Feeling sluggish, off-track, or simply want to revitalize your health? A two-week cleanse diet plan could be the answer. This article explores the principles of clean eating, provides a structured two-week plan, and offers practical tips for success, all aimed at helping you feel refreshed, energized, and ready to perform at your best.
Understanding Clean Eating
What does it really mean to eat clean? In a nutshell, clean eating is about following a diet of wholesome foods that don’t contain a laundry list of ingredients, additives, or preservatives and are, at most, minimally processed. Unlike many fad diets that restrict whole nutrient groups or manipulate timing and type of foods, a clean-eating plan features food that is good for you while helping you perform at your best.
Benefits of a Two-Week Cleanse
A 14-day meal plan for detox is designed to cleanse and rejuvenate the body. It includes antioxidant-rich foods and hydrating beverages to help eliminate toxins and support overall health. This clean eating meal plan emphasizes whole, unprocessed ingredients that contribute to an energy-boosting detox while promoting gut health detox benefits through fiber-rich vegetables and colon cleanse foods like leafy greens and flaxseeds. With a focus on an anti-inflammatory diet, the plan helps reduce inflammation and discomfort. It also incorporates liver cleanse foods such as beets, garlic, and turmeric to support liver function naturally. In addition, nutrient-dense meals aim to encourage immune system detox and align with a boost immunity diet by including citrus fruits, berries, and zinc-rich foods.
The Two-Week Clean Eating Diet Plan
To help you get started, we’ve created a two-week plan that allows you to mix and match your meals.
General Guidelines:
- Choose Fresh When Possible: Opt for fresh produce whenever you can. If it’s not available or too expensive, use canned or frozen foods with minimal added ingredients (read: no extra sugar or other additives).
- Mix and Match: Select from the breakfast, lunch, and dinner options provided below to create your daily meals.
- Snack Smart: Add one to three snacks when you’re hungriest.
- Schedule Your Meals: Create a schedule for your meals and snacks.
- Time Your Fuel: Eat a meal 90 to 120 minutes before your workout. If you can’t get one in, fuel up with a snack 20 to 90 minutes beforehand.
- Find a Buddy: Enroll a friend (or two or three!) to follow this two-week clean eating diet with you. It’s always helpful to have someone to discuss accomplishments with and help you up when you’re feeling down. Friends help you stay motivated and positive.
Foods to Focus On
The Mayo Clinic Diet emphasizes that the best way to keep weight off for good is to change your lifestyle and adopt new habits that you enjoy and can stick with. The program focuses on eating delicious healthy foods and increasing physical activity. The Mayo Clinic Diet makes healthy eating easy by teaching you how to estimate portion sizes and plan meals. The program doesn't require you to be precise about counting calories. Mayo Clinic experts designed the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid to help you eat foods that are filling but low in calories. Each of the food groups in the pyramid emphasizes health-promoting choices.
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- Fruits: Apples, berries, citrus fruits, pears
- Vegetables: Leafy greens (kale, spinach, romaine lettuce), cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower), cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, carrots, celery, asparagus
- Proteins: Lean beef, skinless boneless chicken breast, tuna, salmon, sole (or other white fish), pork tenderloin, shrimp, tofu, eggs, whey protein
- Grains: Quinoa, buckwheat noodles, whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat English muffins, rolled oats
- Dairy/Alternatives: Nonfat milk, nonfat plain Greek yogurt, part-skim mozzarella cheese, feta cheese, whole-milk ricotta cheese
- Healthy Fats: Avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts (almonds, pistachios)
- Legumes: Black beans
- Spices & Herbs: Cinnamon, coriander, sea salt, black pepper, ginger, scallions, garlic, turmeric
- Beverages: Water, lemon water, green tea
Foods to Avoid
- Processed Foods: Minimize intake of heavily processed snacks, sweets, and convenience foods.
- Added Sugars: Avoid sugary drinks, desserts, and snacks to support detoxification goals.
