Detoxing Your Body: Prepping For The Keto Diet

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that has become a popular lifestyle choice for many people. While the keto diet is often praised for its weight loss benefits, it can be difficult to maintain due to its restrictive nature. Some people may consider doing a detox before starting keto to boost their chances of success. However, the idea of doing a detox or cleanse before starting keto is controversial, with some people arguing that it is unnecessary and even counterproductive.

There are two main types of detoxes: traditional detoxes and keto-specific detoxes. Traditional detoxes typically involve fasting or consuming only liquids such as smoothies, juices, or bone broths for a short period. On the other hand, keto-specific detoxes usually last between 5 to 10 days and involve consuming liquids, bone broths, and soups that are high in fat and low in carbs.

While detoxes can help remove toxins from the body and aid in weight loss, they are not necessary for everyone. The human body is naturally equipped to detoxify itself through the liver and kidneys. Additionally, detoxes can be restrictive and challenging to follow, leading to fatigue, dizziness, and an increased risk of nutritional deficiencies.

Instead of doing a strict detox, it is generally recommended to focus on making sustainable changes to your diet and lifestyle. This includes eating nutritious whole foods, staying hydrated, exercising regularly, and improving gut health. These habits can help support your body's natural detoxification processes and set you up for success on the keto diet.

How to Detox Before Starting Keto

Focus on hydration and drinking plenty of water

Staying hydrated is essential when detoxing before starting keto. Water is one of the healthiest liquids you can consume, and it helps to flush out toxins and waste from your body. When detoxing, you should aim to drink around eight glasses of water per day. However, the amount of water you need can vary depending on factors such as your body weight, location, activity level, and weight. To determine how much water your body needs, you can use a simple formula: divide your body weight in pounds by two, and this will give you the amount of water you should drink in ounces. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should aim for 75 ounces of water per day.

Drinking plenty of water has several benefits for your body. It helps to keep your mouth, nose, skin, and eyes moisturised and free from irritation. It also supports your kidneys by aiding in the delivery of nutrients to them. Additionally, research suggests that increased hydration promotes fat loss and contributes to a healthier overall body composition. Staying hydrated can also naturally suppress your appetite, reducing your calorie intake and preventing weight gain during a detox diet.

To ensure you're drinking enough water, it's recommended to start your day with a glass of plain water and keep a full glass of water nearby as a reminder to drink throughout the day. You can also set reminders on your phone or download a water-tracking app to monitor your intake. While water should be your primary source of hydration, you can also include other liquids such as low-sugar broths, juices, sports drinks, and popsicles to stay hydrated.

In addition to water, consuming electrolytes is crucial when detoxing before keto. The keto diet can cause an imbalance in electrolytes, leading to dehydration and symptoms like muscle cramps, headaches, fatigue, constipation, and increased thirst and hunger. To prevent this, ensure you're getting enough electrolytes like sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. You can use salt/electrolyte tablets, lite salt, or simply add more salt to your food. Eating keto-friendly foods rich in electrolytes, such as leafy greens, avocados, and nuts, can also help maintain electrolyte balance.

Remember, proper hydration is key to supporting your body's detoxification processes and overall health, especially when starting a keto diet.

Eat leafy greens, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and other sulfur-rich vegetables

Eating leafy greens, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and other sulfur-rich vegetables is a great way to prepare your body for a keto diet. These vegetables are full of nutrients and sulfur compounds, which are key to the detoxification process.

Sulfur is an important element that doesn't get enough attention. It is found in sulfur-containing compounds called glucosinolates (GSL). Glucosinolates are believed to contain antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which can help prevent diseases and keep your cells healthy. Broccoli sprouts have the highest amount of GSL, but cauliflower is a good source as well and is much more versatile.

Cancer Prevention

Glucosinolates may help prevent cancer by protecting cells from toxins and oxidative stress. They can inhibit cancer-causing enzymes, trigger phase 2 enzymes that eliminate carcinogens, stop the cell cycle in cancer cells, induce death in cancer cells, prevent new blood vessels from developing, and alter sex hormones to inhibit hormone-related cancers.

Heart Health

Chronic inflammation can lead to heart disease and even cancer. Sulforaphane, found in cauliflower, can help reduce oxidative stress and lower blood pressure, which is an indication of a healthy heart.

