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LIQUID DIETS: Does It Work? CRAZY Results Inside!
As the name itself suggests – liquid diets is diets where you can consume only liquids or foods that can turn into liquids.
This kind of diet is recommended for a variety of reasons.
For instance, your doctor may prescribe you a liquid diet if you are about to undergo a surgical procedure and your body needs to be prepared for that.
Also, this diet is an ideal solution when swallowing is a challenge or you experience certain issues with your digestive system.
Naturally, this kind of diet can only be a temporary measure until you reach your goal, and it is necessary for you to be under the doctor’s control along the way.
In a nutshell, this diet allows you to consume liquids like water, broth, and plain gelatin because these are easily digested and they leave no undigested residue in your intestinal tract.
Since this diet cannot provide you with any specific nutrients, it shouldn’t be continued for more than a few days.
If you are reading this article, you are probably planning to go on a liquid diet.
To help you get all the bits and pieces and find out how you can achieve your goals easily and stress-free, we’ve done thorough research and came up with a number of useful tips which should help you on your journey of losing weight.
But, let’s first explain what this diet is all about and cover some of the main facts you should be aware of.
1. What Is A Liquid Diet?
Liquid diets include liquids and low-calorie foods that get liquid at room temperature.
Basically, you can go on a total liquid diet or replace one or two meals of your day with liquid foods.
During your liquid diet you will be consuming calories but in liquid form.
This means you can eat foods like veggies and fruits, soups or you can make smoothies.
These diets control calorie intake and they are either controlled by a medical doctor or they include do-it-yourself options that are sold over the counter.
There is a variety of liquid diets.
Some of them replace just one or two meals (usually breakfast and lunch) with drinks, but they let you eat a healthy balanced dinner.
On top of this, these diets can include even snack-bars in between the meals.
Purpose
As mentioned above, a clear liquid diet is usually used before various procedures, tests, surgeries where it is not allowed to have any food in your stomach or intestines, like, for example, before colonoscopy.
Also, if you have certain digestive medical issues like vomiting, difficulty with swallowing food, nausea, diarrhea, this type of diet is precisely what you need.
In those cases, it is usually supervised by the doctor.
2. Does Liquid Diet Work?
One of the essential things to know about this kind of diet is that it is based on foods that contain a reduced number of calories.
By eating fewer calories you start burning fat, which means that you also start losing weight.
However, you need to keep in mind that, since this diet is pretty effective, the results you achieve are usually short-lived.
To put it simply, when you drastically lose your body weight, your metabolism slows to conserve energy.
So, if, after finishing your liquid diet, you don’t change your eating habits, you will gain back your weight easily and more quickly than ever.
Therefore, it’s important to keep in mind that while the results you achieve may be great, you have to take another step and make those results last for as long as possible by building new eating habits.
Also, you need to keep in mind that some liquid diets have a much better impact than others.
According to the research, diets that include both food and liquids can help overweight people to control their calories intake with liquid meals, and these diets can help them keep the weight off even for several years.
According to popular belief, liquid diets can also help you detoxify your body system.
While this may be true, there is no evidence to prove it.
The body is a very complicated machine with its own detoxifying system.
Namely, the body can detoxify itself through the liver and sweat.
Here are a few ways liquid diets can help you lose our body weight:
They are low in calories – as we have already mentioned, these diets consist of watery-clear fluids.
The research conducted by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that very-low-calorie diets consist of no more than 500 calories a day which can really have a positive impact on your body weight loss and can definitely work better than a regular normal diet.
Once you start consuming a lower amount of calories your body will start using its glycogen or fat as a source of the fuel which might help you lose weight.
They are nutritious – one of the things you are allowed to consume in your liquid diet are smoothies and healthy juices which help you not only reduce fat but also create healthy eating habits with rich nutrition.
If you are using a blender to make your smoothies, remember to drink them immediately after you make them, because, otherwise, they will lose the necessary vitamins.
All in all, maintaining a balanced calorie intake along with the liquid diet during the day can bring a lot of nutrients to your body and help you live a healthy lifestyle.
These diets are easy on the digestive system – by practicing a liquid diet, you help your digestive system go back to the normal state because it aids proper digestion, absorption, and excretion.
What’s more, the little dietary fibre, as well as the water in the liquid diet, can keep you full for a longer period of time which is another great advantage because this prevents you from eating large amounts of food and losing weight.
Interestingly, one study showed that a liquid meal replacement actually had more fibre than the solid meal replacement.
They are convenient – the best thing about this diet is that it won’t take you a long time to prepare your meals.
As a matter of fact, you don’t have to cook or bake anything.
You just need to toss all the ingredients into a blender and, voila, your meal is ready.
Why is this such a huge plus?
It’s very easy and fast preparation and will prevent us from ordering some fast, unhealthy food which may cause us to put on even more weight.
Also, in this way, we avoid being hungry all the time, or even worse, starving.
As a matter of fact, starving could only lead to weight gain in the long run.
3. How Safe Are Liquid Diets?
If you are wondering whether this kind of a diet will damage your health or lead to some serious consequences, we are here to give you more and insights and help you make sure you are on the right track.
Namely, the best thing this kind of a diet can do is to give you a balance of nutrients you need throughout the day, which, unfortunately, is not always the case.
This is a great diet if you are planning to lose a few pounds quickly and then build healthy eating habits.
Also, it’s essential to listen to your doctor’s advice.
In other words, if you need to be on a liquid diet for more than a few days, you may be constipated from a lack of fiber.
Weight loss can be sudden and significant.
Once the caloric deficit created by a low-calorie diet is corrected, weight can be easily restored.
It’s up to you to make a lot of effort to keep your body weight under control and don’t let your body regain its weight.
Duration
As we have already pointed out, a liquid diet is only prescribed for a few days in a row just to help you transition back to your normal diet and build healthier eating habits.
It’s rarely required that you practice this diet longer than two weeks.
There are a few exceptions though.
For instance, people who are preparing for bariatric surgery may need to go on this diet and it may last for more than two weeks.
