Thinking about doing a 21 day detox? With most detoxes, sticking with 21 days is a challenge. But we have some great tips for you to make sure you successfully and safely complete a 21 day detox.

Many 21 day detox programs set you up for failure even before they start. They don’t tell you what to eat before the cleanse. They don’t tell you what to eat after the cleanse. And they typically don’t include enough nutrients. When you go several days of feeling deprived, major temptation kicks in. It’s hard to stick to a 21 day cleanse when you have intense cravings. But the rewards can be amazing.

Let’s start with an inspirational story – Mackenzie (photo above) says: “During my 21 day detox I lost 19 lbs! My BMI went from 24.0 to 16.9! I am super excited for when I do my next detox because I will be doing the expert challenge! LOVE LOVE LOVE Chef V."

Do a 21 day detox with a friend

Friends help each other stay accountable. It’s much easier to do a 21 day detox if you’ve got a good friend to help keep you in check. Craving ice cream? Your friend can slap some sense into you. Not literally. That wouldn’t be nice of your friend to slap you. But a good friend will help you realize that instant gratifications are false friends. And likewise, you can return the favor. You can remind your friend why the two of you are embarking on this 21 day cleanse challenge. You and your friend can remind each other of the benefits of a 21 day detox, including:

• Cleansing vital organs and ridding harmful toxins from the body
• Burning fat more efficiently
• Feeling more energetic
• Thinking more clearly (no more brain fog!)
• Sleeping better
• Relieving stress
• Improve digestion
• Normalize blood sugar
• Lower bad cholesterol levels

It’s the rare person who would want to take a 21 day camping trip alone. Most people prefer to take a trip with a partner or friend. Likewise, think of your 21 day detox as a journey. It’s always better to travel with a friend to share the experience. A long cleansing program can indeed be a life-changing journey. Many people have miraculously transformed their lives because of a 21 day cleanse. You can safely lose 1-2 pounds a day doing a detox. And you can feel great doing it, as long as you’re doing it the right way. Having a friend to hold your hand, either literally or figuratively, is one way to successfully make it through a 21 day detox.

Pre-cleanse before your 21 day detox officially begins

It’s extremely important to eat the right foods before your detox starts. Even foods that you might not think are bad for you may make you feel lousy during the detox. But many detox programs don’t even bother to tell you what you should eat before the detox begins. And that’s a big problem. Negative detox symptoms are awful to experience. If you eat lots of junk food before your detox starts, you may experience some of these detox symptoms:

• Headaches
• Irritability
• Fatigue
• Skin breakouts
• Indigestion
• Insomnia

Can you see why it’s important to eat the right foods before your 21 day detox starts? In order to avoid these symptoms, here’s a partial list of what you should and shouldn’t eat:

Do Eat:

• Fresh or frozen whole fruits and veggies
• Unsweetened milk substitutes such as hemp, rice, almond, coconut
• Coconut oil
• Non gluten grains and starches (rices other than white rice, quinoa)
• Lean, grass-fed or wild animal proteins in small amounts (salmon, organic chicken, grass-fed beef)
• Legumes (beans)
• Raw nuts and seeds (walnuts, macadamias, pumpkin seeds)
• Healthy oils (extra virgin olive, flax, avocado)
• Healthy drinks (Pure, unbottled water; green or herbal tea, organic green drinks, mineral water)
• Zero- or low-glycemic sweeteners (Stevia, coconut nectar, yacon)

Don’t Eat:

• Fruit juices, high-sugar fruits (bananas, strawberries, grapes, oranges)
• Nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant)
• Starchy grains (white rice, wheat, corn)
• High-fat meats and factory-farmed animal protein
• Processed soy (soy sauce, soybean oil)
• Peanuts and peanut butter
• Dairy of any kind, even if it’s organic!
• Eggs
• Butter and vegetable and seed cooking oils
• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Soda
• Conventional fruit juice
• Refined and artificial sugar
• Chocolate
• Ketchup

Post Cleanse: Don’t fall back into bad habits

And after your 21 day detox is over, it’s also important to eat the right foods. In fact, for both at least a few days before and after your detox, stick with the eating guidelines above. Many people mistakenly think that just because they’ve done a 21 day detox, they can eat whatever they want after. But you’ll likely feel awful if you introduce unhealthy foods back into your diet. The same detox symptoms from above may rear their ugly head if you don’t continue to eat clean.

Eating processed grains and cookies and other unnatural foods will quickly backfire on you. You can indulge a little here and there a few days after your detox is over. Think you’ll really miss coffee during your detox? Go ahead and drink one cup after it’s over. You won’t undo all the great things you’ve done for your body. Craving cheese? Have a slice or small chunk (hopefully it’s organic or raw).

Bottom line: pay close attention to the foods you eat before and after your 21 day detox.

Don’t skip the protein!

Many fad detox programs don’t include enough protein. Some don’t include any protein at all. That’s great if you lose a lot of weight during a 21 day detox cleanse. But is it healthy weight loss? If you don’t eat enough protein, you are literally starving yourself. Your body could begin to lose muscle mass if you don’t consume adequate protein.

You don’t need to eat a whole T-bone steak to get your daily dose of protein. But you need a minimal amount of protein for your body to perform its basic functions. A safe, gentle cleanse can include a protein shake. A very easy-to-absorb protein powder is pea protein or brown rice. You can have two protein shakes each day during your detox. Pea protein and brown rice protein mix easily with healthy, unsweetened milk substitutes (see examples above).

Make it a fresh & organic 21 day detox

Healthy weight loss and detoxing your body largely depends on the quality of ingredients. If the fruits, veggies and protein you consume is full of chemicals and pesticides, you won’t succeed in detoxing. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing a short 3 day-cleanse, or a 21 day cleanse. Your detox program needs to consist entirely of fresh and organic ingredients. When a vegetable is plucked or harvested from the ground, it quickly loses its nutritional value within days. To solve this problem, we’ve created a safe, gentle 21 day detox program. We deliver fresh, organic green drinks to your door. The veggies are only pulled from the ground a day before you order.

Our 21 day detox delivery program also includes protein shakes and detox soups.

Your chances of successfully sticking with a 21 day detox not only depends on the quality of the ingredients, but the taste and satisfaction. We make it super easy for you and very enjoyable. Learn more about our 21 day detox here.