The 7-day detox plan sometimes gets a bad reputation because influencers turned it into a quick-fix fad diet aimed at instant weight loss. While most healthy people don’t need to detox, a detox diet meal plan for seven days may help you clean up your diet and start eating healthy. A detox plan is a short-term dietary and lifestyle plan that focuses on eliminating toxins from the body. Detox plans have gained popularity in recent years as a way of improving overall health and promoting weight loss.
Understanding Detoxification
Your body is constantly working to maintain a healthy balance of key nutrients and chemicals. Some of these substances can cause problems if they accumulate in your body over time. Toxins come from our environment and the foods we eat. Some foods, such as ultra-processed foods, often have additives that some people believe are toxic to the body. Exposure to toxins over time can cause health problems. Our bodies naturally eliminate toxins through various organs, such as the liver and kidneys. However, with a modern diet and lifestyle, our bodies can become overwhelmed with the amount of toxins we consume daily.
Signs You May Need a Detox
Some signs that it may be time for a detox include feeling bloated or sluggish or experiencing skin issues. If you want to lose weight, a 7-day detox can help you become accustomed to some healthier eating habits that will lead to weight loss over time.
The Purpose of a 7-Day Detox
By temporarily eliminating ultra-processed foods, alcohol, and other potential sources of toxins, a 7-day detox can give your body the chance to eliminate any accumulated toxins and function more efficiently. However, it’s important to approach a 7-day detox with caution and not as a quick fix for weight loss or other health concerns. Furthermore, a 7-day detox should not be seen as a long-term solution, but rather as a periodic reset to support your body’s natural detoxification processes. While rapid weight loss may be enticing, it’s important to note that the majority of this weight loss is likely to come from water weight and not fat. Therefore, it is not a sustainable approach to long-term weight loss. In addition, weight loss should not be the sole focus of a detox plan. The primary goal should always be giving your body a break from potentially harmful substances and supporting its natural detoxification processes.
What to Eat During a 7-Day Detox
You don’t need a juice cleanse or smoothie diet to reset your eating habits. Focusing on home-cooked meals with nutritious foods will get you back on the right track.
Read also: The Ultimate Guide to Male Diet Supplements
Vegetables
Vegetables are rich in phytochemicals. These are naturally occurring plant chemicals that have many health benefits. While on the detox diet, it’s good to include vegetables in most of your meals.
Fruits
Fruit is an important part of the detox diet plan. For example, berries are rich in antioxidants, fiber, and phytochemicals that support digestive and other functions. While on the detox diet, you should try to eat fruit in moderation.
Grains
Grains are a major source of fiber and B vitamins. They also provide magnesium, selenium, and chromium, which help regulate blood sugar levels, support metabolism, and reduce cholesterol. A high-fiber diet helps reduce inflammation and slows down digestion so your body can better manage blood sugar levels, regulate bowel movements, lower cholesterol levels, and improve heart health.
Lean Protein
Lean animal protein is an important part of the detox diet plan. Animal proteins are high in essential amino acids, which play a role in muscle repair and growth. Beans and legumes are excellent sources of plant-based protein. They’re also rich in B vitamins, antioxidants, potassium, magnesium, and iron.
Healthy Fats
Healthy fats are an important part of any diet. Using healthy oils such as avocado oil or olive oil is fine, but you must stick to the appropriate serving sizes of nuts or avocados as it’s easy to overdo it with these foods.
Read also: Meal replacement guide for women
Dairy and Probiotics
Some people choose to eliminate dairy from their detox diet meal plan. Whether you eat dairy products or not comes down to personal preference and possible intolerances. Probiotic-rich foods, such as yogurt, can help support the immune system and a healthy gut. Prebiotics are fibers that are found primarily in plants that feed the good bacteria in your digestive tract. These beneficial bacteria produce substances that fight against harmful bacteria and promote a healthy digestive tract.
Natural Sweeteners
The detox diet meal plan doesn’t have to be devoid of sweet tastes - they just have to come from natural sources. As with any type of sugar, moderation is key.
