By Kelsey Bulat
AmesEats Flavors writer
The four day detox diet suggests that both breakfast and dinner be in liquid form because “a mostly liquid meal plan delivers nutrients in a fuel-injected way that’s less taxing on the body than solid foods,” said Alejandro Junger, the creator of the four day detox. Here’s my experience on the plan:
Feb. 9, Detox Day 1
Today was my first day of the detox and I have to admit, I am super excited. I didn’t have too many cravings for foods not included in the detox plan but there were some temptations, particularly when I went to culinary science club. The theme for this week’s meeting was cookies and multiple members brought in their favorite cookie. It’s quite challenging watching others indulge in scrumptious-looking homemade treats. My energy level throughout the day remained the same.
Breakfast — energy smoothie
Lunch — sweet potato with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and cucumbers
Dinner — green tea smoothie
Snacks — apple with almond butter, raw almonds, kiwi, sweet and spicy herbal tea
Feb. 10, Detox Day 2
Today I felt fairly energized and normal throughout the day until half way through my shift at The Cafe. I felt extremely exhausted. The diet suggests that when you’re tired, you should rest instead of trying to struggle through. Resting at work really wasn’t an option though. The fatigue, after an hour or so, did reside.
Breakfast — blueberry smoothie.
Lunch — quinoa sautee, apple with almond butter
Dinner — blueberry smoothie
Snacks — dried fruit, raw almonds, grapefruit, sweet and spicy herbal tea
Feb. 11, Detox Day 3
I woke up today feeling fine but that soon faded into fatigue. I managed to fall asleep at the library while reading for a class.
After my nap, I attended my last class of the day: introduction to wine, beer and spirits. It was in this class that I decided cease the detox. After a very small amount of wine tasting, I began to feel tipsy because of my detox diet and low tolerance for alcohol. Luckily, I had a rice crispy treat in my bag. That rice crispy treat was delicious and did not taste toxic at all.
Breakfast — blueberry smoothie
Lunch — salmon with a spinach and bell pepper salad drizzled in extra virgin olive oil and vinegar
Dinner — quinoa with sweet corn, roasted cherry tomatoes and spinach in a homemade pesto sauce, toast with peanut butter and honey, cereal and yogurt
Snacks — apple with almond butter, rice crispy treat
The detox did not leave me feeling more cleansed. It only made me tired and moderately irritable. To better understand my experience on the four-day detox, I decided to contact Christina Guyer Campbell, an ISU associate professor of nutrition.
As she described, the liver and kidney are present in the body to detoxify the blood and to ensure that the body maintains homeostasis. Anything that you eat mainly goes to the liver first and removes toxins if present.
In regards to my feeling fatigued, Campbell suggests that my glycogen stores depleted.
Glycogen stores in the body between 24-36 hours without exercise. Since I was unable to replenish my glycogen stores due to the detox diet restrictions, I was in a glycogen deficit. Based on the types of foods I was eating and the serving size of those foods, Campbell concluded that I was low on calories (500 calories per day), which also added to my fatigue.
Moreover, if you would like to try a detox diet or cleanse, try it, but be careful. It may not leave you “feeling revitalized from head to toe.”