- Artificial Additives: Limit foods with artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives for a clean eating approach.
- Caffeine: Reduce or eliminate caffeine to promote hydration and support detoxification.
- Alcohol: Eliminate or limit alcohol consumption for optimal detoxification.
- Refined Carbs: Absolutely NO added sugars, white rice, white bread, or refined carbs at any time.
Sample Meal Ideas
Here are some meal ideas to inspire your two-week cleanse. Feel free to mix and match based on your preferences and dietary needs.
Breakfast Options
- Overnight Oats: Combine ½ cup rolled oats, ⅔ cup nonfat milk, 1 scoop whey protein powder, 1 tbsp 100% maple syrup, ½ tsp ground cinnamon in a sealed mason jar and refrigerate overnight.
- Vegetable Omelet: Make an omelet with 1 egg plus 4 egg whites that’s filled with ½ cup chopped vegetables like onions, bell peppers, or mushrooms and topped with ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese (use nonstick cooking spray).
- Breakfast Tortilla: Top an 8-inch whole-wheat tortilla with scrambled eggs (1 egg plus two egg whites using nonstick cooking spray), 2 tbsp Monterey Jack cheese, 2 tbsp cooked black beans, and 2 tbsp salsa.
- Quinoa Bowl: Prepare ¾ cup cooked quinoa. Top with 1 egg cooked over easy in 1 tsp coconut oil.
- English Muffin Pizza: Toast 1 whole-wheat English muffin in a toaster oven, topping each half with 2 tbsp low-sodium tomato sauce, ¼ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, and 1 sliced button mushroom. Cook at 350°F for 5 to 7 minutes, or until cheese melts.
Lunch Options
- Buckwheat Noodle Bowl: 1 cup cooked buckwheat noodles, 5 oz baked salmon fillet, cooked in 2 tsp olive oil with a sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper cut into bite-size chunks, 4 grilled or roasted asparagus spears drizzled with 1 tsp olive oil with a sprinkle of seasalt and black pepper, cut into 2-inch pieces.
- Beef Marinade: Marinate 4 oz thinly sliced lean beef in 1 tbsp each low-sodium soy sauce, agave syrup, and fresh lemon juice and 1 tsp Dijon mustard.
- Tuna Marinade: Marinate 5 oz tuna fillet in 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 2 tsp grated ginger, 2 tsp chopped scallions, 1 minced garlic clove, ½ tsp agave syrup, and ½ tsp sesame oil. Grill or bake tuna in the oven.
- Chicken Breast: Sauté or grill 4 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast brushed with 2 tsp olive oil and sprinkled with coriander, sea salt, and black pepper.
- White Fish: Sprinkle 5 oz sole (or other white fish) with sea salt and black pepper; brush with 1 tsp olive oil. Heat ¾ cup dry white wine in a skillet over medium heat.
Dinner Options
- Steak and Potato: Cook 3 oz lean grilled steak and pair with ½ baked potato topped with 2 tbsp nonfat plain Greek yogurt and 2 tbsp salsa.
- Tofu Marinade: Marinate 4 oz extra-firm cubed tofu with 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 2 tsp grated ginger, 2 tsp chopped scallions, 1 minced garlic clove, ½ tsp agave syrup, and ½ tsp sesame oil.
- Pork Tenderloin: Brush 4 oz pork tenderloin with 2 tsp olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper, and sauté.
- Salmon and Spinach: Bake 5 oz baked salmon fillet in 2 tsp olive oil with a sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper. Serve with 2 cups sautéed spinach cooked in 2 tsp olive oil.
- Pork and Applesauce: Brush 4 oz pork tenderloin with 2 tsp olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper, and sauté. Top with ½ cup unsweetened applesauce.
- Shrimp Marinade: Marinate 4 oz shrimp in 1 tbsp each low-sodium soy sauce, agave syrup, and fresh lemon juice plus 1 tsp Dijon mustard.