Cognitive Health

A diet high in vegetables, especially leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables, may slow down cognitive decline and prevent dementia. This is because Trx and GSH help maintain homeostasis in the brain, which is prone to oxidative stress and inflammation. Cauliflower also contains high levels of choline and phosphorus, which are necessary for proper brain function.

Skin Protection

Exposure to UV radiation can damage skin cells' DNA, causing wrinkles, dark patches, and an increased risk of skin cancer. However, the SFN in cauliflower can protect your skin from UV damage by activating various enzymes, with effects lasting up to three days.

Respiratory Health

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is a disease caused by certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV), resulting in benign tumors in the air passages and difficulty breathing or swallowing. Cauliflower contains I3C, which can help prevent or treat RRP by helping the body detox harmful forms of estrogen.

Pain Relief

SFN, an anti-inflammatory agent, has been found to play a role in pain management. It was effective in reducing pain from diabetes-related nerve damage in mouse studies and increased the effects of opioids.

Mental Health

SFN-rich broccoli sprouts prevented young mice from developing inflammation-related depression as they aged. Controlling inflammation may be a way to help patients with depression, as it has been linked to brain inflammation, similar to Alzheimer's disease.

In addition to the health benefits outlined above, these vegetables are also a great source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which are all important for the detoxification process and overall health.

Avoid juice cleanses and focus on cutting out sugars

When preparing to start a keto diet, it is important to cut down on sugar. Sugar is known to have adverse effects on health, such as increasing the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Additionally, sugar can kick you out of ketosis, preventing your body from burning fat for energy.

Sugar cravings will likely subside within a few days of starting a keto diet. However, cravings can return when you see or smell tempting foods high in carbohydrates. To avoid this, it is essential to identify and avoid hidden sugars in your diet. Read nutrition labels and be cautious of low-fat products, processed foods, and seemingly healthy foods like pasta sauce, salad dressings, bread, rice, and noodles. Opt for whole foods and natural sweeteners like stevia, erythritol, and monk fruit.

Cutting down on sugar has several benefits, including improved weight management, better blood sugar control, lower risk of heart disease, enhanced dental health, and potentially a lower risk of certain types of cancer.

Instead of sugar, focus on consuming collagen-rich proteins and bone broth. Collagen helps turn food into calorie-burning machines, boosting metabolism and facilitating muscle growth while supporting weight and fat loss. Bone broth is also recommended as it is a healthy liquid that can be consumed within the keto cleanse detox diet.

In summary, avoiding sugar is crucial when preparing for a keto diet. Identify hidden sugars, opt for natural sweeteners, and focus on consuming collagen-rich proteins and bone broth to support your weight loss and detoxification goals.

Support your gut health by eating non-starchy vegetables

Supporting your gut health is an important part of the keto diet and detoxification. Eating non-starchy vegetables is a great way to do this, as they provide dietary fibre, which promotes the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and assists detoxification in the liver and kidneys.

Non-starchy vegetables are also a good source of vitamins and minerals, which are essential for maintaining overall health. For example, leafy greens like kale and arugula are rich in calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, and iron. They also contain antioxidants that can help prevent cell damage and reduce inflammation.

Other non-starchy vegetables that are recommended on the keto diet include broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, avocado, bell peppers, tomatoes, and mushrooms. These vegetables are low in carbohydrates, but high in nutrients, making them excellent choices for a keto diet.

When following a keto diet, it is important to limit your intake of starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, corn, and peas, as they are higher in carbohydrates and can make it more challenging to reach ketosis.

By including a variety of non-starchy vegetables in your diet, you can support your gut health, promote detoxification, and still enjoy a range of tasty and nutritious meals.

Consume collagen-rich proteins and bone broth

Collagen-rich proteins and bone broth are highly recommended when preparing for a keto diet. Collagen-rich proteins support rapid fat loss as the amino acids in collagen help your body turn more of the foods you eat into calorie-burning machines, boosting your metabolism. This facilitates muscle growth while still supporting weight and fat loss.

Bone broth is a nutrient-rich liquid made by simmering animal bones and connective tissues. As the bones, bone marrow, ligaments, and tendons break down, they slowly release their health-boosting magic into the water, which later becomes broth. Bone broth contains nearly 20 amino acids and over half of them are considered essential amino acids that we need to thrive. Bone broth also contains essential minerals, electrolytes, and vitamins. Minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and sodium give bone broth an electrolyte boost.

• Chicken bone broth
• Beef bone broth
• Eggs
• Leafy greens
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Asparagus
• Avocado

Frequently asked questions