This also refers to the people recovering from a fractured jaw, or who use the diet to manage acute flares of certain medical conditions.
All in all, when practicing a full liquid diet, you should definitely be monitored by an experienced doctor, especially if it lasts more than a few days.
4. Types Of Liquid Diets For Weight Loss
Anyone who is about to start a liquid diet should be ready to take up a challenge and be prepared for some huge changes.
If going on a full liquid diet seems to be a hard thing to swallow, there are many alternatives you can go for.
There are different types of liquid diets you can choose.
However, it’s very important to have a consultation with your doctor to see whether that diet works for you or not.
So here are a few liquid diet menu you may choose from:
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Detox/Cleansing Liquid Diet
This type of diet has gained incredible popularity over the last few years.
Besides, helping you to lose weight this diet can also help you detoxify your body and see incredible results. That will be visible in a month already but on weekly bases also.
During your diet you should drinking only fruit juices and vegetables mixed in a blender.
It will be quite a refreshment and a great experience.
A few examples of a Detox diet include water fasting and the Master Cleanse diet.
Nevertheless, this kind of diet hasn’t been so thoroughly researched over the years.
So, it is advisable that you consult your medical doctor before you start this diet.
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Meal Replacement Liquid Diet
Another good example of a liquid diet is a Meal Replacement liquid diet.
This kind of diet is low in calories and can be pretty effective when it comes to weight loss.
There is a variety of liquid meal replacement products that can make a significant impact on your body weight because they are high in protein and fiber and low in fat.
What makes them so popular is that, in this way, they manage to curb hunger pangs and regulate appetite.
Some doctors and experts claim that these diets can be satiating as solid meal replacement diets.
All of the shakes that you take in place of a full breakfast or lunch don’t have so many calories and are therefore super-efficient.
These diets contain most micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and all the macronutrients (fat, carbs, and protein).
The reason why these products have a positive impact on this diet is that they replace solid foods.
And we all know that solid food is rich in calories; as a matter of a fact, these foods have a higher total calorie count per serving.
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Medical Liquid Diet
As the very name suggests, this diet is usually prescribed by a medical doctor, because the ultimate aim is not to lose weight and make your body fit but to prepare your body for medical treatment like surgery.
In this case, it is vital that you are under constant supervision by a medical expert who is familiar with your current body state and medical issues you are facing.
This diet can also be prescribed in cases when you need to ease digestion issues.
These kinds of diets require patients to be on a clear liquid diet.
This means that they can only drink water, apple juice, popsicle, syrup and a wide range of teas.
Also, if you feel uncomfortable and would like to refresh your body with some healthy foods or detox your body, you can go on a detox diet for a day.
However, if you want to lose some weight, it is recommended that you go on a meal replacement diet which will ensure that you get all the benefits of solid foods as well as liquid juices/broths.
If you wish to lose some weight, you may want to skip the medically prescribed diet.
So, let’s walk you through the best practices and give you some great tips on how to get your body in shape in a healthy way by doing a liquid diet.
5. What Should You Eat?
There is a whole range of foods you can consume during this diet.
For instance, there is a variety of beverages you can choose from as well as diet-friendly solid foods.
With the right tools, you can do many things with foods to make them diet-friendly.
This includes thinning, straining, melting, pureeing fruits, vegetables, cheese.
Fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are allowed on a full liquid diet as long as you remove any solids.
Also, you may need to avoid any kind of high-fiber juice such as prune juice altogether.
Vegetables like mashed potatoes and other kinds of vegetables are generally not approved but can be used if they are sufficiently thinned.
Plus, you can blend them with gravy, sauce, butter, season to taste and then thin with broth or water.
In a nutshell, they should not be thicker than the smoothie once you make them.
Grains – You can cook cereal and then thin them with water or milk, and finally strain them.
If you want to add nutrition, you need to prepare your cereal with whole milk or creamer instead of skim milk or water.
Dairy products – all of the milk or lactose alternatives are approved.
There is also powdered milk that can be added to cereals, soups, and eggs.
You can even mix regular milk with dry skim milk before using it to create liquid meals.
You can use Greek yogurt for more savory recipes and regular yogurt can be used as a base for sweeter-tasting liquid meals.
On top of this, you can use cottage cheese to blend into a liquid meal or most shredded cheese that will easily melt with little heat.
To add calories and fat to your meals, use butter or margarine as often as you can.
Even though this diet is mainly based on consuming as much liquid as possible daily, it also includes a variety of foods you can consume.
Naturally, these foods are low in calories and mainly consist of liquid.
As we have already mentioned, the foods a person eats during a liquid diet recipes should be in accordance with the doctor’s recommendations.
So, a person may be able to consume the following foods and liquids:
– Water
– Fruit juices
– Soup broth
– Lemonade
– Honey
– Tea
– Coffee
– Popsicles
– Gelatin
– Pureed fruits and vegetables
– Strained or pureed soups
– Milk
– Strained or pureed meats
– Cream of wheat
– Baby food
– Ice-cream
– Milkshakes
– Margarine, butter, mayonnaise
– Pudding
– Smoothies
– Protein drinks and other liquid nutritional supplements
– Strained oatmeal
Since these foods usually lack proteins, people doing a liquid diet should make sure they prioritize foods rich in nutrients.
Some of the foods that are nutrient-dense and that people who decide to go on this diet can consume are:
– Low sugar protein drinks
– Fruit and vegetable smoothies
– Pureed meats and beans
– Milk
– Mashed potatoes with meat-based gravy
– Soft-egg products, such as baby foods with eggs or eggnog
To get the full list of foods that you are allowed to eat during this diet, it’s always best to consult your medical doctor or nutritionist who will also be glad to help and answer any questions you might have along the way.
6. What Foods Should You Avoid?
Of course, since this is a highly strict diet, there is a whole list of foods you must avoid to get the best results.
First and foremost, a person on a liquid diet should avoid solid foods as well as pureed foods that may have chunks in them.
