Two Week Detox Diet

Starting a two-week detox diet requires careful planning and some consultation with a health care professional. While this guide will not outline or endorse a specific detox diet program, it will provide basic strategies for food, beverages and fiber intake.

Warning

• According to Health24.com ("Health 24"), vitamins and supplements should be taken before beginning a detox diet program as well as during the program and immediately after its completion. In addition to taking supplements, adequate rest is also strongly encouraged. Regardless of the type of two-week detox diet program you wish to begin, there are a number of basic strategies that will help the elimination process.
  It is always best to consult a medical professional regarding dietary restrictions and the number of calories that should be consumed (a health care professional can make a determination based on your age, weight, height and gender).

Foods

• During the two-week detox program, avoid sugar, dairy products, wheat and gluten. In place of these foods, add fresh or frozen fruits, fresh vegetable, rice and other grains, beans, nuts and seeds. Use olive oil and condiments like vegetable salt, sea salt, and tamari to add flavor.
  Create variety with each meal and stave off boredom during the two-week detox program by planning meals in advance. For example, eat a bowl of brown rice with fresh vegetables sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and olive oil.

Beverages

• During the two-week detox program, avoid coffee, soda, sugary beverages, artificially sweetened diet drinks and sports drinks. In place of these beverages, drink teas including green and white, water, lemon water, pure unsweetened fruit and vegetable juices and rice milk.
  During the detox program, be sure to drink a minimum of eight glasses of warm or room temperature water per day. Warm water helps to purify the body. For variety, add lemon to tone your kidneys, lime to tone your liver, orange for vitamin C or kiwi fruit for vitamin C.

Fiber-Intake

• When detoxing, it is important to clean out the bowel. According to Health24.com ("Health 24"), "Fresh, raw, unpeeled fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, wholewheat bread, high-bran cereal, oats, brown rice, wholewheat crackers and snack breads are great sources for fiber."
  The website also recommends soaking dried fruit in hot water overnight allowing the water to reach a boil and then simmer throughout the night. Add honey for taste. Compliment with fresh fruit and oatmeal porridge for a delicious, fiber-rich breakfast.
  For lunch, use a combination of fiber-rich vegetables like cucumber, red, green and yellow peppers, bean sprouts, carrots, mushrooms, baby marrows and celery.