This program has been carefully designed to purify the body and aid in the removal of toxins that contribute to many types of ill health. At the same time, it will rebalance or regulate the acid/alkali state of the body and will help to regulate the weight. It is not a weight loss program and although many people do lose a few pounds while on the diet, you will soon gain it back if you need it. This diet supplies only foods which are healthful and nutritious and which can help to rebuild vital parts of the body that have been compromised by illness. There is no calorie counting in this diet, you can eat as much as you want of the specified foods.
There are certain times when it is not recommended to do major detoxification program:
- If you are pregnant or breast feeding, because toxins will cross the placenta and pass in to the breast milk and the infant liver is immature and cannot process many substances.
- If you have very high or very low blood pressure.
- If you have hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), it might be better to avoid the juice fasting stage and proceed directly with the raw food stage. In this case, it should be adhered to for at least a week
It is strongly recommended that you use only organically grown foods during this cleansing program to avoid introducing new toxins as fast as you clean out old ones.
This cleansing regime has been designed as a three week program, but it can be adapted to suit your individual needs. The basic plan is to do one week of actual cleansing, one week of controlled eating to re educate your palate, and a third week of confirming the new dietary principles you have learned.
The first three days of the mono-food fast are when the majority of the detoxification occurs. Toxic wastes stored in the fat cells release into the blood stream and pass to the liver for deactivation and elimination. It is possible that during this period you may experience some cleansing reactions such as headache, bad breath, spots or boils, dizziness or aching joints. Try not to worry about these, they are a natural effect of detoxification and will diminish over a period of two or three days as the liver cleanses the blood. It is also quite common for old emotional hurts to resurface during this early cleansing stage and you may find yourself being unusually irritable, depressed or uptight.
Do not worry about this, but remember that they will pass as the accumulated waste of years is gradually removed from your body and mind. If these symptoms are too unpleasant, then you can modify the cleanse by simply eating raw foods for a longer period to prepare the body and initiate gentle detoxification.
Herbal teas such as Peppermint, Ginger and Chamomile can be consumed freely at all stages of the cleansing program. You should be sure to drink plenty of fresh water, with a squeeze of lemon if desired. Avoid black tea, coffee and all stimulants while following this regime.
FIRST WEEK (DAYS 1 TO 7)
Before launching into the fast itself, it is good idea to prepare the body a little. This is done by eating fresh RAW foods for two or three days. See below (day four) for specific instructions on what to eat during this preparatory phase.
DAY 1 (of fasting phase)
Choose one of the following foods to fast on:
GRAPES
Green/white. Take at least 7 lbs/3.2kg. per day to get the most cleansing effect. Eat the whole fruit, pips and skin included; juice them with a little water if you can’t eat that quantity. This is the best cleanse for cancer and for red, angry, eruptive skin conditions.
APPLES
Red or green. Eat the whole fruit, including the skins. Eat at least 5 lbs/2.26kg. per day. You may juice them or put them in the blender with some water to make a puree. This is the best cleanse for bowel disorders chronic diarrhea or constipation, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis, etc.
MELON
Any type or a combination of types, at least 6 lbs/2.7kg per day. If you eat water melon, you can also juice the rinds to make a bitter digestive tonic drink. This is the best cleanse for people with kidney problems.
VEGETABLE JUICE
A very cleansing and alkaline combination is made of one litre of carrot juice, and one liter of a combination of celery, parsley and beet. Make it up to three litres with water. Drink a cup every 30 minutes and when it finished, continue the day with plain water. This is the best cleanse for people with arthritis, chronic itchy skin conditions and for liver congestion. A knob of fresh ginger adds flavour interest and promotes circulation.
TROPICANA
Pineapple, papaya, mango and kiwi fruit all contain digestive enzymes and are extremely cleansing in the body. A total of at least 5 lbs/2.26kg. of the fresh fruits need to be eaten each day. This is the best cleanse for people with a lot of digestive distress: gas, bloating, acid reflux, burning pains and indigestion.
POTASSIUM BROTH
This is a simple vegetable broth including potatoes, onions, leeks and root vegetables. Take the liquid only from the soup, at least two litres daily. This is the best cleanse to do in the winter and for people who are very cold.
BROWN RICE
This fast is very boring because all you eat is plain rice with no oil, tamari, etc. but it works for some people who feel unable to do a juice fast. This is the best cleanse for people with blood sugar imbalances.
DAYS 2 & 3 (of fasting phase)
These follow the same pattern as for Day 1. It is preferable to take the same food choice on Days 2 and 3 as on the first day, but it also possible to take, for example, grapes on Days 1 and 2 then apples on Day 3, or apples on day 1 and vegetable juice on days 2 & 3, and so on. It is important that you don’t mix fruits and vegetable in one day.
If you are following a program of herbal cleansing agents, then these should be taken throughout the fasting period to facilitate the whole process of detoxification. (See below)
Depending on your reactions to the juice fast, you may wish to continue with it for up to a week. If cleansing reactions persist beyond Day 3, then you can continue the juice fasting until they abate or for up to a week.
