The seven-day cleansing diet

Rid your body of accumulated toxins once or twice a year with a seven-day diet consisting of fruits and vegetables

27dmc soups

You don't have to wait to fall ill to cleanse your system. It is wise to eliminate the accumulated toxins and cleanse the body once or twice a year to restore physical and mental health, vigour and vitality. Remember to consult your doctor before starting this cleansing diet plan.

Note: It is essential to drink at least eight glasses of water during these seven days to aid elimination.

Day 1 and 2: Fruits and vegetables. Add three bowls of vegetable soup.

Eat any of the two fruits every three hours — apple, orange, grapefruit, pomegranate, melon. Lunch and dinner should be a bowl of salad comprising tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, grated carrot and spinach. You can add a pinch of salt, pepper and lemon juice for the dressing.

Vegetable soup

Ingredients: pumpkin, carrot, cauliflower, celery, green vegetables

Method: Steam the vegetables. Add water and blend the vegetables in a blender. Heat olive oil (half tea-spoon for the entire day) in a pan, and then add vegetables and seasoning of your choice (coriander/ pepper/ thyme/ herbs).

Consume a bowl of soup in the morning, noon and night.

Day 3, 4 and 5: Add two boiled or baked potatoes and cooked vegetables to your diet. Two baked or boiled potatoes (without oil or butter) can be consumed at any time during the day. You can add lemon and spices to make the potato tasty.

For cooked vegetables: Use one teaspoon of olive oil for the entire day. Eat any vegetables of your choice, except potato. Consume one bowl of cooked vegetables, mid-morning, noon and night. You can substitute vegetable soup with cooked vegetables or consume both, according to your preference.

Day 6 and 7: Add 4 chapattis to your meal.

Add 2 chapattis without oil/butter or ghee for lunch and dinner.

Note: It is essential to gradually add more foods, when you get back to your regular eating habits. The transition should be carefully planned to avoid any discomfort or damage.

Caution

Drastic dietary restrictions can undermine your health and should generally be avoided. For example, excessive fasting or consistent use of enemas can upset the body's balance of fluid and minerals and lead to potentially dangerous consequences such as weakness or even irregular heartbeat. If a dietary recommendation seems extreme, your wisest course is to consult a doctor.

Does ‘natural' mean ‘safe'?

There are many ways to cleanse the system. According to most practitioners, evaluation of diet and lifestyle is considered crucial to good health. Also, the practitioner's diagnosis may involve laboratory analysis, X-rays and a physical examination. Recommendations for treatment may include one or more natural remedies, depending on the symptoms and the practitioner's philosophy and experience. Potential adverse effects of most natural therapies are few and mild. But, remember, “natural” does not invariably equal to “safe”. It is more important to be sensible. To avoid pitfalls, make sure you consult a licensed doctor who has good safety records.

The writer is a certified Clinical Exercise Specialist, Lifestyle and Weight Management Specialist.