A cake cleanse diet? “Forget detox, now there’s a cake cleanse”! Yes, you’ve read that right! That was the headline in a popular UK newspaper that I saw this week.
I’ve heard of some pretty wacky detox mixtures over the past 30 years but a cake cleanse diet? Surely that can’t be?
I guess the idea of cleansing with cake would have more appeal to a lot of people than a regular detox or cleanse but is it possible?
The article went on to say that this new diet lets you eat dessert for breakfast, lunch and dinner and still lose weight!
Cake Cleanse is the brainchild of Deborah Schipper, a 40 year old Australian, who struggled to give up sweets and desserts when she knew they were not good for her health.
She suffered with severe eczema, dermatitis, muscular pain, frequent colds and exhausting insomnia and had tried conventional treatments as well as multiple cleanses which she found left her hungry and with no energy.
When she discovered that she was gluten intolerant she knew she could never give up cakes and dessert for good so experimented with making gluten free cakes full of protein, fibre, good fats, smart carbs and even hidden vegetables.
After changing her diet from processed foods and eating healthier cakes for a while her skin problems, insomnia and energy were, she says, 90 % improved.
What’s the difference between a detox and a cleanse?
So you are probably still wondering how this works and what the difference is between a detox and a cleanse.
Well, there is no accepted definition for a detox or a cleanse and often the words are used interchangeably.
Most detox plans exclude foods that are considered to be detrimental to your health while replacing them with healthier foods which also supply the nutrients needed by the detox system.
A cleanse on the other hand does all that but usually gives more support to the detox organs with herbs. Think colon cleanse, liver cleanse and kidney cleanse.
So, by that definition the Cake Cleanse is not really a cleanse at all!
What is a cake cleanse?
The healthy cakes are part of a 4 week diet that includes 3 main meals, 2 snacks, including sweet treats, savoury dips, coffee, tea, water and unlimited salad. And, you can apparently have your cake and eat it for breakfast!
According to the article Ms Schipper’s favourite recipes are the mug cakes, made with almond and coconut flour. I’m all for making healthy sweets and cakes with healthy gluten free flours and natural sweeteners but if you know anything about mug cakes you will know that they are cooked in a microwave. Not healthy at all!
While there are many “experts” who still say that microwaving does not harm food there are others who say it does. Several studies on broccoli, for example, showed that microwaving destroyed 97% of flavonoid antioxidants in the vegetable.
While there is no broccoli in the mug cakes there are eggs and I remember reading a study that showed microwaving altered fatty acids in pumpkin seeds. As there are essential fatty acids in the yolk of an egg microwaving could damage them. I don’t know about you but I’d rather play it safe.
Since I wrote this article I’ve had some requests for a healthy cake recipe. Here is a Beet Cake recipe for you to try. Beets (beetroot) are cleansing so you could, with a stretch of the imagination, call it a cleansing cake I guess.
Beet Cake 
Ingredients
3 cups of grated, cooked beets (beetroot)
4 large organic eggs
1/2 cup avocado oil
1/2 cup raw organic honey
1 tablespoon natural vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Celtic or Himalayan salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 cup coconut flour
Directions
Preheat oven to 170C (350F).
Beat together the beets, eggs and avocado oil in a food processor or blender.
Mix in the honey, vanilla extract, baking soda, sea salt and spices until well blended.
Add the cacao powder and coconut flour and mix well.
Pour into a greased 9-inch diameter tart pan or cake tin.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Serve with a little live organic yogurt or kefir.
Adventurous eating
I don’t know if you would call this adventurous eating or not but adventurous eating is a weight-loss secret according to some recent research from Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab.
Professor Brian Wansink and his colleagues found that adventurous eaters are slimmer and healthier than people who stick with the same old, same old for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
So even though this Cake Cleanse is not a detox diet or a cleanse in the true sense you could perhaps become healthier and slimmer.
If you want to know more about losing weight with a detox diet that does not leave you starving then download my Free report here.
Hi Sandy,
Informative post indeed 🙂
Yes, one’s heard of all kinds of detox diets as one reads of them, but a cake cleanse sounds interesting! I agree about the mug cakes and disadvantages of microwave cooking too. Being aware is the key here, and not to mention banning the use of plastic, which adds to it all.
Adventurous eating would be better as our body accepts the change better than carrying on with the same old diet. The answer perhaps lies in limiting your intake of what you eat, yet eating everything – but in moderation, isn’t it?
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice weekend 🙂
Hi Harleena,
Yes, people are jumping on the detox bandwagon and calling almost every type of diet a detox diet. A cake cleanse will appeal to a lot of people and I hope they don’t make the mistake of thinking they can cleanse their bodies with cake even if it is gluten and dairy free.
There is an advantage of eating different things to get a wider range of nutrients. People tend to get stuck in a rut with their food and what they cook. I read recently that although people watch all these cooking programs they still don’t actually cook.
You are right about microwaving in plastic containers. It’s very bad as the chemicals from the plastic, may of which are toxic, leach into the food. The same applies to cooking in the oven. It’s always safer to transfer the food to a glass or ceramic ovenproof dish. It’s a bit of extra work but well worth it to safeguard your health.
Thanks for visiting again and taking the time to comment. I hope you are enjoying your weekend too.
Good health,
Sandy
The program includes a variety of food including low sugar, high nutrient healthy treats. There is a sample meal day on the Cake Cleanse Facebook page so you can see the nourishing food. It is fully Nutritionist approved and a sustainable lifestyle rather than a restrictive detox. Yours in health, Deb
Hey Sandy,
I saw this title Cake Cleanse Diet and you had my full attention. Hoping that they had found a solution to me eating all the junk food I like. Although knowing what I do – it is truly impossible to believe. I love eating healthy, okay I am a bit naughty from time to time, but eating healthy has so many benefits does it not? And the one that benefits us writers is it gives us energy and I am always up for that.
I remember reading some of your feedback about how our taste buds change and we have the capacity to do that with good eating, I think the same could be said for those who think they can’t stop eating crap. Even thought this cake woman seems to have found ways around it her personal dilemma. Good for her, but I can’t help thinking, the research is correct. Eating well keeps a lot of illness away, we move easier, sleep better. Too much of the bad food can make us sluggish, I certainly did not need to read about that, I found that out, with first hand experience. Thanks for a wonderful post.
Rachel.
Hey Rachel,
I think that’s the idea of the title – to catch people’s attention. It would be so nice if we could keep our bodies clean and healthy by eating chocolate cake wouldn’t it? Everyone would be detoxing like mad then.
Yes, you’re right about how you can change your tastebuds by eating healthy food. Just last evening I watched a TV program about getting fussy babies and children to eat green veg. You apparently need to get them to take a spoonful once a day for up to 13 days before they will eat them. The more they tried them the less bad they tasted. find it fascinating.
Although we can read about good health and how to achieve it there is nothing quite like first hand experience. I just read today that a new study showed that avoiding sugar, including fructose, for just 9 days can dramatically improve people’s health.
Thanks again for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Good health,
Sandy