Preparing for Your 7-Day Detox
Five days before you start your detox diet plan, you should progressively eliminate alcohol, coffee, cigarettes, refined sugars, saturated fats, and ultra-processed foods. During the seven days of this detox, start the morning with half a lemon squeezed into warm water or herbal tea. Follow with a brisk walk, bike ride, yoga, or swimming.
Benefits of a 7-Day Cleanse
Detoxing the body every 6-9 months can have tremendous benefits for your health, weight management and overall well-being.
Weight Loss
Weight loss is generally the most well-known and popular reason patients start a cleanse. By temporarily reducing calorie intake and avoiding heavy, hard-to-process and inflammatory foods, you make it easier for your body to convert food to energy and burn through body fat. Not only do you lose weight, but you can reset your body, diminish cravings and reduce your appetite. Many patients report an overall sense of feeling "lighter" after doing a cleanse.
Read also: Chlorine Brand Comparison
Energy Boost
A cleanse is a great way to combat fatigue. During a cleanse, you’ll have a chance to rebalance your metabolism and decrease caffeine dependence. Not only does a detox help you feel better during the day, but it may help you sleep better, too. It is encouraged to not schedule many activities while cleansing and to try to get as much rest as possible. That deep, restful sleep is when your body does most of its healing and recharging.
Better Concentration
A cleanse is an amazing opportunity to clear your mind of “brain fog.” Feelings of anxiety or being unable to focus often come from eating sugary, processed or inflammatory foods. You may find that, by the end of a week, you are able to ignore distractions and stay focused better.
Better Breathing
When people feel worried, scared or anxious, it’s natural to tighten up and reduce the breath. Full and deep breathing is essential to overall health and well being. With a cleanse, you’ll get a unique opportunity to slow things down, reconnect with your natural breath and feel more relaxed.
Emotional Release
There are many reasons you might feel strong, unusual or shifting emotions during a cleanse. The food you eat is one important part, however, since it influences your digestive system - which, in turn, is a major part of your immune functioning. You may feel more content, calm and happy during and after your cleanse.
Ability to Make Healthier Lifestyle Changes
When you take on a cleanse, you quickly realize that you have a great deal of control over your day-to-day eating and drinking habits. A cleanse forces you to pay attention to everything you are putting in your mouth. Once they are done cleansing, many patients are so happy with the way they look and feel that they continue the "clean" eating habits in their everyday lives. Learning how to make healthier lifestyle choices is one of the biggest and often most surprising benefits of a cleanse!
Healthier Hair and Skin
Before a cleanse is even complete, many patients begin to notice healthier skin with a radiant, lit-from-within glow and shinier, stronger hair. Vitamins from the cleanse combined with a lack of preservatives, artificial ingredients, toxins and other foreign agents means your hair and skin get more of what they need.
Anti-Aging Benefits
The overall effect of a good cleansing is anti-aging. Much of aging is caused by DNA degeneration that is accelerated when the body is under stress or dealing with inflammation from reactionary foods. A cleanse is the perfect way to reset your systems and slow the aging process.
The General Motors (GM) Diet: An Alternative Approach
The GM diet, also known as the General Motors diet, is a plan that promises to help you lose up to 15 pounds (6.8 kg) in just one week. Each day of the GM diet permits you to eat different foods or food groups. Proponents of the diet claim this technique stimulates weight loss and helps burn fat faster than other diets.
What is the GM Diet?
The GM diet plan is broken up into seven days, each with strict rules about which food groups you can consume. For example, your diet on day two is limited to only vegetables, while on day five you’re instructed to eat several whole tomatoes and large portions of meat. The diet can supposedly help you lose weight, get rid of toxins and impurities in your body, improve your digestion, and enhance your body’s ability to burn fat. Proponents of the GM diet say it works because many of the foods included in the diet are low in calories, such as fruits and vegetables. This can help promote weight loss by creating a calorie deficit, which is when you consume fewer calories than you burn throughout the day. The plan also states that many of the foods in the diet are “negative-calorie foods,” meaning they provide fewer calories than they take to digest. Many of the foods the diet recommends are also high in water. For this reason, proponents claim that the GM diet can enhance fat loss and help detoxify your body. Supporters also say you may repeat the diet multiple times to achieve your long-term weight goals, recommending a gap of 5-7 days between cycles.