SUPPLEMENTS HERBS AND ADDITIONAL ITEMS
Vitamins, minerals and most supplements are considered by the body to part of food and therefore require digestive juices and enzymes to be assimilated. While you are fasting and resting the digestive system (the first 3 or 4 days of the program), it is best to discontinue all supplements and self-prescribed herbal products. You can speed the detoxification process with the use of certain specific products:
Blue Green Algae, Chlorella, Spirulina, Liquid chlorophyll, Barley Greens or Wheat Grass are extremely cleansing to the body and one or other should be taken freely during the cleansing program. They particularly help in counteracting free radical damage and in removing heavy metals that are stored in our tissues.
Apple Cider Vinegar (1 tablespoon) and Honey (1 teaspoon) in hot water makes a pleasant cleansing and refreshing drink, to be taken once or twice a day. This is especially useful to people suffering from arthritis or other conditions of excess acidity because the fruit acid in the vinegar turns to alkaline in the body and helps restore neutrality to the body.
A broad spectrum pro biotic product is useful to ensure the correct balance of microorganisms in the intestines. Up to 50 billion live bacteria a day is good and should be taken on an empty stomach.
Psyllium seed powder (1 heaping teaspoon stirred into a glass of water) should be taken two to four times daily. This provides fibre which is soothing to the intestines and absorbs toxins, ensuring their ready elimination. *Always follow it with an additional glass of water.
DO NOT DISCONTINUE PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION WITHOUT SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FROM A QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL.
DAY 4
If we assume that you have done three days of juice fasting, Day 4 is the day you break the fast. This is done by introducing fresh raw foods. If you think you may have some allergies, then this is an ideal time to test them out by following the Coca pulse test (see below).
SUGGESTED MEAL PLAN TO BREAK THE FAST
Breakfast: Fresh fruit salad (any combinations) sprinkled with ground almonds. Herb tea to drink.
Lunch: A large mixed salad dressed with olive or flax oil and lemon juice. You may include small amounts of nuts and seeds if you wish and sprouts are highly recommended. Seaweeds are also a good vitamin and mineral source and help to remove toxins. Herb tea to drink.
Evening meal: Same as lunch.
Snacks: Fruit, veggie sticks, small amounts of nuts and seeds.
After the cleansing, your body will be very sensitive and it important not to eat any heavy foods too soon. An alternate method of breaking a fruit fast is to take potassium broth – initially just the liquid, then after a day, start to eat the vegetables too.
ADDITIONAL ITEMS
When you start to eat again, you can re introduce vitamins and minerals if you wish. Continue to take the apple cider vinegar and honey as well as the acidophilus, the chlorophyll supplement and the Psyllium powder. Continue to take herbal cleansing agents.
DAYS 5, 6 & 7
These should follow the same plan as for Day 4. Ideally, you will take at least as many days to break the fast as the number of days you fasted. This will take you to the end of week one (three days of fasting and four days of raw foods) plus the two or three days of preparation at the beginning.
SECOND WEEK (DAYS 8 14)
The aim of this week is to gradually re introduce some cooked foods, but to still totally eliminate all foods of animal origin, as they are the most toxic and clogging to the system. In this second week you will continue to eat at least half of your food raw. Small amounts of grain may be eaten, but wheat should be avoided as it is hard to digest even if you are not allergic to it. You can continue with fresh vegetable juices or try making one meal a day the same as your fasting food.
FOODS TO AVOID
Milk, butter, cheese, eggs, yoghurt, meat and all meat products, sugar and anything containing added sugar, salt, coffee, tea (except herbal kinds), soft drinks, chips, candies, canned or frozen foods, cakes and pastries, bread, alcohol and anything that is not completely natural. No processed or prepared foods of any kind.
SUGGESTED MEAL PLAN FOR WEEK TWO:
Breakfast: Fresh fruit. Herb tea to drink.
Lunch: Potassium broth sprinkled with ground nuts or nutritional yeast. Rice cakes or rye crackers spread with tahini or bean spread. Mixed salad with a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice. Herb tea .
Evening meal: A selection of lightly steamed or baked vegetables (including at least two green leafy ones and one orange or red or yellow one). Sprinkle them with olive or flax oil or tahini and herbs. Follow this with a mixed salad. Plain brown rice, millet, quinoa or buckwheat may also be eaten at this meal.
If you prefer you may eat your lighter meal in the evening and the steamed vegetables at lunch. Towards the end of this week, you may introduce well -cooked beans. Continue to take your supplements and herbal remedies
THIRD WEEK (DAYS 15 21)
This is basically a repeat of Week 2 with the addition of a little more protein and, if you wish, some animal products. Organic yoghurt, cottage cheese, beans and tempeh may be eaten as well as a little butter. You should still avoid milk, margarine, sugar, salt, coffee, tea, alcohol and all processed foods. Meat and meat products are not recommended although a little fish and grain fed chicken is acceptable.
Continue to eat lots of raw foods and lightly steamed vegetables and steer clear of rich sauces and dressings. If you are not allergic to it, you may begin to eat some wheat again, although it should be kept to minimum. By the end of the third week, you should be feeling really good with clear skin, regular bowels and lots of energy. Now you have to make the effort not to slip back into old ways.