Some of the foods that you need to avoid during this diet include:
– Rice
– Cookies
– Cereal
– Cheese
– Tofu
– Solid meat or fish
– Soups containing large or hard chunks
– Bread
– Whole fruits and vegetables
– Ice cream with chunks
– Noodles
– Nuts and peanut butter
– Cakes
It is pretty obvious why these foods need to be avoided.
For most people, a liquid diet is just a short-term measure because it is pretty strict and aggressive, but it can bring great results in a very short period of time.
This is why people who decide to go on this diet must be mindful of the foods they consume so that they would avoid potentially unhealthy options.
There are a few practices you may find helpful before you embark on this journey:
– Even though ice cream and some other sweets are allowed, make sure you avoid getting all the calories from them
– The easiest way to increase the amount of fiber in your body during this diet is to drink thin smoothies with fruits, vegetables, and Greek yogurt
– Consume milk as a protein source
– Avoid foods that have little or almost no nutritional value like popsicles, and gelatin
– Consult your medical doctor about mineral supplements and vitamins
– Keeping a dietary log to track nutrients over time
7. How Can You Safely Go On A Liquid Diet?
Before you start a liquid diet it is of vital importance that you talk with your medical doctor or a nutritionist.
He or she will give you the best advice, and walk you through each and every step you need to make to get the best value from this diet.
Also, they have extensive experience in helping people lose weight, so they will help you get on the right track and give you all the necessary information you need so that you can avoid potential dangers of this diet.
If your doctor gives you OK to go on a liquid diet, you should consult the dietitian who will check if you are getting enough calories and nutrition and recommend that you take vitamins or minerals if they think you need them in your diet.
Make sure you know what you are drinking when you choose a liquid diet.
For example, if you choose one of the commercial diets, you need to look at the daily values on the nutrition facts label and make sure you are getting 100% of the needed nutrients and vitamins.
The worst thing you can do is to avoid consuming foods that provide you with just enough nutrients that your body needs to function properly.
To make sure you are on the right track, you may want to choose a diet that is not so low in calories and that is rich in proteins and fiber.
This will keep you feeling full throughout the day while gradually losing weight.
In other words, liquid diets that do not only help you lose some weight but also encourage you to build new healthier eating habits are always a better option because they are always more likely to help you keep the weight off in the long run.
Make sure you have all three meals a day
Besides paying attention to what kinds of foods and liquids you consume during a liquid diet, you also need to make sure you don’t skip any of your daily meals.
Each of these meals should be carefully planned.
So, here are a few tips how to have a proper breakfast, lunch and dinner during a liquid diet:
Breakfast Options
If you are practicing a full liquid diet, you can simply start your day with a nice fruit juice without pulp.
There is a wide range of nutritional drinks, but the most popular among people doing this kind of diet are drinks such as Boost or Ensure.
These drinks are allowed for a clear liquid diet and are excellent for adding calories and protein.
Coffee and tea, without milk or cream, can also be consumed during this diet.
In the morning, you will be able to eat for breakfast, cooked cereal like oatmeal, or cream of wheat or rice, especially if you add some extra milk.
On top of this, milk and nutritional supplements are included.
Naturally, you are allowed to rotate different kinds of juices and cereals throughout the seven days of your diet.
Plus, you can have smoothies made with yoghurt and fruits without skin and seeds.
You can also have kefir, which is basically a type of a drinkable yoghurt.
To sweeten your smoothies and cereal, you can always add a little bit of honey or maple syrup or use a lille melted butter on the cereal as well.
Lunch and Dinner
When it comes to lunch and dinner, clear broth and consomme are perfect choices.
Also, sports drinks, clear gelatin, and plain ice pops are also appropriate choices for meals.
For instance, pureed soup is an excellent choice for lunch or dinner.
You can either make your own soup or buy a prepared one.
However, be sure to strain the soup to catch any chunks in case you decide to prepare it yourself.
If you want to increase your protein intake, it’s advisable that you add some skim milk powder or protein powder to the liquids or use a meal replacement drink.
You can serve your soup with a glass of vegetable juice, a cup of tea or milk.
Desserts and snacks
Besides regular three meals, you can also have some snacks in between.
You are allowed to consume the following snacks and sweets: ice-cream, gelatin, sherbet, milkshakes, fruit juice bars, custard-style yoghurt and others.
Naturally, make sure you don’t over consume these snacks and sweets if you are trying to lose some weight.
Have enough food to feel satisfied
One thing that most people are not sure of when starting a liquid diet is how much food and liquids they should consume during the day.
There is one general rule most of you should definitely stick to: consume as much food as you need to feel satisfied.
For example, if you have certain digestive problems or are recovering from a certain illness or surgery, it’s completely normal that you will feel full very quickly.
Whatever you do, make sure you start with small steps.
Try drinking as much as you comfortably can every 15 minutes.
For example, you can try taking sips from a small glass rather than drink large amounts in just one sitting.
Sometimes it is recommended that you have your liquid meals as frequently as six to eight times a day.
Choose the type of the liquid diet that fits your personality, need and lifestyle
There are different types of liquid diets to choose from.
Medically required liquid diets like before and after surgeries range from allowing just liquids you can see through to allowing all liquids and semi-liquid foods including soda, soup, gelatin, and fruit juices.
The liquids you can see through include tea and sports drinks.
Also, while some liquid diets require you to replace all of your meals with fruit juices, vegetable juice or shakes, others allow you to replace only one or two meals with liquids and have a normal healthy dinner or a snack bar.
Which one you will choose depends highly on your preferences and the goal you are trying to achieve.
The liquid diet that lets you have one decent meal that includes proteins and nutrients will more easily and quickly teach you healthy eating habits which is why this kind of diet may be a better option if you want to lose weight in the long run.
On the other hand, if your goal is to lose weight as soon as possible and not to worry about what will come next, you should go for a very strict full liquid diet results.
Either way, talk to your doctor to figure out a safe minimum calorie intake.
Also, if you decide to include supplements in your liquid diet, be sure to choose a supplement that has 100% of the recommended minerals and vitamins, including 25 grams of fiber and 60 grams of protein, along with the healthy source of fat.
