Debloat & Detox on a 14-Day Cleanse
After the Holiday madness of eating guilt-free and amazing meals we all begin to look in the mirror January 2nd and may not be feeling our best. You probably skipped the gym more than usual (rightfully so!) and ate one too many handfuls of treats.
To kick start the New Year a few friends and I decided to do a cleanse together. Nothing crazy but something realistic, maintainable and would get us feeling like ourselves again. So here is the 14-Day cleanse we all did together and what we followed! I also share my 14-Day review at the end!
7-Day Cleanse & Repeat Twice!
What To Follow:
One 24-Hour Fast (We did this Monday - Day 1 of the Cleanse)
Intermittent Fasting everyday after Day 1 (16 hours no eating; 8 hours eating - I do 12pm-8pm)
Unlimited fruits & veggies
Nuts & dried fruit for snacking
Quinoa, sweet potato, oatmeal and brown rice
2L of water/day
What We Steered Clear of For 14-Days:
Limited carbs - No bread, pasta, baked goods, white rice, etc. - basically anything white
No alcohol - You will immediately begin to see debloating within the first few days!
No artificial sugars - Candy & treats. This is where unlimited fruit helps!
Attempt to decrease caffeine intake to help detox your body
No/Little Dairy
No Meat
My Grocery List:
Avocados
Sweet Potatoes (5)
Green Beans
Broccoli & Cauliflower
Kale + Spinach (Smoothies + Meals)
Pre-made Trader Joes Broccoli & Kale salad
Asparagus
Mushrooms
1 Pack of Firm Tofu
Dried apricots (snack)
Plantain chips (snack)
Apples + Peanut Butter (snack)
Veggie burgers
Carrots + Hummus
Dried mango
Eggs
Smart Sweets Swedish Fish (My treats if I needed sugar & only 3g sugar)
Recipe Ideas:
Chinese Fried Rice
Stir Fries - Veggies + brown rice/quinoa + soy sauce + scrambled eggs
Veggie Bowls - Majority of my meals - Sweet potato + broccoli + cauliflower + mushrooms + tofu + avocado + sauce
Lettuce Wraps - black beans + corn + brown rice + hummus or guac on lettuce wraps
Tempura Cauliflower with Spicy thai sauce
Big salads with veggies, plant-based protein, fruit, etc.
Smoothies for snacks
Oatmeal
See meal inspo pics below - we all shared ideas of food to make and here are some pics of them!
How I Felt During:
The beginning of the cleanse started with the most intense but most beneficial step… the 24 hour fast! This can be the hardest part for people but every single friend that did the cleanse with me told me they’re considering doing a 24-hour fast once every week - that’s how great it is! It completely resets your body, brain and perception of food for a day and it’s a great restart to start a cleanse. After the first day I could tell my body was debloating and detoxing, obviously I had only had water and tea for 24 hours so no wonder I looked and felt lighter.
During the cleanse my energy levels were HIGH! This is what unlimited veggies do to you and the reason I’ve been plant-based for the last 5 years. Your body is not taking the extended hours to process gluten, meat and dairy due to the limited quantities you’re eating on the cleanse and you can really feel this. I was needing less sleep, had more energy and being more productive in my days.
I was always sure to prep lunches for work, I planned all my meals for the two weeks to know if I was going to be eating at home, on-the-go, traveling or out to eat. This helped me stay on course and sure I may have had a piece of pita bread out to eat but it didn’t kill me. Planning your days or meals in your notes for a quick snippet to get a good ideal and this helped A LOT!!
All in all this helped me really get back on track and feeling my best with energy, bloating and getting back into my workout regimen and feeling confident again in my leggings + sports bra AKA my daily wardrobe. This is very similar to what my diet consists of all of the time which is why I suggested it to my friends to try because when you cut meat and dairy for a minute you give your body a break from processing such dense foods every day. Especially red meat, I’m sorry to all you bacon and steak lovers.
I highly suggest giving this realistic and maintainable cleanse a try if you’re feeling like you need to press restart to your month. Remember, the 24-hour fast is important to do as it kicks starts your body into gear to get ready for the cleanse.
A few snippets from the friends who I did the cleanse with:
“Same. The no bad carbs thing is big for me”
“I loved the 24 fast I might keep doing it once a week!!!”
“We should try to fast every Monday for the month of January”