What Do You Eat on the GM Diet?
The GM diet is divided into seven days, with different rules that apply to each day. It recommends that you drink 8-12 glasses of water each day to stay hydrated throughout the diet. Although exercise is not required for weight loss on this diet, it is optional. However, the diet recommends against exercise during the first three days. It also allows followers to consume two to three bowls of “GM Wonder Soup” each day. It’s made with cabbage, celery, tomatoes, onions and bell peppers. Here are the specific guidelines for each day of the GM diet:
- Day One: Eat only fruit - any kind except bananas. No maximum amount of fruit is specified. The diet especially encourages followers to eat melons to increase weight loss.
- Day Two: Eat only vegetables in raw or cooked form. The diet does not specify a maximum amount of vegetables. Limit potatoes to breakfast only.
- Day Three: Eat only fruits and vegetables of any kind except bananas and potatoes. The diet doesn’t specify a maximum amount.
- Day Four: Consume only bananas and milk. You can eat up to 6 large or 8 small bananas. Drink 3 glasses of milk, preferably skim.
- Day Five: Eat two 10-ounce (284-gram) portions of beef, chicken or fish. In addition to the meat, you may only eat 6 whole tomatoes. Vegetarians may replace meat with either brown rice or cottage cheese. Increase your water intake by two glasses to flush out extra uric acid. This is a chemical product of the breakdown of purines, which are found in meat.
- Day Six: Eat only two 10-ounce (284-gram) portions of beef, chicken or fish. Today’s meals may include an unlimited amount of vegetables, but no potatoes. Vegetarians may replace meat with either brown rice or cottage cheese. Increase your water intake by two glasses to flush out extra uric acid.
- Day Seven: Eat only brown rice, fruits, fruit juice and vegetables. No maximum amount is specified for any of these foods.
Other Guidelines for the GM Diet
The GM diet provides a few other guidelines in addition to the plan outlined above. First of all, beans are not allowed on the diet. The diet claims they are high in calories and may cause weight gain. Coffee and green tea are permitted, but only without the addition of any sweeteners. Soda, alcohol and other calorie-filled beverages are not allowed unless specified in the diet. Additionally, some substitutions are okay. For example, you may use cottage cheese to replace meat, and soy milk instead of regular milk. Finally, after you’re finished the week-long plan, the GM diet advises you to consume a high-protein, low-carb diet to help maintain weight loss.
Sample GM Diet Plan Menu
Here is a sample diet plan broken up into seven days:
- Day One:
- Breakfast: 1 bowl of mixed berries
- Snack: 1 pear
- Lunch: 1 apple
- Snack: 1 bowl of watermelon
- Dinner: 1 orange
- Snack: 1 bowl of cantaloupe slices
- Day Two:
- Breakfast: 1 bowl of boiled potatoes
- Snack: 1 bowl of baby carrots
- Lunch: 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets and steamed
- Snack: 1 bowl of cherry tomatoes
- Dinner: 5 spears of steamed asparagus with 1 bowl of arugula
- Snack: 1/3 cucumber, sliced
- Day Three:
- Breakfast: 1 apple
- Snack: 1 bowl of cherry tomatoes
- Lunch: 1 bowl of spinach with cucumbers and tomatoes
- Snack: 1 orange
- Dinner: 1 bowl of kale with strawberries and avocado
- Snack: 1 bowl of mixed berries
- Day Four:
- Breakfast: 2 large bananas with 1 glass of milk
- Lunch: 2 large bananas with 1 glass of milk
- Dinner: 2 large bananas with 1 glass of milk
- Day Five:
- Breakfast: 3 whole tomatoes
- Lunch: 10-oz (284-g) steak with 1 whole tomato
- Dinner: 10-oz (284-g) tilapia with 2 whole tomatoes
- Day Six:
- Breakfast: 1/2 avocado
- Lunch: 10-oz (284-g) grilled chicken breast with asparagus and cherry tomatoes
- Dinner: 10-oz (284-g) broiled salmon with kale and Brussels sprouts
- Day Seven:
- Breakfast: 1 bowl of brown rice with a side of watermelon wedges
- Lunch: 1 bowl of brown rice with broccoli and 1 cup (237 ml) of fruit juice
- Dinner: 1 bowl of brown rice with mixed vegetables
Benefits of the GM Diet
Although no studies have examined the GM diet, there’s some research on certain aspects of it. First of all, the plan encourages an increased intake of fruits and vegetables, which has been shown to help promote weight loss. This is because fruits and vegetables are low in calories and can create a greater calorie deficit to increase weight loss. In addition, the diet limits some foods and beverages that cause weight gain. Sugary beverages, for example, have been shown to contribute to weight gain. Alcohol is also high in calories and may cause weight gain. Despite the strict regulations about which foods are permitted on each day, the diet allows you to select your choice of meats, fruits and vegetables based on your personal preference. This could make the plan feel less restrictive.
