7-day cleansing diet - anyone done this??

WARNING: My opinion (scathing), below.



This diet is a complete load of BS. I would avoid it and other fad diets/detoxes and other junk science little blue miracle pills. (Unless you want to go down a rabbit hole, then totally take the blue pill.) Here's why I find this particular one to be a sham:

1) Detoxes are a total sham. I and many others have beaten this dead horse so many times it looks like the dance of the broomsticks in Fantasia. Your body just. Doesn't. Work. That. Way. It's junk science. Your intestines don't "hold onto weight/waste for a long time and need a detox to clean them out". They do hold weight, certainly, but it's from the meals you ate in the previous 24 to 48 hours. If you don't want anything in them, don't eat for a few days. They'll be nicely empty then.

2) "East as much as you wish and as often as you like. This soup will not add calories, so eat all you want. " Steaming pile of horse apples. If you input this into the calorie calculator it comes out to 962 calories for a pot. So around 100 calories Apprx per serving. Only 50 calories less than my home-made chicken tortilla soup, and I'm betting my soup tastes a dang sight better than this one. "The more you eat, the more you lose... " More horse hockey- there's no magical properties to this soup. It contains calories just like any other soup.

3) ...Why the hell exclude bananas? Such a random fruit to exclude, and to exclude it so randomly to boot. They're incredibly good for you. They're 100 calories (apprx) vs an apple (80 cal - apprx) which apparently is ok to gnosh, and very similar amount of carbs and sugar. Not to mention they are great before a workout since they metabolise fairly quick for energy (and don't leave me belching after 1.5 miles running like apples do. Sorry, TMI, I'll go back to ranting with #4.)

4) "Try to eat green, leafy vegetables, and stay away from dry beans" Technically and botanically beans are a fruit, not a vegetable, they're just listed with them all the time for some reason I've yet to fathom. And why stay away from DRY beans? Beans that have never been dried are ok to eat? WTF?

5) "8 glasses of skim milk on this day, along with T-J Miracle Soup." Those people with lactose intolerance just have to stay un-cleansed it seems...

6) "Try to drink at least 8 glasses of water in order to wash away any uric acid in your body." Again the body doesn't work that way. First, water doesn't wash away uric acid from the system. Uric acid is an antioxidant produced by the body that breaks down purines (protein compounds) and also fights damaging free radicals. Uric acid will never be eliminated in the body and this is a GOOD thing. You need uric acid. There IS a problem with too much of said good thing, one being kidney stones, another being gout. In such cases you need to -lower- your uric acid level or get your body to expel it properly by adjusting your diet or other means. Ironically one of the ways to lower your uric acid levels is to avoid high protein meats (remember uric acid breaks down protein compounds called purines). Funny I recall a sentence right before this one that said to EAT beef, which would raise your uric acid level... "You can have 10 to 20 ounces of beef "



Stuff like this is a sham. It's junk science. You don't need a cleanse (they don't work anyhow). Here's the best 'diet' advice I've ever heard. It's not quick (unlike the 7 day blue magic pill), and it takes a lifetime worth of work, but it's guaranteed healthy and will support you in all your life's endeavours:
"Eat food*. Not too much. Mostly plants."** Exercise 30-60 minutes 5 times a week, eat local when possible, and drink plenty of water and if you want to lose weight, cut back on the calories. <---- much shorter list and easier to remember.




* Food like substances do not count. A Twinkie is a good example of a "Food like substance"
** Michael Pollan's advice, it's elegant and true and had to be used here since he says it much better than I ever could.

I have done this same diet except it was called the cabbage soup diet I lost 15 pounds but you just gain it back even if u workout after the diet if u want to cleanse ur body then its good to do but u will be tired of the soup after the 3rd day lol. Good luck though

I am currently on day 2 of this detox. I have added on egg whites with some meals because I am a long distance runner and I need some protein. How much will this effect the overall progress?

I am currently on day 2 of this detox. I have added on egg whites with some meals because I am a long distance runner and I need some protein. How much will this effect the overall progress?

Wow - zombie thread bump...


Wonder what happened to all the folks from 3 years ago....wonder if they realised that the body doesn't need to be cleansed

Anything with the word 'cleanse' in it I would avoid. Looks like something a toddler would make up if you said to him/her, "what shall I eat today?" "Erm.... 8 bananas and some milk, Mammy!"

Will probably lose weight from the diet but that's because it's restricting your calories, nothing to do with the certain foods 'cleansing' you!

only just realised this thread was dead and buried... where it belonged!