Detox the simple way, with our complete, whole body, 4 product program that contains everything you need to support the body’s natural organs and pathways of healthy detoxification.
On this page you will find everyday detox recipes along with a comprehensive 10-day elimination diet and best-practices for food reintroduction following a detox diet.
Delicious, simple everyday detox meal ideas
When prepping your meals, remember the goal is to fill half your dish (bowl, cup, pot etc.) with fruit or vegetables, one quarter with healthy carbs and one quarter with protein. We have tried to keep things very simple here but be creative and enjoy!
10 Day Detox Diet
The following is a simple, but comprehensive, cleansing diet that is the ideal complement to our detox kit. The idea behind this diet is to give our digestive organs a rest from the unhealthy or body-stressing foods we often consume. By following such a diet, we make these critical organs stronger, healthier, and more efficient at absorbing nutrients.
Please remember that this diet can be challenging. Nonetheless, it’s worth persevering for the full 10 days; you will feel better the longer you stick to it. In following the diet, try to stay positive and consider what you can eat rather than what you can’t. Also, it’s quite important that you come off this diet gradually and that you don’t overeat or binge on junk food when you’re finished. A note on how ideally to reintroduce non-diet food follows below.
In this detox diet, eat only the included foods; the upside is that you can eat them to your heart’s content! Many of these foods are available in your local health food store. It’s important to do all your eating within a 12-hour window each day, the 12-hour balance of the day being a time of fasting. Ideally, in this regime, you should avoid all food consumption within three hours of bedtime. Remember as well that to limit drinking of liquids to ½ hour before or one hour after eating.
Organic Brown Rice
Measure out 2 to 2 ¼ cups of water for every cup of rice. Rinse rice thoroughly and add to pot with water. Bring your rice to a boil, then turn the heat down low for 45-60 minutes and keep your pot covered. Don’t stir the rice while it’s cooking. If you want, you can add spices, herbs, or onions to the rice during the last 15-20 minutes of this cooking period. In place of rice, you can use root vegetables like rutabaga, turnip, celeriac (celery root), sweet potatoes, daikon, taro, cassava, and yam. Another substitute for rice is any of several vegetables in the squash family, e.g. pumpkin, zucchini, Hubbard, butternut. Finally, eat gluten-free grain alternatives like oats, wild rice, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, amaranth, job’s tears, or teff.
Protein Food Sources (ideally organic)
The protein food sources that qualify under this diet include the following: sesame seeds, free-range chicken or turkey, rice cakes, lentils and other pulses, pumpkin seeds, humus, lamb, and ocean-going fish. Try to rotate through protein sources on a 4-day schedule, for example, fish, Turkey, lamb, chicken, on days 1 through 4.
Fruits (ideally organic)
A wide range of whole fruits may be used (with the notable exceptions of oranges and grapefruit, dried fruit, and bananas). As with vegetables, you should make certain to wash these thoroughly. Eat your fruit raw on its own without other food at least ½ hour before a meal or two hours after a meal.
Vegetables (ideally organic)
A wide range of whole vegetables may be used (with the notable exception of corn, which is a grain, and the nightshade family* of vegetables, which includes potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant). Make certain to wash them thoroughly. You can eat these raw or baked or steamed, and can even combine them with rice. Vegetables from cans or jars or that have been frozen do not qualify under this detox diet.
* Note that nightshades are a common aggravating factor for those individuals who experience joint pain, i.e. arthritis.
Condiments
Use olive oil and lemon, as well as flaxseed oil and spices and herbs, as long as they do not have salt or MSG. Remember never to heat flaxseed oil and keep it refrigerated. Flaxseed oil should be consumed within three weeks of being opened.
Beverages
Distilled or filtered water as well as spring water is ideal. Also qualifying under this diet are herbal teas like mint, lemon, and chamomile. Consume fruit and vegetable juices as well, in moderation, and ideally in freshly made form. If you do need to resort to juice in cans or jars, make certain you read the labels and verify that it’s 100% juice. Also, dilute any juice with at least equal parts with water.
A Detox Diet Food Table for Further Reference
See also the “Yes and No Food List” at https://wholelifenutrition.net/sites/default/files/content/ed/ED_yes_and_no_list_phase2.pdf
A Note on Food Reintroduction Following a Detox Diet
An optional approach is to reintroduce foods in a systematic fashion, to determine if certain foods are problematic. In other words, most people should begin to feel a renewed sense of well-being while on this cleanse. After the 10-day period ends, it is important to note what foods may be contributing to the pre-cleanse lethargy and poor health that inspired you to purchase this kit in the first place! We recommend the following regimen for food re-introduction. Keep a diary of food reactions (see link below), noting things like:
- Fatigue
- Sleeplessness
- Indigestion, reflux, gas, diarrhea, constipation, and bloating
- Aches & pains
- Headaches, migraines
- Asthma, sinus congestion, post-nasal drip
- Acne, eczema, psoriasis
- Moodiness, anxiety, hyperactivity, fogginess, or depressed feelings, etc.
