Here is the cleanse that I did (part 1)

Anyone who spent any amount of time with me in the past month knows that I’ve been doing a cleanse/detox thing.  (What’s the difference?  Is there a difference?)

In short, it has been a really good experience.  It was hard, but not that hard, and I would recommend it to everybody.

Below are the details of this cleanse and how you can do it yourself.  I will follow up later this week with further thoughts on the process and some tips/tricks I learned along the way.

How long is it?

28 days, although the last week is easier because you start to add in non-cleanse foods again.

What do I need?

AdvaClear (buy one bottle)

Ultra Clear Plus (buy 2)

Ultra Clear Renew (buy 1)

Disclaimer: I bought my materials directly from the dietitian.  I don’t know anything about the difference in vendors, so these links are just for reference.  In total, the materials will cost you $300.  Steep, yes, but I found it to be worth it.

Also, as you use the Ultra Clear to make your smoothies (more below), start by using the Ultra Clear Plus powder.  When that runs out, switch to the Renew, and then finish off with the Plus.

Okay, how do I do it?

Here is what you remove from your diet:

Foods that increase acidity/inflammation/toxicity:

• Sugars, sweeteners, desserts
• Red meat
• Pork
• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Non-dairy creamers
• Soda and soft drinks

Foods that are commonly allergenic:

• Soy
• Wheat/gluten
• Dairy
• Peanuts
• Corn
• Eggs
• Shellfish
• Chocolate

Here is what you can eat:

•  Fruits: All fruits, except oranges (I don’t know why, these were just the directions… but other citrus, even clementines, tangerines, etc. are okay.)
• Vegetables: All vegetables, except corn
• Starch: Anything gluten free, so stuff like rice, potato, oats, quinoa, etc.
• Legumes: The whole bean family is fine, except soy products, including soy beans
• Nuts & Seeds: All nuts, except peanuts
• Meat & Fish: Chicken, turkey, fish
• Dairy substitutes: Rice milk, almond milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, etc.
• Fats: Oils (olive, canola, sunflower, sesame, almond, etc.), no processed fats, like margarine, shortening, mayonnaise, etc.
• Spices: All spices are fine, but condiments/sauces should be homemade to avoid weird additives
• Sweeteners: Brown rice syrup, fruit sweetener, blackstrap molasses, stevia (although I never used any of these)

Here is what you can drink:

• Water
• Sparkling water
• Herbal tea

Here are the general smoothie basics:

• 2 scoops of the powder, plus whatever you want in your smoothie
• Take with 2 AdvaClear capsules
• Have one smoothie for breakfast, and another for an afternoon snack (or whenever)

Cleanse Schedule

Day 1

Follow the dietary guidelines

Have 1 smoothie for breakfast, but with only 1 scoop of the powder and 1 AdvaClear capsule, to warm your body up to the cleanse; have another AdvaClear capsule some other time during the day (with food)

Day 2

Have 1 smoothie, with 2 scoops of the powder, and 1 AdvaClear capsule; have another AdvaClear capsule some other time during the day (with food)

Days 3-6

Increase to 2 smoothies a day, with 2 scoops of the powder, and take 2 AdvaClear capsules with each smoothie.

Days 7-13

Warning: This week is terrible, kinda.

Have your 2 smoothies a day, with 2 scoops of powder, and 2 AdvaClear with each smoothie, as usual.

Eat only the following foods/food categories:

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Fats
• Spices
• Brown rice (no other starches)

This means you avoid:

• Starches (besides brown rice)
• Legumes
• Nuts & Seeds
• Meat & Fish
• Dairy substitutes
• Sweeteners

Days 14-15

2 smoothies, per usual, but for these two days, add back in other starches and dairy-substitutes.

Days 16-18

2 smoothies, and also add in legumes and nuts/seeds.

Days 19-21

2 smoothies, and also add back in meat and fish.

Days 22-28

Slowly start to add back in foods that weren’t allowed on the cleanse, one at a time.  If you are testing for food intolerances/reactions, here’s how you do it:

•  Pick one food, and keep it specific (for example, don’t add back “cake” because cake has gluten, egg, dairy, and sugar).
• Eat a lot of it in one day (twice in a day if possible).
• Wait 2-3 days, without eating it again and only eating from the cleanse foods listed above.
• See if there’s any reaction.  If there is, consider generally eliminating the food from your diet.  If there’s no reaction, it’s find to keep this food in your diet as you add back other groups and test.
• Let’s be real: if you’re doing the cleanse just to get clean and not to test, you can add stuff back more quickly, but go semi-slow so as not to shock your body.

I'll follow up with more information, including meal ideas and what to expect.

See follow up posts on the cleanse here and here.