Detox in 7 days

When you simplify your diet for one week, something amazing happens. If you eat only healthy foods and give your body a rest from refined flour, sugar and caffeine, your body throws up to 10 pounds per excess water weight and your energy soars. You improve your digestion, stop feeling bloated and congested and reduce the risk of disease. Detoxing, as this process is known, can also improve your eating habits. These new habits help you keep the bloat off and lose more weight.

Detox diets are time-honored practice limited to certain foods for a short period of time. Some Detox diets are so strict that you only drink juices, but includes our varied diet of vegetables, fruits and whole grains. This practice is healthy and safe for most people, say doctors in profound thought Elson M. Haas, MD, director of preventive medical center of Marin in San Rafael, Calif., and author of The Detox Diet (Celestial Arts, 1996) and the false fat diet (Ballantine, 2000). Haas says he has helped more than 10,000 people Detox in his 30 years of medical practice, and he personally detoxes three times a year.

Haas asked to create the following seven-day plan Detox. It gives you step-by-step instructions on what to do and tells you how to continue to lose weight after Detox is done. Do not follow this plan if you have chronic diseases such as cancer or heart disease or are pregnant or nursing. The plan also is not recommended for children and teenagers.

What to eat

Follow this DAY MEAL PLAN during Detox week. Sit down at every meal and eat slowly, chewing each mouthful well. Chewing thus helping you feel full on fewer calories, and taking the time to sit down, will prevent you from feeling deprived.