Disadvantages of the GM Diet
There are many disadvantages to following the GM diet, including the following:
- There’s no research to support it: The biggest drawback of the GM diet is that there is no research that evaluates how well it works. Besides anecdotal evidence, there is nothing to actually back up the claims of the diet. While the diet claims to include “negative-calorie foods” that burn more calories than they provide, there is no evidence to support this. Though some foods do require more calories to digest than others, the foods in the GM diet still supply calories.
- The GM diet lacks important nutrients: The diet is also not well-balanced and may lead to feelings of deprivation and hunger on some days, due to the varying amounts of macronutrients it provides. Most days of the diet provide relatively low amounts of protein, for example. This can actually be counterproductive, since studies show that protein can decrease appetite and enhance weight loss. On top of these issues, the diet is lacking in many other essential nutrients. The first three days, for example, are very low in fat, vitamin B12, iron, calcium and more.
- Weight loss on the GM diet may be temporary: Most of the weight lost on this diet is likely to be water weight, rather than fat. Any time you reduce your calorie intake, your body looks for other sources of fuel. This causes your body to break down glycogen, an energy-storage molecule found in the liver and muscles. Glycogen holds onto a lot of water, so as your glycogen stores are depleted, this loss of water can cause your weight to drop rapidly. Unfortunately, this type of weight loss is only temporary. You’ll probably regain it soon after you resume your normal diet.
Should You Try the GM Diet?
Many people seek out “quick fixes” to lose weight fast. Unfortunately, it’s just not possible to accomplish long-term, lasting weight loss in only one week. Though this diet encourages you to eat fruits and vegetables while limiting sugar-sweetened beverages, its drawbacks far outweigh any potential benefits. In short, it’s not backed by research, it lacks essential nutrients and it won’t lead to lasting weight loss. Instead of engaging in endless cycles of yo-yo dieting and losing weight only to regain it, try incorporating a healthy diet into your everyday life.
Cleansing vs. Detoxing
There are no scientific definitions for these terms, so they can mean different things in different contexts. A fast is usually a complete break from food or drinks with calories, or very minimal consumption of them, for a set period. Your body actually does a good job of cleansing itself. The digestive tract, liver, kidneys and lungs work efficiently to keep out harmful toxins. Toxins are chemicals that don’t have a place in our diets. Your body usually gets rid of toxins itself. As a wellness dietitian, weight loss refers to actual body fat. Most of the time, what you’re “losing” on these fasts and cleanses is water weight - the natural water stored in your body’s tissue. For example, the loss of water might make you feel a little lighter, but you’re not getting rid of belly fat.
Long-Term Sustainable Habits
Try to choose an eating pattern that you can maintain over time. Even if you lose a few pounds on a 3-day cleanse or fast, these types of diets aren’t sustainable over a long period. Our bodies need fuel, and we need a variety of different nutrients to provide that fuel. Most cleanses and detox diets restrict the consumption of certain nutrients. Fill at least two-thirds of your plate with vegetables, whole grains, fruits and beans. Try to avoid ultra-processed foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients. Exercise plays a key part in maintaining a healthy weight and reducing your cancer risk. It’s important to make sure you get adequate nutrition if you’re undergoing cancer treatment, so that your body can sustain itself during treatment. Many cancer patients become immunocompromised during cancer treatment, so staying well-nourished supports your immune system. The guidelines for some cleanses and detoxes may require you to consume foods that could potentially interact with certain medicines and treatments.