Example re-introduction schedule
(note re-introduce foods in any order desired, saving gluten and nightshades for last):
- Begin, for example, by re-introducing citrus fruits. Eat at least 2 servings of fruit (and other foods on their respective days) on the 10th day of the cleanse, and then eliminate citrus from the diet again for the next 3 days, i.e. days 11-14, to observe if there are any adverse reactions.
- On day 14, assuming there have been no adverse reactions to citrus, it is now possible to reintroduce the food to the diet permanently. At the same time, re-introduce bananas, kiwi, strawberries, and papaya, and then continue to avoid them on days 15-18.
- On day 18, try introducing corn. Continue to avoid corn on days 19-21.
- Day 22: soy (followed by three days off as above, while observing effects)
- Day 26: beef & pork (i.e. one serving of beef, one of pork, followed by three days off as above, while observing effects; Note in this case that, if there is a reaction, remove them from the diet and re-introduce them individually later.)
- Day 30: peanuts and tree nuts (followed by three days off as above, while observing effects)
- Day 34: eggs (followed by three days off as above, while observing effects)
- Day 38: dairy products (followed by three days off as above, while observing effects; Note in this case that, if there is a reaction, remove from the diet and re-introduce various dairy types individually, e.g. cheese, yoghurt, butter, milk, cream, etc., later)
- Day 42: coffee, tea, chocolate (followed by three days off as above, while observing effects. Note in this case that, if there is a reaction, remove from the diet and re-introduce them individually later)
- Day 46: alcoholic beverages (followed by three days off as above, while observing effects; it’s not necessary to consume 2 servings, 1 will suffice J. Note also that if there is a reaction, to re-introduce various alcohol types individually, e.g. wine, spirits, etc., later. Note that beer contains gluten, so avoid until the gluten reintroduction.)
- Day 50: nightshades (i.e. potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant; followed by three or more days off as above, while observing effects. Note in this case that, if there is a reaction, remove them from the diet and re-introduce them individually later.)
- Day 54: gluten-containing grains, i.e. wheat, rye, barley, spelt & Kamut (followed by three or more days off as above, while observing effects. Note in this case that, if there is a reaction, remove from the diet and re-introduce the various gluten-containing grains individually later)
Note that the reintroduction schedule is not set in stone, and it is possible to re-order it, with two notable exceptions: nightshades and gluten. Issues with both these food groups can be evident in some cases only after several weeks of exclusion, so the longer you wait to reintroduce them, the more accurately you can determine if it is a problem food.
Note that, if there is a food reaction, it’s important to continue to eliminate that food. Conduct a further challenge with the food at 3-6 months. Note that complete avoidance of a food will often lead to a lessening of the reaction after a period of 2 years, at which time, a re-introduction can be attempted. Note that in some cases, after a period of avoidance, re-introduction on a rotation basis can be accomplished, i.e. consuming the food in only one serving every 4th day, for example.
Best of health!
Recommended reading and other resources for consideration:
Tom Malterre, Alissa Segersten, Jeffery Bland. The Elimination Diet: Discover the Foods That Are Making You Sick and Tired–and Feel Better Fast. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2015.
https://wholelifenutrition.net/books/elimination-diet
Cookbook:
Tom Malterre and Alissa Segersten. Nourishing Meals: 365 Whole Foods, Allergy-Free Recipes for Healing Your Family One Meal at a Time. New York: Harmony Books; 2016.
Shopping lists:
https://wholelifenutrition.net/sites/default/files/content/ed/Eliminationdietshoppinglist.pdf
Preparing for your elimination diet:
https://wholelifenutrition.net/sites/default/files/content/ed/7_tips_for_elimination_diet.pdf
Elimination Diet Journal:
https://wholelifenutrition.net/sites/default/files/content/ed/ED-Journal-2-23-15.pdf
Hidden Food Sources of …
GLUTEN – https://wholelifenutrition.net/sites/default/files/content/Hidden%20Food%20Sources%20of%20Gluten.pdf
MILK – https://wholelifenutrition.net/sites/default/files/content/ed/Dairy-Free%20List.pdf
SOY – https://wholelifenutrition.net/sites/default/files/content/ed/Soy-Free%20List.pdf
CORN –https://wholelifenutrition.net/sites/default/files/content/ed/Corn-Free%20List.pdf