Tackling Your First Raw Food Cleanse: The Essentials

Want to do a raw food cleanse, but don’t know where to start? This article has the answers you are looking for.

A raw food meal cleanse is a great way to hit the restart button on your digestive system. It is a natural way to clean out all your inner plumbing, and leave yourself feeling clean and refreshed. Keeping that in mind, it is important you do it right. This article serves as a simple guide for those new to doing a body cleanse.

Why Cleanse? I Already Eat Healthy and Exercise Regularly.

beautiful woman fitness running at the park

While smart eating habits and exercising regularly are a great recipe for a healthy life, there is always room for improvement, and a raw cleanse offers just that.

A cleanse rids us of the toxins within our body that we are exposed to on a daily basis. They are in the food we eat, the air we breath, and sadly, no one is immune to them. Our bodies do their best to naturally cleanse themselves, but every so often it is helpful if we aid our bodies in the flushing process with a natural cleanse. A cleanse leads to improved digestion, increased resistance to disease, and better overall health.

When Should I Cleanse?

When Cleansing, timing is a key part of the process. The less distractions you have, the easier it will be to complete the cleanse without any complications. Some problems that are frequently encountered during a cleanse are social events that cause you to either eat foods that mess up the cleanse, or just not eat at all. This is why it is so important that when you choose your time to cleanse, you check your calendar and make sure it is a time in which you can fully commit.

How Long Should I Cleanse?

As far as the length of the cleanse goes, it is completely up to you. Generally a cleanse should range between three and seven days, with your body receiving increased benefits the longer the cleanse is. As a first time cleanser, I would suggest a five-day cleanse, as it is manageable time-wise, and long enough to remove a significant amount of toxins from your body. Monday through Friday is a solid scheduling option for a five-day cleanse, as it eliminates the possibility of weekend activities messing with your raw food intake.

How Do I Cleanse?

Fit woman in nature in spring

I´m sure many of you have heard of all-liquid cleanses and the success associated with them. While they do work, if you are anything like me you cannot survive several days on only liquid. If attempted, I am positive that I would end up bailing on the cleanse entirely rather than suffer through the ordeal. I see the raw food cleanse as a much more viable alternative that will yield the same results, while still permitting you to eat solid and filling foods.

As would be expected, a raw food cleanse will be severely different from the your normal diet, as everything MUST be raw and fresh. That means no cooked meat, no dairy, no sugar, no oil, and regretfully, no alcohol of any kind. For the most part, your diet will be limited to any combination of fresh fruits, veggies, non-roasted and unsalted nuts and seeds, and LOTS of water. Sushi-grade fish is also permissible, but many find it to be too much hassle. However, if raw fish is right up your alley, go for it.

I have a few general and helpful tips to aid you in making your food choices for the cleanse.

  1. With all raw foods, be smart and pick stuff that you enjoy and that is easy to eat.
  2. Fruit – Handheld fruit is the most convenient. Go for stuff like apples, bananas, pears, and peaches.
  3. Vegetables – I prefer lots of broccoli, bell peppers, and carrots. Stuff like garlic and onions are just too strong to eat uncooked in my opinion.
  4. Nuts and Seeds– As a fairly active guy, I see nuts as a very important part of my cleanse. They provide ample amounts of protein and natural fats that our bodies need.
  5. Water, water, and more water. Due to the severe and rapid change in diet, you will find yourself thinking you are hungry more often. Water will help to manage your cravings and keep you on track throughout the cleanse.

Good Luck!

Now you are ready to do your first raw food cleanse! Use the above information to find a time and menu that works for you, and get started. It will not be a walk in the park, but the struggle is well worth it. The cleanse will leave you free of toxins, and feeling great!

About the author

Kyle

Kyle is an international traveler and personal trainer. He specializes in power lifting, fat loss, HIIT training, bodybuilding, sports training, and nutrition. Kyle is always looking to learn more about anything and everything that interests him.

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