digestive system work as little as possible, for this diet, the absolute best bet would be to read our fruit juicer reviews (link for juice extractor review here) and select a juicer that best suits you. Then, you buy ONLY raw fruits and raw vegetables and juice them and drink the juice. You can drink as much juice as you like. It takes quite a bit of vegetables to get enough juice for a glass, and you won't be full after it, but if you can do it, this is the best way. Again, the best way for doing this fast is fresh fruits and vegetables only detox program or 3-4 weeks. That said, I myself am unable to do juice only for more than a day or two. I crave something with more substance. So, we'll go on to the next best thing.

Program #2: Fresh Vegetables and Fruits Only Detox

The next best thing to the only juice detoxification program is the fresh fruits and vegetables detox program. This is the same as above, however, instead of only juice, you substitute solid fruits and vegetables in order to feel full. So, instead of juicing the apple (hopefully organic, if you want the detox to work quickly), you eat it whole. You do the same with carrots, celery, lemons, oranges, etc. Some vegetables might be better juiced as opposed to being eaten raw, such as broccoli. In this diet you can make wonderful salads. Romaine lettuces, minced up garlic (you mince it, not the stuff in a jar), organic basil leaves cut into small pieces, organic tomatoes, organic vegetables of any type, organic fruits, etc. Try not to add any seeds or nuts as they don't digest as quickly as the fruits and vegetables.

Digestion and Enzyme Discussion

Before we move on let's discuss digestive enzymes. All fruits and vegetables contain digestive enzymes so that your body barely has to work to digest them. Some of the fibers of the fruits and vegetables take a little to digest, but not much. With juice-only you don't get these fibers but you still get the enzymes, so you can see how that will be better to rest your digestive system.

While your digestives systems rests, it breaks down fat and removes the toxins from it. So, the less work it does, the more it works on fat and removing the toxins within it. You can detox with non-organic fruits and veggies, but organic is best, as there are no further toxins added that your body must rid itself of. Nuts, olive oil, potatoes, avocados, etc., all have enzymes and are pretty easy to digest, not as easy is fruit only or juice only, but easy enough and may be used. Salt, pepper, and pretty much anything that comes in a container when you buy it likely has chemicals added to it. Adding these chemicals, or toxins to your body isn't the best way to detox, because the toxins are what you're trying to get rid of.

Program #3: Fresh Vegetables and Fruits Detox with a Few Extras

Now, if you still need more substance, you can still get a good detox program. Here we'll add a few things that you can by all means use while detoxing, but keep them to a minimum: extra virgin olive oil and organic salt and pepper makes that salad easier to eat. The smaller amount the better. Steamed vegetables are quite filling. Asparagus, Yukon Gold potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, broccoli, etc. Since steaming too much will kill the enzymes, don't steam too much; or too often. Just a minute or two, or until it's soft enough for you to choke down is the best. You may add RAW (not roasted or salted) seeds, nuts, beans, etc., but keep them to a minimum. We're not talking anything in a can or a package. They should all be fresh. Dried beans in a package aren't recommended, but at a minimum, they should be okay. If you absolutely need organic spices, go ahead and use them sparingly. Actually organic spices won't hurt anything, especially if you're eating them with the enzymes in the salad that you're putting them on. Organic tea is okay, but chamomile, peppermint, or senna (a laxative tea) is the best. If you know for sure that you're only drinking what comes from a dried leaf, then you're okay, especially if you drink it while eating fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, or the fresh juice of either.

Full-Body Detox Programs: Fresh, Living Fruits and Vegetables

All of the above WILL detoxify your body! Juice will be fastest, and so on. Even if you eat nuts all day and use a lot of extra-virgin olive oil as dressing you'll be okay, but the detox will just take longer. Juice-only should only take 2-3 weeks whereas #3 above will take a month. And whichever you do, you must know that if you still have fat on you you will not be fully detoxed! However, since we can't keep on these programs forever without going nuts, we take a few week period when we think we can stick to the program--a 3-week period with no stress or hard work--and detox when we can, a few times per year, for instance.

Cheating on Detox Diet

This is biggie. When people cheat once, they feel they have to give up. CHEATING IS OKAY! If you give up you fail. If you're on your third day of a detox diet and you have a cup of coffee with cream and sugar, sure, you're cheating, but why give up? It won't completely stop your body from detoxing, it will just prolong it a few hours. So, continue!

There's actually another full body detoxification diet I plan to write about how you are able to eat whatever you like for dinner and still detox! I won't get into all the details here, but basically, you follow #1 or #2 above (let's not do #3 here) for breakfast and lunch, and eat a normal dinner of what you want to eat. Heck, cake is fine too! Now to make this work much, much better, you do the eat-anything part for lunch, and juice or fruit and vegetables for dinner. That would be a nice detox, slowly but surely.

In fact, this is how I live my life. I do the occasional water-fast (which is the fastest way to detox but that won't be discussed in this post) for a day or two (that's all I can handle without feeling too dizzy to stand), juice fasts for a few days, and #2 above a few times a year, however, almost all of my meals at home are organic fruits and vegetables. Why do I limit it to meals at home? Well, virtually all restaurants used processed foods with nearly no enzymes that are full of preservatives and other chemicals. I stay away from fast-food as much as possible. Eating a salad before each and every meal on the road does wonders as well--provides enzymes and fills you up a bit and might even keep you from eating dessert!