Keep yourself distracted
Going on a liquid diet is not an easy task.
You have to change your eating habits significantly and focus on consuming liquids mostly.
This is especially hard for people who have never gone on any kind of diet or tried to change their eating habits.
One way to get accustomed to new conditions and healthier eating is to always keep yourself active and distracted.
The worst thing you can experience is boredom.
Why?
Because when people are bored they like eating or going out with friends to restaurants where they eat not necessarily because they are hungry but because they are in the company and want to share a meal.
Also, if you got used to eating sweets or pasta every day, this adventure might seem even more challenging for you.
So, to avoid eating for no reason, or just because you are used to particular types of food, the best thing is to always keep yourself distracted either by doing some hobby or household chores.
The less bored you are, the less you will have that urge to eat, and the less likely you are to cheat.
Of course, one way of avoiding eating too much and too often is to do some physical activity.
Going to the gym at least twice a week will not only help you get your body into shape and strengthen your muscles, but it will also keep you away from those foods that are high in calories but low in nutrients and help you focus on something meaningful and beneficial for your body health.
Besides going to the gym, you can choose some individual or team sport and dedicate at least some of your time to making your body fit and healthy.
Keep a few considerations in mind
We have mentioned several times that you need to consult a dietician when going on a diet.
Your doctor is your best resource for what foods you should eat and what foods you should avoid.
He or she can also help you plan your meals carefully with the guidelines so that you would know all of the steps you need to take.
Besides following a plan, you need to have a few things in mind:
Pureed foods should be of baby-food consistency or stage.
There should not be any chunks or hard pieces.
If you add water, milk, mayonnaise, and salad dressing you will moisten your foods and make them easier for blending.
Once you feel full, you should stop drinking water.
Also, you need to pay closer attention to the signals your body sends you as you consume liquids.
Also, try to get at least 64 ounces of liquid on a daily basis.
Make sure you drink as much liquid as possible throughout the day.
For example, try drinking something every 15 to 20 minutes.
Nutritional supplements are also a good option if you need to be on a full liquid diet for a longer period than five days.
It’s best to consult your medical doctor to learn more about the supplements you can consume.
There is a whole range of food ideas and specific measures you can implement in your daily diet.
To find the right combination that suits your needs, talk to your dietician.
This diet is pretty strict and, as we have said, you may lose quite a large amount of body weight in a short period of time.
This means that you need to practice this diet temporarily.
In other words, you shouldn’t consider it as a permanent option.
While following a full diet, you may experience some side effects like diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and so on.
In those cases you need to go to your doctor who will check your body state and tell you what’s best for you, that is, what you need to do to avoid these issues.
These may be the signs of infection or some other complications that can be caused by surgical procedures or a bad medical condition.
8. Take Precautionary Measures When Following A Clear Liquid Diet
If you have certain medical conditions, and you have to lose weight instantly, you need to do a Clear Liquid Diet.
Basically, the goal of this diet is to remove all the food from your body as well as the food residue from your digestive system.
Clear liquid foods move more easily through your digestive system which is not the case with solid foods.
If you practice this kind of diet, you won’t leave any unwanted residue in your intestines.
You just need to make sure you consume the right kinds of food and liquids.
So here are a few steps you need to take when practicing this diet:
Talk to your doctor – this kind of diet is most likely required by a doctor or a surgeon, so it’s essential that you have a consultation with your doctor.
If for some reason, you decide to do this on your own, you need to talk to your doctor to see if that diet is good for you or not.
There are a few questions you need to ask your doctor before starting the clear liquid diet.
Ask your doctor about the purpose of following this diet, how long it needs to last and what kinds of liquids you are allowed to consume during that time.
Ask your doctor if you should limit physical activity as well as the amount of supplements or maybe change some medications you are currently taking.
Ask your doctor whether you are going to experience any side effects during your clear liquid diet.
Go grocery shopping – Once you have gained an insight into what you can consume during the liquid diet and what you cannot, go to the closest grocery shop and buy everything you need to prepare for the diet.
So, your next step is to:
Stock up on the items you are allowed to have so you have all the necessary items.
It’s recommended that you have all the necessary items and groceries at home, so you don’t have to go to the store every once in a while.
Stock up on items like popsicles, jello, broth, flavoured waters, tea, clear juices and other essentials.
You can also buy apple juice and white grape juice.
Plan for side effects – Since this diet is pretty strict and requires you to change your eating habits significantly, there might be some side effects that you will experience.
This is why you need to be prepared.
Side-effects usually include headache, nausea, diarrhea, and hunger.
Again, if you experience these side-effects, you must visit your personal doctor.
Drink a variety of fluids – When you are following a clear liquid diet, you can drink other liquids than water.
These include pulp-free juice (like apple-juice), fruit flavoured juices, sodas, sport drinks, coffee and tea (without added dairy products).
Consume appropriate foods – even when you are following this diet you can consume some foods like popsicles, gelatin and hard candies.
Also, make sure to include some savoury liquids like beef broth and chicken.
Spread calorie-containing liquids throughout the day – If you consume some amount of calories in your diet, make sure you spread them throughout the day.
When you are on a liquid diet your overall number of calories will undoubtedly be low.
This is why you need to make sure you spread them evenly throughout the day so that you don’t feel any side-effects.
An ideal way to lay out your day is to have three meals:
Breakfast – one glass of clear pulp-free juice, one cup of coffee, one cup or tea without dairy products.
Morning Snack – one cup of gelatin.
Lunch – one cup of clear, pulp-free juice.
Afternoon snack – one cup of broth. Dinner: one cup of broth and one cup of gelatin.
Evening Snack – one cup of clear, pulp-free juice.
In case you have diabetes, you need to say that to your physician.
On top of this, you will have to drink enough sweetened beverages during the day in order to get around 135 g of carbohydrate total.
Restrict physical activity – another thing you need to avoid when following this diet is physical activity.
When you are following this diet, you won’t be able to consume many calories and other nutrients that support physical activity.