Snack Options
- Avocado Toast: 1 slice thin whole-wheat bread, toasted ¼ avocado, mashed onto bread, 1 slice tomato.
- Pear and Ricotta: ½ medium pear, 2 tbsp whole-milk ricotta cheese, 10 shelled unsalted pistachios, 1 tsp agave.
- Hard-Boiled Egg: 1 hard-boiled egg, ½ medium tomato, ¼ avocado.
- Tomato and Feta: 1 tomato, sliced 2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese, 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil.
- Tuna Salad: 1½ cups shredded romaine lettuce, 1 plum tomato, sliced ½ medium cucumber, sliced 2 oz chunk light tuna (canned in oil), 1 tsp balsamic vinegar (preferably homemade).
- 1 oz of almonds (23 pieces) contains 162 calories, 14g fat, 3g fiber, and 6g of protein.
Important Considerations
- Snack Timing: Snacks are an important way to get the nutrients you may not take in during meals. If you have a smaller frame or are shorter (approximately 5′), one snack per day may work. If you’re taller (approximately 5’7″) and/or work out regularly, you may need a third.
- Nutrient Balance: You’ll get more nutrients out of your snack when combining carbs with protein or healthy fat. Protein needs to be complemented with other foods to maximize nutrition.
- Portion Control: Don’t forget to measure ingredients so you don’t end up with large portions. Even an extra tablespoon or two of salad dressing or oil can add up to hundreds of extra calories.
- Hydration: DO hydrate on water and low-calorie drinks throughout the day. Aim for about 8 to 10 cups per day.
- Organic Doesn't Equal Healthy: DON’T choose sweet treats just because they are labeled “organic” or “GMO-free”-they are still junk food! If you choose to indulge, build it into your diet and plan for a reasonable portion.
Tips for Success
- Prepare in Advance: DO make time to prep ingredients in advance. Once a week, cook proteins like chicken and beef.
- Shop Smart: DO make a shopping list organized according to the flow of the supermarket. Most stores start with produce, so begin your list there and continue with the types of foods you encounter as you walk through the aisles.
- Avoid Temptation: DON’T forgo cooking and end up speed-dialing pizza or Chinese food delivery.
- Get Back on Track: DO get right back on the diet if you fall off the wagon. Everyone eats more than they should every so often.
- Don't Avoid Carbs Entirely: DON’T avoid carbs entirely-you need them to help provide energy for workouts. Just choose the right ones.
The Spartan Mindset: A 14-Day Whole-Food Meal Challenge
Spartan CEO and Founder Joe De Sena crafted this simple 14-day whole-food meal challenge because, "We can't be our best selves and perform at our best without starting in the kitchen," he says. This plan is for ALL Spartans who want to optimize their diet, beat brain fog, sleep better, build muscle, shed unwanted pounds and become battle-ready for OCR. (Think: salads galore = the fastest, most efficient total-body reset ever.)
Over the course of two weeks, you’ll fill up on veggies, skip booze, eat at specific times and ditch up to 10% of your bodyweight. Stick to these five rules and you won’t lose. The Spartan Whole-Food Cleanse Meal Plan Eating like this makes for a superior life experience all around. "I would love for you to do it forever, but once every three months would be great," says De Sena. Prepare for better sleep, exceptional sex, less stress, more productivity. Basically, prepare for better everything.
Spartan Diet Rules
- Eat ONLY 3 Meals Per Day: No more. That means no sneaky cheat meals or accidental snacks. If you absolutely can’t make it to the next meal, grab a handful of raw nuts. Do not eat large quantities any other time of day.
- Eat 4X as much Salad as whatever protein you add to it: For example, eating one serving of chicken? No problem. Pair it with four servings of salad. Two of beef steak? Match it with eight of salad. PRO TIP: You should feel full at the end of each meal. If you don't, increase the amount of salad you’re eating.