The outline for Week 3 is really a guideline for an on going pattern of healthy eating.
This doesn’t mean you can never enjoy an ice cream or a chocolate bar or a cup of coffee again, but the key word is MODERATION. If your basic diet is good then your body will have the resilience to allow you to have other foods occasionally. Your body will have become sensitized by the cleansing process so listen to it and don’t eat items which you know are going to upset you.
If you do splurge and eat too many of the wrong foods, or if you just feel like detoxifying a little every once in a while, then you can use this basic cleansing plan as a guideline and adapt it to suit your needs. The program is not “all or nothing.” If, for example, you cannot fast then simply start right in at ‘Day 4’ and eat raw foods for a week before continuing onwards to Week 2.
ALLERGY TESTING
There are several ways in which you can determine whether you have any significant allergies to food items or to environmental factors. The commonest methods available from your medical doctor are skin prick tests. These are only about 60% reliable, sometimes less for food allergens. VEGA testing is much more reliable and is becoming more widely available. ELISA blood testing is available from herbalists and naruropaths and is very useful. Applied Kinesiology (muscle testing) is fairly reliable if done objectively by a well trained. But there is also a relatively simple technique that you can do yourself at home to test for food allergies. This is called the Coca Method.
On the day before you wish to break the fast, sit quietly for 20 minutes then take your pulse at the wrist for 1 full minute. Repeat this 5 times during the day to get a clear idea of your resting pulse rate. The following day when you want to start to re introduce solid foods, take your pulse again before eating. Now take just a small mouthful of the food you are testing, chew and swallow, then take the pulse again, for 1 minute at a time, at 1, 5, 10 and 20 minute intervals. If the pulse rate rises by more than 5 beats per minute above the resting pulse rate then this indicates an allergic response.
If no rise in the pulse rate occurs within 20 minutes then you can safely eat that food and can go on to test out the next item. In this way you can test several items in a day and can build up a clear picture of foods that are safe for you to eat.
Note that it important not to smoke while doing this pulse test as nicotine raises the pulse rate.
It is best to avoid any food to which you are allergic. If you can completely eliminate it from your diet for 6 months then the allergy may disappear. If it something which you cannot avoid then it may be necessary to go through a desensitization procedure. Rotation diets are also helpful to reduce repeated exposures
Many people find that it is useful to do 1 week of raw foods per month or 1 day of fasting per week and so on. Use your own judgment as to how much and how often is best fro you. With various modifications thus dietary program can be made to work for anyone.
For example a person with systemic candidiasis (yeast infection) would find much benefit from following the program using vegetable juice and then strictly avoiding fruits in the later stages of the diet. A person with Crohn’s Disease would probably be best to follow the brown rice diet while a person with considerable liver congestion should do the vegetable juice fast. Thus the program can be adapted to meet the needs of the individual.
- Try to make 50% of your food be vegetables with 25% protein and 25% whole grains or starchy foods such as potato, squash and yams.
- Eat the evening meal no later than three hours before bed.
- Eat protein and fats in the morning and at lunch and save the carbohydrates (starches) for the evening meal.
- Drink a large glass of water with juice of ½ lemon first thing in the morning.
- Drink 8 oz of water for every 20 lbs of body weight. Try to drink this between meals (at least ½ hour before and 1 hour after eating.
- Avoid all coffee including decaf and also guarana, yerba mate. Drink green tea and bancha tea if you need a stimulant
- Snack on fruit freely – several servings daily is good. Fresh fruit is best.
- Avoid all refined flour or sugar products.
- Avoid all fried foods and all bought baked goods. Only use olive oil to cook with and use Essential balance or Udo’s Choice for salad dressings or on steamed veg and baked potatoes. Do not use bought salad dressings of any kind.
Diet guidelines for liver support
- Bitter greens such as endive, radicchio, arugula, watercress, dandelion greens, kale, collards, turnip tops, beet tops, cabbage, broccoli
- Cold water fish (wild salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, halibut)
- Organic free range eggs – three to six per week
- Avocados (two to three per week), Sunflower seeds, Walnuts, Sesame seeds,
- Wheat germ
- Radishes (red, black, white)
- Onions, garlic, shallots, leeks, chives
- Beets, carrots, burdock root (gobo), artichokes,
- Molasses
- Citrus fruits and peels
Supplements to promote Phase I detoxification in the liver
- Phosphatidyl choline (Lecithin & Choline)
- Essential fatty acids (omega 3 and 6 blend)
- Di-indolyl methane (DIM)
- Methionine
- Beta carotene
- High dose balanced B complex
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Copper
- Magnesium
- Zinc
- Sulphur
Supplements to promote Phase II detoxification in the liver
- Cysteine
- Calcium D – glucarate
- Glycine
- l-glutathione
- N-acetyl-cysteine
- Taurine
- Germanium
- Magnesium
- Selenium
- Sulphur
- Zinc
- Molybdenum
- Manganese