If you keep up on health trends like I do, you’ve probably seen a lot of conflicting information about detoxing. Clients and friends often ask whether they really need to detox (“Doesn’t the liver do that?”) and if they should complete a fast or juice cleanse. To clear things up, I thought I’d give you the inside scoop on how a dietitian detoxes. This is also the advice and guidance I’ve given to over 300,000 people who’ve completed my online D.TOX program.

Ease Into Elimination

When most people hear

the word detox, they think about deprivation — and although there are foods I

take out over the course of 14 days, the way I detox is anything but

deprivation. What works best is a gentle, nutrition-focused plan that supports

the body’s natural detoxification system.

I eliminate foods

that cause inflammation in the body: alcohol, caffeine, corn, eggs, dairy, tree

nuts, wheat and gluten. One reason these foods cause inflammation is they’re

over-used in our food system.

Hear me out: I love

eggs and there’s nothing wrong with a little alcohol or caffeine. But for a

detox to be successful, it’s important to have as little inflammation as

possible.

Because taking foods

out of the diet can be hard on the mind and body, I like to take a weekend to

prepare. Instead of taking every food on the list out at one time, I ease into

it. Slow and steady wins this race.

Coffee is the hardest

for me — nothing better than having my morning cup (or three) — so that’s where

I start. The next week I take out the additional foods on the list. That way,

it’s not a shock to the system — which also keeps my detox sustainable.

Plan Your Meals

One of the worst

things you can do when you start a detox is to not to any planning around your

food.  Especially if you haven’t done an

elimination diet below – don’t just try and wing it. 

Instead, utilize some

time to first plan out meals for the upcoming week – simply picking ingredients

or recipes for the shakes and meals you want to make.  Our D.TOX website has tons of recipes to

start with – but you also can keep it really simple planning meals by choosing

your high protein food and produce.  I

honestly pick what looks the best at the store – usually sticking to seasonal

produce and keeping it simple with a food options of high quality and

sustainable meats.  Then I use the D.TOX

guide as a reminder on what seasonsings and flavors I can add.  And when it comes to my shakes, I most often

use water or unsweetened almond milk along with some frozen berries, nut

butter, raw spinach and some extract (like vanilla or almond) to give it a

little flavor boost.

When you know, plan and shop for what you’re going to eat – you’ll be more likely to stick to the program.

Double Your Produce Intake

My goal during a detox is to eat as much produce as possible. I usually double my produce intake – primarily focusing on greens and vegetables. 

I put cruciferous veggies at the top of my list, which include broccoli and cauliflower because they contain certain nutrients that bind to toxins so they can be excreted, preventing cell damage and also support the liver.

Batch Cook One Day Per Week

I shop on Saturdays based upon my meal plan and batch prep and cook on Sunday.

It’s so motivating to see such lovely colors and meet the farmers.