"Clean Detox" and Calories

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vajrasattva
vajrasattva Posts: 8 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi! I'm looking for help from anyone who has tried the Clean Detox, outlined in the book "Clean" by Dr. Alejandro Junger. (Hopefully there might be one or two of you out there). Detoxing is kind of a touchy subject I've realized, but let me assure you that this is not designed to be a VLCD or even a weight loss program at all - it's aimed at healing an ailing digestive system (which I've had numerous problems with) and restoring your body's natural ability to eliminate toxins.

So I'm on day 2 of the 21-day program, and as I'm logging on mfp I'm struggling to hit even 800 calories - and I'm getting in two liquid meals and one solid meal a day, with multiple snacks in between. This is NOT enough; even though the macronutrients are balanced and I'm supporting with supplements, I feel like I could be doing some damage.

So to any of you that tried it, how did you up your calorie intake without eating all day long? The allowed foods are somewhat restrictive and consist mainly of lean protein, raw fruits/veggies, nuts, cold-pressed oils, and non-gluten grains/starches.

Or, to any of you that haven't tried the program and might be nutrition buffs, do you think I'd be doing any real damage eating below the 1200 calorie mark for 3 weeks, even if I'm getting adequate quantities of nutrients?

Thanks!

Replies

  • jcwalrath
    jcwalrath Posts: 2
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    It's basically never recommended by anyone to go below 1200 calories, but doing it once in a while won't cause any damage. 3 weeks might be a bit long, however. There will be signs within a few days if this is a problem though- if you get dizzy, weak, or out of breath doing something simple like climbing some stairs, there's a good probability you're not getting enough calories.

    As for the detox-- any respected medical journal on the topic will tell you there's no such thing as "toxins" that these diets talk about. If you have digestive problems, however, a kind of "detox" might work, but how that process goes is you spend some amount of time (usually a few days, but the sort of thing I'm talking about is usually guided by a doctor so I don't know) eating a few basic things unlikely to cause any digestive issues. Then you slowly start adding in food groups like nuts, wheat, dairy, etc, and see if any of them set off your digestive issues to identify intolerances you might have.

    Basically I suggest that if your reason for doing this is medical issues, you should ask a doctor about it to make sure you follow a plan that will accomplish your goals without possibly causing damage.
  • vajrasattva
    vajrasattva Posts: 8 Member
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    Words from the wise. =) I probably should talk to my doctor. Although in essence this program eliminates common irritants for 3 weeks, then gradually introduces them back into the diet, so I guess I'd definitely find out what does and doesn't work for me.

    Maybe there aren't "toxins" as are discussed by most of these fad detoxes - lemonade diets and cabbage soup and all that other bull. But there are definitely toxins that must be processed by your body, and if you're spending too much energy on digestion, exercise, stress (in the form of a taxed adrenal system), etc.. then your body's ability to eliminate them is reduced. Mercury, arsenic, aluminum, and cadmium are all at measurable levels in the typical person. Antibiotics, depression and anxiety meds, other medications end up in the drinking water and in some places exceed FDA regulations. Pesticide residues on plants, growth hormones in beef and eggs - and did you know that chickens are fed feed laced with arsenic, and the chicken poop is then mixed with corn and fed to cows, and spread on fields so it seeps into the ground water? And then there's all the environmental toxins that you breath in, especially come the season when they fertilize the grass (notorious neurotoxins), and of course the parabens and sulfates and whatever else is in shampoo and soap. Now, the body is perfectly fine at dealing with these naturally - it's a toxin-eliminating machine (except for some heavy metals which must be drawn out through chelation if their concentrations get too high). But only when your digestive system is functioning properly.

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