The fresh fruit detox or fruit fast is probably one of the tastiest and easiest detox diets that I have ever done. Most people love fruit and there are so many different types of fruit you can eat it does not become monotonous.
Fruit is very nutritious. It’s full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and fiber so it is very good for you. Fruit is easy to digest and contains nutrients that you need to detox. It always seems odd to me that the experts who tell us we should be eating at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day say that no more than 2 should be fruit.
Research has shown that eating 7 – 10 portions of fruit and vegetables a day helps people lose more weight than just cutting back on sugary and fatty foods. A high intake of fresh fruit and vegetables can reduce your risk of cancer of all types and lowers risk of heart disease. These two are the biggest killers of our times.
Low carb dieters often shy away from fruit but they are missing out on potassium that keeps your blood pressure low and and your heart beat regular. The fiber found in fruit will bind to toxins and detox them from your system.
Fruit and the Glycemic Index
Most fruits have a low GI index. This simply means that they do not raise your blood sugar levels. High GI fruits are watermelon, honeydew melon and pineapple. Bananas are low/medium GI. Low GI fruit include apples, apricots, peaches, pears. plums, papaya, cherries. blackberries, grapes, lemons, oranges, raspberries and strawberries.
Eat Organic
The fruit you eat on a fresh fruit detox should be organic. Fruit that has been grown with chemical pesticides and fertilizers is not suitable for detox. Dried fruit is not recommended either. The dehydration process leaves them with fewer enzymes than fresh fruit and the natural fruit sugars are more concentrated.
Although you can juice fruits for a juice detox the fresh fruit detox consists of whole fruit only. You can make smoothies by blending the fruit but don’t add any other ingredients besides pure water if needed to make the blades turn easily.
Acid & alkaline
Some people get worried about eating citrus fruit because they are acid fruits. The confusion arises because although they contain acids, once the fruit is digested and absorbed into the body it is highly alkalizing due to the alkaline minerals it contains.
Citrus fruit has a very powerful cleansing effect on the body which many people can’t handle. Some disorders need a slower and less aggressive elimination. The only other reason to avoid oranges is you are allergic or intolerant to them.
How does fruit detox & cleanse?
Fruit is easily and quickly digested so the energy that is usually used for digestion can be used by the body for cleansing. Your cells are flooded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants , the very nutrients needed for the detox process. The high levels of Vitamin C helps to regenerate Glutathione, the major substance needed by the liver for detox. Vitamin C can help the body eliminate heavy metals like mercury and cadmium.
It is natural for the body to try to eliminate toxic substances but it is often overwhelmed by the sheer amount of chemicals that we now absorb from our environment. A fruit fast can give it a chance to catch up on housecleaning.
How long for a fruit detox?
The minimum period for a fruit fast is 3 days. A 10 day one will bring good results and is not hard to do. It’s usual for elimination to reach a peak on the third day so why stop there?
You know you are cleansing because as the toxins are released into the bloodstream you can get a headache, coated tongue, bad breath, aching muscles and feel very tired. The sooner you get symptoms the more toxic you are likely to be.
By the morning of the 4th day its usual to feel really well and energized with a clear mind. People experience this in varying degrees of intensity. If you continue the fruit detox the feeling of wellness gives way to more feelings of fatigue and lack of concentration as more toxins are released.
There are various types of fruit detox diets around. Some include protein powder and oils and others include nuts. I feel the best ones are just fresh fruit and nothing else except pure water. They can last anywhere from 1 to 30 days. 10 days is very doable. Longer than that is probably best supervised by a health expert unless you have done one before.
Although many fruit detox diets say you can eat any type of fruit you want some Naturopaths do not recommend bananas as they are too starchy to allow cleansing. Food combining rules say that you should not eat bananas with acid fruit.
Some feel that eating only one type of fruit at each meal or for the entire day is easier for the digestion. Others say that you get more nutrients by eating a large variety of fruit at each meal as possible. So the choice is yours. Try both ways and see how you feel on the days that you eat only one type of fruit.
Some notes on Fruit
Apples
Apples are great for cleansing the digestive tract and you can read more about them in previous posts The Apple Cleanse and 2 Day Apple Detox.
Citrus fruit
As already mentioned citrus fruit is an aggressive cleanser. It is a good liver cleanser and Naturopaths recommend it for dissolving mucus. Grapefruit is not recommended in any quantity because it contains naringinen which inhibits the Phase 1 liver detox pathway. That’s why your doctor may have told you to avoid drinking grapefruit juice if you are taking certain medications.
Watermelon
Watermelon is especially good for the kidneys and bladder. Be sure to eat some of the white part just under the rind or include it in a smoothie as it contains a lot of valuable nutrients.
Grapes
Black or purple grapes are best for detox. They are particularly good for detoxifying the liver and kidneys. They contain anthocyanins, flavonoids and resveratrol which all aid the heart. You have probably heard of the “Grape Cure” where you eat nothing but grapes for a month or more. It has been used for curing many serious disorders including heart disease and cancer.
You must chew the skins really well to release the nutrients they contain. Alternatively whiz them up in your blender.
Papaya
Papaya contains unique enzymes papain and chymopapain, enzymes that digests protein. It helps to digest protein waste in the intestines and binds toxins and remover them from the bowel.
Cherries
Cherries have earned a reputation for cleansing the body of uric acid which causes gout. Researchers found that a large bowl of cherries caused an increase in the amount of urate excreted in the urine in volunteers. Urate is the the substance that uric acid is formed from.
Cherries also contain substances that are anti-inflammatory.
Finishing the detox
Getting back onto regular food after the fast should be done very slowly and carefully. The longer the fast the the longer you should take to wean yourself back onto healthy food. For a 10 day detox you should take about 3 days. For a 1 – 3 day fast, a day and a half is recommended.
Have easily digested food like broth, or thin vegetable soup, steamed vegetables and well cooked whole grain rice or millet. Eat small quantities to begin with and chew the food really well to help with digestion.
So there you have it. A delicious and easy to do fresh fruit detox. Flood your cells with fruits cleansing and healing nutrients and feel the transformation. Share your experiences on the fruit detox in the comment box below.
Thanks for visiting and adding your comment Michael. I couldn’t agree more.
Sandy