Therefore, if you normally spend much of your time working out in the gym, you may need to go for a 30 minute walk instead of spending a lot of time in the gym because that may cause you to faint or feel sick.
Also, try to practice light activities like walking or daily lifestyle activities that don’t require you to invest a lot of effort.
Also, if you are feeling exhausted, lightheaded or nauseous, you may want to stop exercising immediately.
9. Be Aware Of The Potential Risks
Even though a liquid diet has been gaining much popularity for some time now because it is known as a diet which brings excellent results, there are also a few side effects of this diet that you should keep in mind before you start with the diet.
By understanding the tricks and side effects of this diet, you are more likely to get on the right track, build healthier eating habits and start living a healthier lifestyle.
Carbohydrates and energy
Despite the fact that many liquid diets claim that carbohydrates are bad, this may not be so true.
Namely, whole-grain carbohydrates, such as a whole-wheat bread, oats and bran are important parts of your daily menu because they give you energy and maintain steady blood sugar levels in your body.
But your body needs energy to maintain physical activity levels.
All in all, if you stop using carbohydrates altogether, this may cause fatigue and dizziness due to blood sugar fluctuations.
Fiber and Digestion
Although most of the vegetable and fruit juices may offer the same vitamins and minerals like whole fruits and vegetables, by consuming juices you may easily lose a large amount of fiber which your body essentially needs.
Fiber serves a few important functions.
For instance, water-soluble fibre helps you remove low-density lipoprotein, LDL, or bad cholesterol from your bloodstream to prevent high cholesterol.
On top of this, insoluble fiber aids digestion by pushing waste through your intestines in order to prevent constipation.
Since a liquid diet can significantly reduce the amount of fibre in your body, you might experience digestion problems and have increased levels of cholesterol.
Malnutrition
One of the potential dangers of a liquid diet is malnutrition.
Most people want to lose their body weight and they want to lose it fast, so they see liquid diet as a quick and easy solution to their problem.
However liquid diet can be tricky.
It can help you lose large amounts of calories as well as the nutrients your body needs to function properly.
Keep in mind that nutrients help your body maintain its function as well as your immune system.
What’s more, malnutrition may cause fatigue, digestive problems, sensitivity to cold, fatigue, diarrhea, and constipation.
Protein and Muscle
By following a liquid diet, you may lose high levels of protein.
Inadequate intake of proteins may cause muscle loss and weaken your respiratory system and heart, as well as your immune system.
Furthermore, this can reduce your ability to fight any kind of disease and can cause heart problems as well.
All in all, liquid diets can bring excellent results and can help both those people who want to bring their body into shape and the people who need to follow this diet because of the medical reasons achieve amazing results.
However, all your efforts will fall flat if you choose to follow this diet without consulting a medical doctor or if you follow the diet for too long.
In its core, this diet will bring amazing results only if it is a short-term solution.
Otherwise, it can lead to many side-effects you most definitely want to avoid.
10. Complete A Three-Day Cleanse
In case you find it hard to follow this diet, you may choose a shortcut and do a really quick three-day cleanse of your body.
This kind of cleanse can benefit different body organs and it is created to rest the digestive system, allowing for flourishing of health and well-being.
In other words, it doesn’t last long and can help you get rid of the toxins, reshape your body and regain your physical strength in no time.
The aim of this reset or a cleanse is to nourish your body while it cleanses itself.
By consuming many nutrients we are supporting our body more than ever.
It will focus on giving your body a rejuvenating break while filling it with micro and macro minerals that it needs to do a proper reset.
This three-day cleanse is very similar to a liquid diet and will be carried in the form of a liquid diet.
The best thing about this cleanse is that while it is essentially liquid-base, fibre that is of great importance for the proper functioning of your body will still be intact.
As a matter of fact, it has numerous benefits for your body and can help many people who are suffering from a wide variety of ailments.
Here are some things this cleanse can help you with:
– Mental clarity
– Digestion
– Skin issues
– Positive habit-forming
– Inflammatory issues
– Energy levels
– Weight loss and weight management
– Mood elevation
Consuming a liquid diet that brings you high levels of fibre is a great way to lose some weight and remove toxins from your body while maintaining just the right amount of fibre in your system.
This cleanse is most easily completed with a friend because you can encourage each other along the way.
Like in any other liquid diet, water is an essential element and should be consumed as often as possible, ideally 2,5 – 3 liters a day.
As for physical activity, you should try to tread carefully because this diet may cause you to feel more tired than usual as your blood sugar levels may be low.
Cleans preparation
To get the best results with this diet it is advisable to get rid of the bad eating habits, at least to some point.
This means that you should refrain from consuming:
– Caffeine
– Refined sugar
– Alcohol
– Dairy
– Refined Carbohydrates
It is also recommended to prepare food beforehand so that you are not tempted from the allowed foods when you feel hungry or when you are in a hurry.
There are a few interesting nourishing and balanced recipes.
The cleanse includes the following:
– Nut milks
– Kombucha
– Juices
– Soups
– Smoothies
– Gazpachos
– Herbal teas
Herbal teas – herbal teas like Chamomile, turmeric, licorice, dandelion and rooibos are great addition to this liquid cleanse because they soothe the digestive system by relaxing the walls of gastrointestinal tract.
Smoothies – smoothies are easy and quickly prepared meals that fit all of our nutrient needs and that can set us up for a sustained energy throughout the day.
A smoothie should always contain all 3 macro minerals (proteins, healthy fats, carbohydrates).
Proteins and fat can also help you feel full during the day.
You can even add some healthy oils to your smoothie like coconut oil, udos oil, hemp oil.
The good thing about smoothies is that you can add some proteins to them by adding ingredients including spirulina, chia seeds, chlorella, hemp seeds, clean sourced vegan protein powder.
Juices – while juices shouldn’t be used as a whole meal as they do not contain fiber, they can be a great addition to every meal.
They provide quick influx of micro minerals and should mainly be comprised of vegetables.
Unlike vegetable juices, fruit juices predominantly contain bugger amounts of sugar which flows directly into the blood system thus causing damage to your body.
