Guidelines – What To Eat Before the Detox, Cleansing, Fasting Program
- Check with your doctor.
- Don’t fast breakfast if you have a full day ahead of driving, because you might need the energy.
- Watch what you eat before the fast. Don’t stuff yourself right before thinking it’s your last meal. Before the fast, start limiting what you eat to prep yourself. This tells your body that the amount of food you intake is becoming less and less. If you don’t prep yourself when you fast, the fast may be a little harder, but some clients choose not to limit their diet prior to the detox program.
Try to eat SLOW-DIGESTING FOODS including FIBER-CONTAINING FOODS rather than FAST- DIGESTING foods. Slow digesting foods last up to 8 hours, while fast-digesting foods last for only 3 to 4 hours.
Foods to Eat
- Slow-digesting foods are foods that contain grains and seeds like barley, wheat, oats, millet, pinto beans, black eyed peas, lentils, whole meal flour, unpolished rice, etc. (called complex carbohydrates).
- Fiber-containing foods are bran-containing foods, whole wheat, grains and seeds, vegetables like green beans, peas, spinach, fruit with skin – apples, apricots, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, cherries, cranberries, grapefruit, grape, melon, kiwi, lemons, limes, nectarines, pears, rasberries strawberries, tangerine watermelon, dried fruit especially dried apricots, figs and prunes, almonds, etc. (Balance fruit intake vs. vegetable intake. Too much fruit juice can spike your blood sugar levels.)
Foods to Avoid
- Fast-burning foods are foods that contain sugar, white flour, etc. (called refined carbohydrates).
- The foods eaten should be well-balanced, containing foods from each food group, i.e. fruits, vegetables, meat/chicken/fish, bread/cereals and dairy products. Fried foods are unhealthy and should be avoided. They cause indigestion, heart-burn, and weight problems.
AVOID
- Fried Foods
- Highly processed foods with sugar and white flour
EAT
- Complex carbohydrates during the meal so that the food lasts longer making you less hungry.
- Dates are excellent source of sugar, fiber, carbohydrates, potassium and magnesium.
- Almonds are rich in protein and fiber with less fat.
- Bananas are a good source of potassium, magnesium and carbohydrates
DRINK
- As much water, herbal decaffeinated teas or natural fruit or vegetable juices. (Try to limit caffeine and any soft drinks.)