A Cleansing Diet: When is it Necessary?

Are you overweight? Does the scale show that you've eaten too much recently? A planned and responsible cleansing diet may be the right solution for you.
A Cleansing Diet: When is it Necessary?

Last update: 07 May, 2019

A cleansing diet can be beneficial, but it’s essential to always do it under the supervision of a professional and for short periods only. Otherwise, besides failing to accomplish our objectives, we’ll also feel weak and tired.

It’s essential that you don’t perform these types of diets unless it’s necessary, and never on a regular basis. Below, we’ll explain when to follow one and what it involves. Also, we’ll delve into what characterizes this type of regimen and how to do it effectively so it can be beneficial to the body.

When is it necessary to go on a cleansing diet?

The cleansing diet, as its name suggests, cleans the body. Which is why you don’t have to follow them regularly, but only when necessary.

A good time to do this is after Christmas. In general, Christmas is the time of the year when we eat the most. Over a couple of weeks, heavy meals, sweets, and alcohol accumulate on the dinner tables.

Once the parties are over, we find ourselves a few extra pounds heavier. But it’s not just a matter of weight, ingesting large amounts of food over a short period also upsets our stomachs and causes us to have high stomach acidity.

Well, this moment would be the perfect moment to start a cleansing diet. A couple of days are enough to cleanse the body and eliminate excess fat and alcohol.

The cleansing diet as a turning point

Choosing to do the cleansing diet to switch between moments of excess and normal healthy eating is an intelligent decision to make. Spending a couple of days on a cleansing diet helps with being overweight, and makes heartburn disappear; it also allows us to return to eating as we did before.

It doesn’t make sense to do a cleansing diet if, afterward, you’re going to continue eating unhealthily anyway. That’s why you should do it as a turning point, to return to a healthy eating routine.

Remember, don’t obsess over food, sometimes, eating too much is inevitable. There’s nothing wrong with this, as long as afterward, you return to taking care of your diet and enjoy regular exercise.

Characteristics of a cleansing diet

Starting a cleansing diet doesn’t mean that you have to stop eating or starve yourself for several days. It’s essential to eat five meals a day; just avoid certain foods.

The protagonists of this type of diet include vitamins, minerals, water and proteins that aren’t associated with fats. Regarding the foods that are going to be prohibited during these days, (as there’s no other way), these are fats, sugars, and alcohol.

Moreover, there must be grains present in each meal. It’s essential to eliminate excesses and stimulate the functioning of the digestive system.

We should also consume liquid five times a day. In this sense, natural juices or tea are very beneficial and highly recommended in any cleansing diet.

Regarding how long you should follow this diet for, depends on the level of excesses that you’ve had during the days before. Regardless, this type of diet should never last longer than a week. The most appropriate timespan is between three and six days.

Conclusion

Cleansing diets are very beneficial after you’ve succumbed to eating in excess. They should be used as a shift between moments of copious eating and the return to eating normally.

Remember, as previously advised, don’t ingest sugar, fats, and alcohol during these days and don’t prolong the diet any longer than a week.

In any case, keep in mind that these are just some fundamental guidelines. If you want to follow a cleansing diet, it’s advisable to seek out a professional for advice. This person will personalize a diet for you, according to your needs and characteristics.


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


  • Elisa Blázquez Blanco. La dieta depurativa. Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Secretaría de Salud. Recuperado de: http://www.sntsa37.org/bien/docs/dietad.pdf
  • OMS. (2003). Dieta, nutrición y prevención de enfermedades crónicas. Serie de Informes Técnicos 9161, 1–152. https://doi.org/ISBN 92 4 120916 X ISSN 0512-3054 (NLM classification: QU 145)

This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.