I know I probably missed a lot here, but I'll answer all questions in the comments below, so fire away!

Reader's Write: How do I do a Juice Fast?

I just bookmarked this your site. I'm looking to start a kind of new life. I plan to buy a good blender (reviews on this site) and juicer (review available on this site) and want to do one of these detox diets. I like the idea of getting all the gook out of your system, things that are stuck in your intestines, etc. I even believe that if you were to eat ONLY healthy vegetables every day, reduce stress, and exercise properly, your body will cure itself of disease, even something like cancer. A lot of people believe this, but few people do it.

I saw an ad on TV once about okra pill that will dissolve mucous from your intestines and increase nutrient absorption. Do you have any information on these okra tablets? I think it's called okra-pepsin e3

Plus I'm going to play exercise 1-2 times a week. I don't want to do it everyday because it seems like it's too much and I might end up quitting.

I'd like to do this once I get the information. I think I can buy organic fruit and vegetables really cheap at the new grocery store that opened. In the summer peopleou a basket of home-grown tomatoes, peppers, apples, for free.! This home-grown stuff can have four times the nutrients due to the non-depleted soil

Sooooooooo, do you have the list of HOW to do the fast? I think I'd still take my multi-vitamins and eat a bowl of fiber cereal if I were to make my own schedule, but maybe that isn't good. If there were a tried and true list of what to do and when to eat it I could follow it more closely as I'd believe in it.

Please tell me the links!

Wholefood Supplements: Natural Vitamins vs Synthetic

Natural vitamins are what you can buy in the grocery store or local pharmacy such as Walgreen or Rite-Aid. Brands such as Centrum or Theregran-M come to mind.

Natural Vitamin versus Synthetic Vitamins: Both Centrum and
Theragran-M are examples of non-natural synthetic vitamins

These synthetic vitamins are the most popular and best sellers. However, several doctors and health specialists feel that these vitamins might be as good for you as, well...
Natural Vitamins vs. Synthetic Vitamins and the Advantages of Each

In the natural vitamins vs synthetic vitamin argument, proponents of natural vitamins such as wholefood supplements claim that nothing man-made can be as good as nature's own vitamins. Centrum, and the like, do contain vitamins, however, they are not in their natural form or amounts, therefore they aren't as easily accepted as nutrition by your body and aren't as easily digested.

What do I take regarding natural vs synthetic vitamins? Well, I'd like to take only wholefood supplements, and usually I do. However, they're quite pricey and sometimes, even a Centrum is better than nothing. Synthetics are readily available and claim to give you all the vitamins you need. Granted, this might be a strain for your digestive system, though.


Typically, a bottle of 200 one-a-day Centrum tablets will cost you around $15. Or, you could get the Walgreen equivalent--which is made and packaged in the same factory as the Centrum tablets and is, essentially, the same exact product--for around $10. However, Walgreen has buy one get one free sales on these, so you can get over year's supply for around $10! I used to buy these often, until I found out that synthetics aren't the way to go. I do make sure I have some on hand, just in case, but I don't take them daily. For the record, Target sells multivitamins and the tablets are red. Don't buy them--they upset the stomach.

Wholefood supplements, on the other hand, aren't as compact, cheap, or convenient as synthetics. You usually have to take more than one a day--which is actually good so that you can get the vitamins when your body needs them. They might costs as much as 10 times as much. However, they are highly alkaline to you blood and are easily digestible.

Here are a few examples of whole food supplements on Amazon: Vitamineral Green (see trial size) and Earth Herbal Vegan Organic Superfood Dietary Supplement. You can see the Vitamineral in the photo to the left. However, the one I would most recommend is Comprehensive Vitamin & Mineral Formula. By just reading the discription you know you can trust them!

Natural Vitamins vs Synthetic Vitamins: Conclusion

When weighing the benefits of natural vitamins versus synthetic vitamins, you have to ask yourself what you're looking for. Wholefood, natural vitamins are far better for because they

• Give you nutrients in the form and dose that nature intended
• Include enzymes which aid in digestion of the vitamins as well as other foods
• Make your blood alkaline
  
• Are taken a few times a day providing maximum absorption by the colon and small intestine
• Are often in dark, glass bottles: the best way to preserve the freshness of the vitamins
• BUT, are expensive and hard to find except at health food stores
  

Synthetic man-made vitamins have other benefits:

• Very cheap
• Available at any pharmacy or grocery store
• Are known to everyone and coupons are available
• Have 100% USRDA of everything you need (no, I don't believe the USRDA)
• Just taken once a day
  
• BUT, they don't absorb properly, put more of a strain on your digestive system, may be stale or old, are made from the lowest quality ingredients, and are totally non-natural and synthetic.

Natural vitamins vs synthetic vitamins final word: Buy only 100% natural, whole food vitamins. If you can't get them for any reason, or if they are too expensive for you, take synthetics. If you are on a high fruit and vegetable diet, there is no need to take any vitamins, and in such a case taking synthetics would even work against you.