- Your salad MUST include: A small drizzle of cold pressed olive oil, Apple cider vinegar, Avocado, Sprouts, Fennel, Optional: organic lean animal protein like fresh tuna or chicken. If you include extra non-veggies, don't forget to multiply the greens by four.
- Your salad MUST NOT include: Other oils, Cheat ingredients (i.e. making your salad into a pizza), Processed meat (i.e. pepperoni, sausage), Other crap. You get the idea.
- Absolutely NO Added Sugars, White Rice, White Bread, or Refined Carbs: At. Any. Time. Period. Your body will be craving this stuff and it’s your job to think your way out of it. The point is to completely break your mental and physical attachments to these nutrients so you can reintroduce them post detox in a smart way. If you find yourself reaching for a cheat snack, drop and bust out 10 burpees.
- Stick to H2O: Drink water. That means ZERO alcohol. You can have water-based beverages like black coffee or tea but we recommend skipping them. While caffeine is often beneficial in training, it’ll derail your metabolism reset and make this whole challenge much tougher.
Streamline Your Workouts
De Sena recommends the following workout plan while you're on this detox:
- 30 Burpees per day
- 1 Mile walk
- 1 Pull-up at a time (or as many as you can) to get to 30
Beat Brain Fatigue
At the beginning, your brain will play tricks on you. We’re talking about those second-guessing, “why did I do this”, crappy-type thoughts that only drag you down. Why? Because by days 3-5 your body will be craving sugar, simple carbs and a whole bunch of other junk as it detoxes. Trust us, you’ll get through it if you follow the rules. However, cater to those thoughts and you’re heading down a slippery slope. Remember this: your mind will quit long before your body ever will. (So, in other words, cheating = mental weakness.) That’s where your Spartan grit comes in. Power through the cravings and you’ll reap the rewards tenfold.
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Maintaining Momentum: The Re-Entry
Here's what De Sena says will keep the goodness rolling:
- Publicly commit: Tell everyone and your mother that you are now eating clean.
- Ground yourself: Don't let anything get in the way of your efforts.
- Don't buy junk: Keep the crap food out of the house. (Hint: avoid grocery shopping while you're hungry.)
- Keep prepared: Pre plan each week's meals moving forward.
- Find your tribe: Find friends who align with your healthy lifestyle.
- Stay positive: Success perpetuates success.
- Treat yourself: One (and we mean ONE) cheat day per week if you need it.
Potential Benefits of the Cleanse
One helpful aspect of Dr. Oz’s plan is its emphasis on whole, unprocessed foods, particularly vegetables, and elimination of highly processed foods, which could help your body get the nutrients it needs. It also discourages nighttime snacking, which can cause unwanted weight gain for some.
According to Dr. Oz’s show, the diet promises to:
- Speed up your metabolism, or “fat burning potential”
- Eliminate cravings for sugar and simple carbohydrates
- Help you lose weight rapidly
The Mayo Clinic Diet Approach
The Mayo Clinic Diet is the official weight-loss program developed by Mayo Clinic experts. The program has been updated and is designed to help you reshape your lifestyle by adopting healthy new habits and breaking unhealthy old ones. It focuses on changing your daily routine by adding and breaking habits that can affect your weight. Simple habits, such as eating more fruits and vegetables, not eating while you watch TV, and moving your body for 30 minutes a day, can help you lose weight.
Two Phases:
- Lose It! This two-week phase is designed to jump-start your weight loss, so you may lose up to 6 to 10 pounds (2.7 to 4.5 kilograms) in a safe and healthy way. In this phase, you focus on lifestyle habits that are associated with weight. You learn how to add five healthy habits, break five unhealthy habits and adopt another five bonus healthy habits.
- Live It! This phase is a lifelong approach to health. In this phase, you learn more about food choices, portion sizes, menu planning, physical activity, exercise and sticking to healthy habits. You may continue to see a steady weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilograms) a week until you reach your goal weight.
