How to maximise your results on a food Cleanse

Cleanses are an excellent way to kick-start your weight loss or healthy eating program. But not everyone who embarks on a Cleanse is clear about why they are doing it, what results to expect and how to make the very most of it. That’s why we’ve created this article to provide all the necessary info and tips for before, during and after your Cleanse.

Cleanse effectively & avoid the pitfalls of extreme detoxes

Most healthy Food Cleanses, such as the dietitian-endorsed ones from Dietlicious, are focused on clean eating. Clean eating simply means choosing whole, real foods that are as close to natural as possible, not processed and ideally not packaged either. Our Cleanses help rid the body of additives, preservatives and highly processed foods.

They also give your digestive system a break, as we leave out all the gluten, wheat, dairy and red meat.

All our Cleanses are healthy food Cleanses that limit calories to a manageable level, omit certain harder-to-digest foods but are chock-full of highly nutritious ingredients. This approach is an effective and healthy way to detox and rebalance, helping you feel better and look better too!

Some Cleanses encourage near starvation, or impose severe restrictions to just juices or fruit and veg only. Here at Dietlicious, we don’t agree with those types of extreme detoxes and there are a number of reasons for that. Firstly, they often backfire as they not only lack nutrients the body needs but they leave you so hungry it’s virtually impossible to stick to them. Some can also trigger low blood sugar, headaches and fatigue.

Tips to help you get the best results from your Cleanse

Once you’ve chosen between our 5 day or 10 day cleanse, it’s time to start getting into the right mindset. Following these simple tips will maximise your outcomes.

Before

• Don’t overindulge right up to the day you start your Cleanse or the change in diet may be a big shock to your system! Ideally try to clean up your eating in the days before commencing.
• The same goes for what you drink – try to cut down on caffeine and alcohol and boost your water intake prior to starting a Cleanse.
• Here’s a guide of what to avoid – alcohol, coffee and caffeinated drinks, cigarettes, soft drinks, refined sugars, artificial sweeteners, preservatives and additives, genetically modified foods, processed foods, fried foods.

During

• Drink lots of plain water - still or sparkling are both fine.  You can also drink as much herbal tea as you like (without any sugar or milk). Fluids are important as they help you flush toxins from the body – we recommend 2-3 litres per day.
• Take a break from caffeine and alcohol while you’re on the Cleanse.
• Exercise is great but listen to your body – a big change in diet may be enough for your body to handle in one week so you may want to go easy on the workouts until your body adjusts.
• Take some time out for yourself – perhaps a detoxing Epsom salt bath or some quiet relaxation is just what you need. If you have access to steam or sauna, massage or acupuncture, these are also great therapies to help support your body to detox.
• Remember that quitting processed foods can be a bit of an adjustment, especially if you’re used to eating them regularly. It may take a day or two for your body to adapt to this detoxing.  If you have any concerns at all about how you’re feeling, please speak to your health professional.

After

• After your Cleanse, the most important thing is to try to keep up the healthy eating and keep managing your portion sizes.
• Try to incorporate exercise back into your routine.
• Many of our customers start with a Cleanse and then follow on with a 1200 calorie meal plan which contains slightly more calories and is therefore more sustainable in the long term. Another option is the Intermittent Fasting diet plan. If you're looking for rapid weight loss, then our 800 Calorie or 800 Calorie Keto plans may suit.
• Our Cleanses can easily be repeated at any time. They are especially useful if you feel you’ve strayed, you’re in a food rut or want to ramp things up to achieve your weight loss goals.

Starting a Cleanse is an exciting way to draw a healthy line in the sand and begin to embrace a more wholesome you. Once you’re on-board with a new style of nutritious eating, you’ll find that continuing the good habits becomes less hard work and more a way of life. We wish you luck!

Get started on a dietlicious Cleanse today!