Liquid diet is considered an effective way to detoxify your body and lose weight. And they can be easily prepared in different varieties to make you feel fresh. This sounds great. Isn’t it? A liquid diet can have many health benefits also. It is generally used as the beginning of any weight loss program. With this you can get rid of all unwanted toxins accumulated in your body. It cleanses and rejuvenates your body and mind. Once your body metabolism is sets right, losing or managing weight becomes a routine, which helps you in following other weight loss programs and maintaining your weight in future.
Liquid diet for you
Most of the liquid diets, lack in excess calories, thus reducing the energy in the body. The calorie intake is sufficiently reduced. As a source of energy required by your body, the excess accumulated fat is utilized, which results in weight loss. Liquid diet is generally followed for a short period like a few days and following it for a long term is not advisable, as it can affect your nutritional status. However, there are programs which suggest it for a longer period; in that case special attention should be given to your health and nutrition. Also, the program should be followed by slow introduction of solid meals and then a weight maintenance plan so as to avoid regaining weight.
While you are on liquid diet you can have
- Fruit juices and pureed vegetables, juices and soups.
- Cooked cereals soups, cream of wheat, oatmeal.
- Protein shakes, eggnog, meat soups.
- Custards, plain yoghurt, milk, milk shakes and tea.
There are many commercial preparations available for you to choose from; for example high protein shakes, milk shakes, soy preparations etc.
Food to avoid
Certain foods that you need to avoid while following a liquid diet are:
- Meat and other meat products
- Highly processed food like bread, cookies etc
- Food rich in fat like cheese, butter etc.
Types
There are a few options, which you can follow your liquid diet plan.
- Liquids only
This type of liquid diet suggests only liquids for all meals in the entire day. You can choose the number of days, but health status needs to be kept in mind.
- One meal only
This type permits you to take one solid meal and replacing other one or two meals with liquid diets in a day.
- Selective days only
If you want to be safe and still follow the liquid diet, you can choose particular days in a week, when you can have a liquid diet. This can give you the required nutrition during other days, while you can have a liquid diet day for cleansing your system.
Sample meal plan for full liquid diet
Morning:
- 1 glass milk
Breakfast:
- 1 bowl cream of wheat
- eggnog
- 1 cup tea
In between:
- 1 glass orange juice
Lunch:
- ½ bowl spinach soup
- ½ bowl thin oatmeal
- ½ cup fruit dessert
In between:
- 1 glass soymilk
Dinner:
- ½ bowl tomato soup
- 1 bowl vegetable puree
- ½ cup custard
Before bedtime:
- 1 apple milkshake
In case you would like to follow the one meal only type, you can replace just one of the above meals with a healthy weight loss solid meal. For example,
One meal:
- 1 steamed fish
- ½ bowl brown rice cooked with veggies
- 1 bowl green gram sprouts salad
- ½ apple