The program recommends getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day and even more exercise for further health benefits and weight loss. It provides an exercise plan with easy-to-follow walking and resistance exercises that will help maximize fat loss and boost mental well-being. If you've been inactive or you have a medical condition, talk to your doctor or health care provider before starting a new physical activity program.
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The Mayo Clinic Diet provides a choice of five different eating styles at several calorie levels. What about dessert? You can have sweets but no more than 75 calories a day. For practicality, consider thinking of your sweets calories over the course of a week. After that, you transition into the second phase, where you continue to lose 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilograms) a week until you reach your goal weight.
Addressing Common Misconceptions About Cleanses
Society has done a great job of convincing us that we are walking toxic dumps - our systems replete with scary elements from non-organic foods, environmental pollution, artificial additives and sundry chemical compounds. These undesirable toxins wreak havoc on our health, bodyweight and energy levels, and the only definitive solution for expelling them is a cleanse. Right? To date, there is no scientific research that supports the efficacy of a purging cleanse, and moreover there’s no data that reveals that these supposed lawless “toxins” even exist. Most cleanses or detox diets essentially starve your body of the essential nutrients and calories it needs, eliminating nearly all food groups and relegating you to handfuls of supplements, oddball drinks, laxative teas or even enemas. As for the weight loss, sorry to say it’s all water: When you eliminate carbs from your diet, your body releases the intercellular water that is used to metabolize those calories, hence you drop a few pounds.
Fortunately, these kinds of cleanses are an unnecessary experience because you were born with two corporeal cleansing tools - your liver and your kidneys. Your liver converts toxins like alcohol, heavy metals and medications into harmless substances. Those substances then travel to your kidneys, which filter your blood, remove wastes and expel them as urine. That being said, you can help your organs function at their best, and a number of foods, herbs and spices have been shown to assist your liver and kidneys in doing their jobs.
Foods That Support Your Body's Natural Detoxification
- Apples: Pectin, a soluble fiber found in apple peels, indirectly promotes positive kidney health by helping control blood sugar; high blood sugar can have damaging effects on the kidneys.
- Cranberry Juice: Cranberries contain proanthocyanidins, powerful antioxidants preventing bacteria from attaching to your digestive tract, protecting your kidneys from infection.
- Cruciferous Veggies: Cruciferous vegetables contain glucosinolates, compounds that enhance the body’s ability to neutralize carcinogens, helping prevent cancer.
- Grapefruit: Naringin, a powerful flavonoid in grapefruit, may help control inflammation in the body, and a study published in the journal Life Sciences found that naringin helps regulate alcohol metabolism to assist with liver health.
- Kale: Kale is packed with glucosinolates, which aid in your body’s natural detox processes.
- Nuts: Nuts contain HDL cholesterol, which your liver uses to remove the bad cholesterol (LDL) from your system and reduce inflammation.
- Parsley: Studies show that parsley may help reduce the formation of kidney stones by decreasing the amount of calcium in urine, increasing urinary pH and reducing urinary protein excretion.
- Turmeric: The antioxidant capabilities of turmeric help the liver process metabolic wastes and protects it from toxins. It helps promote digestion, relieving gas by acting as an antispasmodic and reducing inflammation in the digestive tract.
- Water: Your kidneys are reliant on water to eliminate wastes, so drink plenty of water every day.
Harmful Substances to Avoid
While most foods reported to be toxic generally lack the scientific research to back those claims, there are harmful substances lurking in your fridge and pantry.
- Added Sugar: Not only are added sugars empty calories, but they also contribute to obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cancer and even heart disease.
- Mercury: Mercury is a naturally occurring metal. However, large fish can absorb it into their bodies where it converts to methylmercury, a highly toxic substance.
- Trans Fats: These man-made fats have been shown to increase the risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease and high blood pressure by increasing bad cholesterol (LDL) and reducing good cholesterol (HDL).
- Alcohol: When you drink alcohol, your liver stops everything it’s doing to process it, including fat metabolism.