Kombucha – This amazing probiotic drink is made from fermented green or black tea.
What makes these teas so beneficial are bacteria that form in the tea by feeding off the sugar content.
On top of that, these teas are a great source of beneficial systems.
The biggest value of these teas is that they help to improve digestion as well as emotional and mental stability of a person.
Generally, kombucha is a pre-digested food, making it easier for you to do the rest of the process.
Nut milk – Instead of a dairy milk you can choose to consume nut milk.
It’s common knowledge that some people are allergic to dairy milk causing them to experience systemic inflammation and other possible ailments in your body.
Luckily, nut milk can be a great substitute in so many ways.
This milk doesn’t contain any cholesterol or saturated fats and it is always a healthy option when it comes to the heart.
In addition, it can be easily added to smoothies and soups or you can simply enjoy it on its own.
Gazpacho – this is essentially a cold soup which is a great option especially during summer.
Liquid diet soup – soup is particularly good for this kind of a diet because it is easily digestible and it contains all the fiber of the foods used.
You can always experiment with as many vegetables as you can when making a soup and garnish it with some healthy oil and healthy fat just to add some flavour.
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PROGRAM TEMPLATE:
DAY 1:
(See recipes below this template. Recipes provided are interchangeable)
– Upon Waking: Warm Water with Lemon
– Breakfast: Green Smoothie
– Mid-Morning: Glass of Almond Milk
– Lunch: Tomato and Red Pepper Gazpacho
– Afternoon: Kombucha or Vegetable Juice
– Dinner: Curried Cauliflower Soup
– Before Sleep: Chamomile Tea
DAY 2:
– Upon waking: Warm Water with Lemon
– Breakfast: Nutty Smoothie
– Mid-Morning: Glass of Hemp Milk
– Lunch: Green Gazpacho with Avocado
– Afternoon: Vegetable Juice
– Dinner: Smoky Broccoli Soup
– Before Sleep: Turmeric & Ginger Tea
DAY 3:
– Upon waking: Warm Water with Lemon
– Breakfast: Berry Smoothie
– Mid-Morning: Glass of Homemade Nut Milk
– Lunch: Tomato and Red Pepper Gazpacho
– Afternoon: Kombucha
– Dinner: Smoky Broccoli Soup
– Before Sleep: Chamomile Tea
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*Switch up the recipes where you like but follow this general guideline. Each meal should contain a balance of macro minerals.
If you feel hungry throughout the day, feel free to consume more – as long as it is liquid – i.e. have a vegetable juice post breakfast, or a second bowl of gazpacho in the late afternoon.
If you still have a feeling that you must eat something stronger, think about opt for predigested foods (sauerkraut, tempeh, miso soup, kimchi etc).
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RECIPES
SMOOTHIES:
GREEN SMOOTHIE
– Frozen strawberries ½ cup
– Granny smith apple half ½ cup
– Cup chopped parsley ½
– Cup kale ½
– Cup frozen mango chunks ¼
– Lemon juice ½
– One tablespoon of chia seeds in 4 tablespoons of water
– One tablespoon of hemp oil
– One cup hemp milk
BERRY SMOOTHIE
– Cups mixed berry 1 ½
– One cup nut milk of choice (hemp, cashew, almond)
– One cup packed spinach
– One tablespoon of chia soaked in 4 tablespoon of water
– One tablespoon of vanilla extract
– One tablespoon of psyllium husks
– One tablespoon of udo’s oil
NUTTY SMOOTHIE
– One frozen banana
– Three tablespoons sprouted nut butter
– One tablespoon of hemp seeds
– One tablespoon of raw cacao
– One cup almond milk
– One teaspoon maple syrup
– Teaspoon of cinnamon ¼
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SOUPS:
CURRIED CAULIFLOWER SOUP
Ingredients:
– One tablespoon of coconut oil
– Three cloves of garlic
– Two medium yellow onion, diced
– Two medium carrots, diced
– One large head cauliflower, chopped into small florets
– Two teaspoons ground cumin
– Two teaspoons curry powder
– Two teaspoons turmeric
– One teaspoons ground cardamom
– Dash of red pepper flakes
– Five cups vegetable broth
– One cup full-fat coconut milk
– One tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Directions
– Melt coconut oil in large soup pot
– Add garlic and onion. Once onion becomes translucent, add – one cup packed spinach
– Add in cumin, turmeric, curry powder, cardamom and red pepper flakes. Wait for ten minutes or until the spices become aromatic.
– Add in vegetable broth, coconut milk and apple cider vinegar.
– Stir until combined. Pepper, salt and season to taste.
– You can use liquid coconut oil, coconut flakes, or cilantro to decorate.
SMOKY BROCCOLI SOUP
Ingredients:
– Two tablespoons olive oil
– Four cups chopped onions – two large sweet onions
– One tablespoon pressed garlic – six small garlic cloves
– Two teaspoons sea salt
– Two tablespoon plus cup water ¾
– Teaspoons cayenne ½ + ¼
– One teaspoons smoked paprika
– Teaspoons ground pepper ½
– One cup chopped broccoli
– Three cups cauliflower
– Two tablespoons ghee
– One tablespoon apple cider vinegar
– Five cups spinach – five large handfuls of spinach
– One can organic coconut milk
– One tablespoon micro grated lemon – zest of one full lemon
– Two tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions
Fry onions for four minutes on medium heat, until translucent.
About five minutes.
Add smoked paprika, cayenne, garlic, pepper, one teaspoon of sea salt and two tablespoons water.
Stir well, and continue heating for another two-three minutes.
Add ghee, apple cider vinegar, cauliflower, and chopped broccoli and stir all well to be all good coated.
Leave for at least two minutes so that the flavors mix.
Add ¾ cup of water, another teaspoon of sea salt, and lemon zest. Continue cooking over low to medium heat for another six to seven minutes.
Once cauliflower is cooked through, reduce heat add coconut milk, lemon juice, and stir well.
Heat the entire mixture enough to warm the coconut milk.
