What Is Karyn Calabrese's Detox Diet?

Karyn Calabrese was among the raw food pioneers who attempted to teach people the benefits of eating foods that aren't cooked 1. As an owner of raw food restaurants, Calabrese has much experience with the potential benefits of eating such a diet. From her education and experience comes her detox diet, which Calabrese claims will make you look younger, feel better and have more energy. Always speak to your doctor or a registered dietitian before starting a diet to be sure it's right for you because some components can be dangerous.

The Detox Diet Explained

Calabrese refers to her eating plan as Nature's Healing System. The diet is a vegan diet, which means it doesn't include meat or foods made with animal products, including milk, butter and eggs. The diet is based on three "R"s. The first is for "remove," which means you'll be removing several foods from your daily diet. "Replace" is the second and refers to the fact that you'll be replacing the foods you removed with healthier alternatives. The third "R" is "rebalance," which means adopting new lifestyle habits to support good health. Exercise, such as yoga, is recommended during each phase of the diet.

Week One

How to Do the Three Day Master Cleanse

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During the first week of the Detox Diet, you'll adopt a vegan diet. For example, you'll eliminate cow's milk and might replace it with almond, soy or rice milk instead. You'll also remove eggs, fish, meat, poultry and dairy foods. Hummus, vegetable stir-fries and vegetarian chili are a few options that Calabrese recommends. Green meal shakes are a key component and they're made with Calabrese's own green meal powder, as well as banana, apple juice, flaxseed oil and B vitamins. You're also encouraged to take chlorella tablets, digestive enzymes, fenugreek and kamut water and to keep a journal about the changes in your eating habits 1.

Week Two

As you start week two of the diet, you'll transition to eating a raw diet. This means you won't be eating anything that has to be cooked. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, herbs, spices, sea salt and pure oils will all be included in your menu.include:

• Fruits
  
• vegetables
  
• nuts
  
• seeds
  
• grains
  
• herbs
  
• spices
  
• sea salt
  
• pure oils will all be included in your menu

Calabrese also recommends that you only eat when you're hungry rather than following a regular meal schedule. You'll also be adding coconut oil, wheatgrass juice, probiotics and vegetable juice to your eating plan.

Week Three

Vegan Liquid Diet

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Colonics and enemas are an addition to the diet during week three. Calabrese maintains that these help you detoxify your body. You're likely to experience symptoms, such as chills and cramping, during this phase. For four of the days during this third week, you'll eat just like you did during phase two. For the remaining three days, you'll fast.

Week Four

During the fourth week of the diet, you'll continue eating a raw food diet and taking the supplements Calabrese recommends for the first three phases. You'll also end the cleanse and adopt a healthy eating plan that you can follow for a lifetime. One drawback of the diet, however, is that Calabrese doesn't include this maintenance plan with her detox recommendations. This can confuse followers of the diet who aren't sure what to do at the end of the third phase.