Modified Elimination Diet with 28-Day Cleanse Guidelines
Products needed: Opti Cleanse GHI/ or I5 /MedCaps DPO, a good multi-vitamin like Active Essentials
Wanting to lose weight, improve energy, and feel good? Everyone needs a good cleanse every once in awhile! This is not a bowel cleanse but a “metabolic” cleanse to help your body’s systems re-align and start working the way they were intended. This dietary approach has been most helpful with patients who complain of fatigue, recurrent gastrointestinal problems (especially diarrhea), food intolerance or sensitivity, chemical or environmental sensitivities, chronic headache, and muscle or joint pain of unknown origin.
It is theorized that, by simply eliminating foods that are most commonly associated with chronic disease and by providing a low glycemic , antioxidant-rich diet, one can substantially improve his or her health and quality of life. This plan goes beyond dietary modification, striving to achieve an optimal health outcome. The plan incorporates very high quality, clinically tested functional food shakes that contain ingredients scientifically proven to support health body composition and the body’s natural detoxification mechanisms.
The first weeks of your 28-Day Cleanse may be challenging: however, your effort will be rewarded. Although you will need to avoid many foods and beverages you are accustomed to eating daily, you will likely discover palate-pleasing flavors and textures among alternate foods. You will also enjoy the convenience of a functional food “shakes” and the variety of flavors available. Most everyone who carefully follows his/her practitioner’s dietary advice and consumes the shakes and supplements as recommended achieve success. They feel better, look healthier and younger, and have more energy.
This plan is only to be used under supervision of a licensed healthcare practitioner following a comprehensive assessment of your personal needs and subsequent adjustments to the basic plan if necessary. The plan should not be followed beyond 28 days without proper reassessment. Your response to this plan is based upon your individual biochemical make up, medical history, and health status at the time you begin. Should any troublesome symptoms occur while using the plan, discontinue the functional food and contact your healthcare practitioner for guidance.
The diet is dairy- and gluten-free and usually well tolerated.
Primary Guidelines:
- Eliminate all dairy products, including milk, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, butter, ice cream, and frozen yogurt. Avoid products like soy cheese, which are made with casein (a milk protein).
- Eliminate fatty meats like beef, pork, or veal. Chicken, turkey, lean cuts of lamb, and cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel, and halibut are acceptable if you are not allergic to or intolerant of these foods. Select from organic or free-range products whenever possible.
- Eliminate gluten. Avoid any foods that contain wheat, splet, kamut, oat, barley, or malt. This is the most difficult part of the diet, but it is also the most important. Unfortunately, gluten is in many common foods, including bread, cereal, pasta, crackers, and products containing flours made from these grains. Products made from rice, millet, buckwheat, and gluten-free flour, or potato, tapioca, and arrowroot may be used as desired by most individuals.
- Drink at least two quarts of water, preferably filtered, daily.
- Avoid all alcohol-containing products, including beer, wine, liquor, and over-the-counter products that contain alcohol. Also avoid all caffeine-containing beverages, including coffee, caffeine-containing tea, and soda pop. Coffee substitutes from gluten-containing grains should be avoided along with decaffeinated coffee. Be sure to read the labels of cold remedies and herbal preparations, as they frequently contain caffeine and/or alcohol.
- Avoid foods containing yeast or foods that promote yeast overgrowth (processed foods, refined sugars, cheese, commercially prepared condiments, peanuts, vinegar, and alcoholic beverages).
28-Day Cleanse – The Plan:
- Eat 5- 7 small meals each day. Try to eat every 2 to 3 hours. Never go past 3 hours without eating. Remember, Breakfast is ALWAYS a “shake”.
- Goal: Stabilize blood sugar, reduce hunger and carvings.
- Eat protein/carb/fat at each meal. Do not eat just a protein or just a carb – you must have a balance of a protein – carb – fat. We recommend that you do your best to eat a 40:30:30 balance diet consisting of 40% protein, 30% good carbs and 30% healthy fats.