Turn off heat and use a handheld blender or high-speed blender (much smoother with high-speed blender).
Add a little more water if you want it thinner!
Taste and adjust.
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GAZPACHOS
GREEN GAZPACHO WITH AVOCADO CREAM
Ingredients:
– One peeled english cucumber
– Three tomatoes – large ones
– Two cups spinach chopped
– Two cups chopped red pepper (approximately one or one ½ red pepper)
– Cup chopped parsley ½
– One teaspoon pressed garlic (approximately two cloves)
– Cup minced red onion ⅛
– Cup olive oil ⅓
– Two teaspoons chopped jalapeno
– One, one and a half tablespoons apple vinegar
– Teaspoon sea salt half of one spoontable
– Teaspoon pepper ¼
Avocado Cream
– One cup of avocado (approximately one avocado)
– One juice of half of a lime
– Teaspoon presses garlic ½ (one clove)
– Cup olive oil ⅛
– One tablespoon of nutritional yeast
– Salt
Directions
Peel cucumber with a vegetable peeler and cut in half lengthwise. If the cucumber has quite a few large seeds, scrape this fleshy part out with a spoon.
Cut tomatoes into quarters and remove the seeds.
Add cucumber, onion, garlic, tomato, parsley, spinach, red pepper, salt. Blend around two minutes until smooth.
Add olive oil and apple cider vinegar and blend for another 30 seconds.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Chill in the fridge.
Avocado cream
Now, for thirty seconds put this in a food processor: garlic, avocado, lime, nutritional yeast, and a pinch of salt.
Add oil and process for another 30 seconds until a smooth sour cream-like consistency is achieved.
Put chilled gazpacho into a bowl and top with a dollop of avocado cream, a sprinkle of parsley, and an artistic drizzle of olive oil.
TOMATO & RED PEPPER GAZPACHO
Ingredients:
– 970 grams ripe, chopped tomatoes
– One large cucumber, peeled and chopped
– Two large red pepper, deseeded and chopped
– One small bulb of fennel, chopped
– Two garlic cloves, minced
– One tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
– Four tablespoons of olive oil
– Salt and pepper
Directions
Add all these into a higher speed blender and blend until smooth, tomato, peppers, cucumber, garlic, and fennel.
Add in lemon juice and olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Garnish with finely chopped cucumber and tomato and the greens from the fennel bulb.
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VEGAN MILKS:
NUT MILK
Makes about 1 liter
Ingredients:
– One heaping cup raw almonds or brazil nuts, soaked
– Four cups filtered water
– One teaspoon vanilla extract or whole vanilla bean, chopped ¼
– Teaspoon cinnamon
– Teaspoon fine sea salt ¼
– Thumb or more of ginger or turmeric, or both (this is optional)
Directions:
Place nuts in a bowl and cover with a couple inches of water. Soak the nuts overnight (about 8 to 10 hours).
Put drained almonds into a blender together with vanilla, sea salt, cinnamon, filtered water, and ginger.
Blend on the highest speed for 1 minute.
Place a nut milk bag over a large bowl and slowly pour the almond milk mixture into the bag. Gently squeeze the bottom of the bag to release the milk until the pulp is dry.
Pour into a large glass jar and secure lid. Store in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
MAPLE HEMP MILK
Ingredients:
– Cup hemp seeds ¼
– One cup filtered water
– Teaspoon vanilla extract ¼
– Pinch of sea salt
– Teaspoon maple syrup ½ (optional for sweetness)
Instructions:
Blend all ingredients together in a high-speed blender until smooth.
Keep refrigerated for a minimum of 3 hours to enjoy when chilled. Shake before drinking!
Double or triple the recipe for more!LifiveTwo
11. Do Some Workout
Working out when on a liquid diet is equally important as the diet itself.
To get the best results you need to combine healthy eating with an effective workout.
Ideally, you should work out at least three times a week in the gym.
Your workout program should include exercise with moderate volume and moderate intensity.
In this way you are sending your body signals that besides a daily intake of healthy foods your body muscles should also keep their muscles while losing fat.
There are people who even gain some muscles on a liquid diet mainly because of increased protein intake which builds a strong foundation for building muscles.
Essentially, if you decide to follow a liquid diet you should focus your efforts onto losing much fat while preserving muscles.
A healthy workout usually includes a fast walk whenever a person training has enough free time.
Everyday a fast walk can burn many calories.
On the contrary, high intensity interval training should definitely be avoided on a liquid diet.
In its core, how frequently and how intensively you will exercise while following a liquid diet depends highly on the type of that liquid diet, the reasons behind going on this diet as well as how many nutrients you consume on this diet.
For instance, if you are preparing your body for some kind of surgery, you may need to limit your exercising to low intensity or avoid them totally.
Whatever you decide, you should consult your medical doctor or a dietician and then limit your exercises based on their instructions and professional medical advice.
On the other hand, if you are following a liquid diet benefits because you want to lose some weight and reshape your body figure, daily workout is desirable.
In this case, you should be able to maintain any kind of exercise program, assuming that the amount of calories and nutrients you consume are enough to support your lifestyle.
Still, you should talk to your doctor and ask them any questions you might have so that he or she could help you determine if the exercises you choose to do are appropriate for the duration of a program.
12. Keep Yourself From Cheating
Whether you are trying to lose some weight or preparing for a surgical procedure, following a liquid diet is not an easy process.
If you are preparing for a surgery, you might be asked to follow the liquid diet for two weeks.
In this case, it is vitally important that you keep up with the plan and try to stick to it.
Here are a few tips that should help you successfully survive your liquid diet:
Think about your liquid diet as an opportunity to lose some weight and get your body into perfect shape in no time – the great thing about a liquid diet is that it allows you to watch your body pounds drop.
Even if you don’t lose much of the weight, you’ll most likely find yourself feeling much better.
Figure out what you like and stick with it – one of the most important things is to find a liquid diet that you like and that includes the foods you like eating.
Try to find 5 or 6 liquid alternatives for your top favourite home-cooked meatloaf and the whole process will get much easier for sure.
If you don’t like preparing food yourself so much find a restaurant that prepares delicious soups.
Keep yourself busy – one of the reasons why people easily give up on a liquid diet is their craving for food.
Instead of doing nothing and thinking about the food, try doing something that will keep you busy and help you focus on other things than food.
Embrace the popsicles – Make sure you have got the freezer stocked with popsicles before you start your liquid diet.
It has been proven so many times that popsicles help people a lot get through the liquid diet.
There is no scientific explanation why this is so, but it surely helps.
Variation is key – As with most things in life, variation plays a major role when it comes to surviving your liquid diet.
If you stick to only two or three kinds of foods during one week, you’ll easily get bored and eventually be burnt out.
Try experimenting and have a steady rotation of foods during one week.
This will make the whole experience more interesting and you will feel the urge to continue with your diet.
Remember the end game – to achieve the best results, you always need to keep the goal you are trying to achieve in your mind.
When you start your liquid diet, you might feel more irritated than you normally are at the beginning because you will be doing something that you are not used to and that changes your life habits significantly.
When you feel the food cravings and when it seems to you that all of that doesn’t make much sense, just sit back, relax and remember why you are doing this.
Although it may seem that this diet is just an obstacle, it is actually a challenge you need to and should overcome.
Keep these tips in mind when starting your liquid diet and the best results are guaranteed.
How can a liquid diet help you with your Chronic disease?
If you are suffering from a Chronic disease, a liquid diet might be the answer to all of your problems.
The best way to try to rest and eat healthy is to get plenty of nutrients in the form of easy-to-digest liquids and cut back on most of the solid foods for a few days.
By adopting some of the diet’s characteristics you will give your digestion a break.
Also, you will be able to avoid nausea as well as lack of appetite that usually accompany flare-ups.
So here are a few things you can do in your liquid diet that can help you with your Chronic disease:
Bane broth – this broth is made from cooking chicken or beef bones and has been around for decades now.
However, it has started gaining much interest not only among the people suffering from Chron’s disease but also the people who want to lose some weight and develop healthier eating habits.
Essentially, bane broth contains amino and L-glutamine, both of which play a major role in repairing the gut lining.
On top of this, this broth is a pure liquid which requires less digestion than solid foods.
You can make this broth on your own in a few easy steps.
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Simply put bone leftovers in water in a slow cooker and add some veggies and a glug of an apple cider because these help leech the maximum minerals out of bones.
You need to cook this broth for 24 hours.
If you don’t feel like spending so much time on cooking, you can shop for bone broth in your local health food store.
It’s easier and quicker.
Make sure it’s organic – when preparing a bone broth, ensure that you are using organic meat bones.
This also applies if you decide to buy a bone broth
Start with the small steps – as a beginner, it’s advisable to avoid drinking large amounts of bone broth.
You should start small by drinking a half of a cup at the beginning of the day.
Juicing – we have already discussed the importance of juices and smoothes above in the article.
When it comes to Crohn’s disease, juicing can also help a lot as drinking fruits and vegetables is less irritating to your gut altogether.
Since fiber in vegetables and fruits can irritate your inflamed gut, it’s best to juice them.
The liquid version provides you with all the vitamins you need while maintaining very little fibre.
So, here are a few things to keep in mind when juicing:
Focus on 80 percent of vegetables and 20 percent of fruit – using only fruits to make juices can help you get rid of the fiber which is why these juices are digested quickly and easily.
However, opting solely for juicis can cause sugar spikes which can only damage your body health.
Limit your fruits to half an apple or a small kiwi.
Use juicers that remove the pulp – if you have a Crohn’s disease you’d better make juices without pulp
Start by making simple combinations – Opt for simple and affordable fruits and vegetables like ginger, apples, zucchini, carrots, celery.
Also be mindful that some fruits and vegetables like pineapple and beets can cause diarrhea if you juice them in large quantities.
Blending – Choose a good blender and start blending as many fruits and vegetables as possible.
The best thing about blending is that all of the components remain in the form of a thick liquid.
Blended food is also a good transition from liquids into solid foods.
However, if you are not feeling up to eating fiber, you should avoid blending foods and only stick to juices.
Here are a few things you can try blending:
Simple smoothies – try mixing a banana and almond milk.
You can even add a spoonful of nut butter which is good because it tends to be much easier for the stomach.
Also, green smoothies are very popular currently and there’s a good reason for it.
Soups – Try mixing root vegetables, such as sweet potato or winter squash such as butternut or acorn (these contain more soluble fiber, which can bulk up our stools), with some bone broth for a yummy soup.
Also, try adding a dash of coconut cream will also provide some fat.
People with Crohn’s disease can easily get dehydrated, so it’s essential for them to drink plenty of water along the way.
You can even consume herbal tea because it contains plenty of water while offering a dose of ingredients like fennel, ginger, peppermint that calm your gut.
Wrapping up
There are countless diets on the market, but liquid diets can bring you numerous benefits if they are pursued safely and responsibly.
So, if you are looking for a quick and effective diet that will help you detox your body, lose weight, reshape your body structure and prepare for some kinds of surgical operations, then you should go for a liquid diet.
To sum up, we will highlight some of the major benefits of this diet:
1. Weight loss – by drastically reducing your calorie intake (which is up to 50%), your body will start burning more calories.
In other words, more calories are being burned than consumed on a daily basis.
This is a foundation of weight loss and anyone can achieve it.
2. Boosted metabolism – by reducing calories, your body will slow down to save energy and.
However, in this way, your body will start working more efficiently with a reduced amount of calories.
3. Eliminating toxins – When eating solid foods, our body works to eliminate toxins and puts forth an effort to dissolve those foods.
A liquid diet is more focused on the detoxifying organs of the body, allowing them to cleanse the system and essentially play “catch up”.
Improved organ function – vegetables and fruits are rich in nutrients, vitamins, and minerals which is highly beneficial for your body health.
We hope these tips will help you achieve the best results with your liquid diet and start living a healthier lifestyle in the long run.