- Reason: The body needs all three macronutrients to heal, repair and rebuild the body’s function and structural biochemicals.
- Keep fruit servings to only 1-2 servings/day. Too much fruit will spike your blood sugar and may cause your body to slow down the healing process along with the loss of excess body fat. This is especially true for the insulin resistant patient.
Food Group |
Allowed |
Avoid |
| Meat & PoultryLegumesFishEggs | Chicken, Turkey, lean LambAll legumes, dried peas, lentilsCold-water Fish (Salmon, Halibut, Mackerel, Trout)Boarshead (nitrate free) turkey is okay. | Red meat, Cold cuts, Frankfurter, Sausage, Canned Meat and Canned TunaEggs or any egg replacement of any kind |
| Dairy Products | Milk Substitutes (Rice Milk & Nut Milk) | Milk, Soy, Cheese, Cottage Cheese, Yogurt, Ice Cream, Cream, Non-Dairy Creamers |
| Starch | Sweet Potato, Arrowroot, Brown Rice, Tapioca, Buckwheat, Millet | All gluten-containing products (Grains, Pasta, etc)All corn and corn-containing products |
| Bread/Cereal | Any made from Rice, Quinoa, Amaranth, Buckwheat, Teff, Millet, Soy, Potato Flour, Tapioca or ArrowrootEzekiel and Genesis breads are okay. | All made from Wheat, Oat, Spelt, Kamut, Rye, Barley or Gluten-Containing Grains |
| Vegetables | All vegetables, preferably organic, fresh, frozen or freshly juiced, especially cruciferous such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, collards, radishes and watercress | Any vegetables creamed or canned and made with prohibited ingredients. All corn and any corn-containing products. |
| Fruits | Preferably organic, fresh, unsweetened frozen and/or water-packed canned fruits. | Citrus, strawberries, sulfite-containing dried fruit, sweetened fruit drinks, fruitades, jams, jellies and syrups |
| Soup | Clear. Vegetable-based broth; homemade vegetarian, chicken or turkey soup; chili made with ground chicken or turkey | Any soups creamed or cannedAny with gluten flours or grains |
| Beverages | Freshly prepared or unsweetened fruit or vegetable juice (preferably organic), filtered water, non-citrus caffeine-free Herbal Tea | Milk, dairy-based products, Coffee, Tea, Cocoa, Postum, Alcoholic Beverages, Soda, Sweetened Beverages, Citrus Drinks |
| Fats/Oils | Cold, expeller pressed, unrefined, light-shielded Canola Oil, Olive Oil, Salad dressing made from allowed ingredients and preservative/additive free | Margarine, Shortening, Butter, Refined Oils, Salad Dressing and Spreads |
| Nuts/Seeds | Almond and/or Cashew Butter. (Limit to 2 tablespoons a day) | Nuts of any kind are not encouraged |
| Sweeteners | Brown Rice Syrup, Fruit Sweeteners (Agave), Stevia, and Xylotol as a sweetener | Brown Sugar, Honey, Molasses, Maple Syrup, Fructose,All Artificial Sweeteners |
| Condiments | Salt-free Herbs and Seasonings-Basil, Cay, Caraway, Chives, Cinnamon, Curry, Dill, Fry Mustards, Garlic, Ginger, Mace, Marjoram, Mint, Nutmeg, Parsley, Poppy Seeds, Balsamic or Rice Vinegar, Savory, Tarragon | Salt, Soy Sauce, Mayonnaise, Ketchup |
For snack ideas and more details see the enclosed brochure. 28-Day Cleanse Brochure
What do I do after the 28-Day Cleanse? – See 28-Day Cleanse Brochure
Supplements Needed:
Functional Food (you’ll need 5 containers to complete the full 28 days). Choose one of the following:
- OptiCleanse GHI Shake – This formula provides optimal detoxification and supports the gastrointestinal mucosa and the body’s natural anti-inflammatory response.
- Daily MutliVitamin & Mineral – Active Nutrients
- Start your 28 Day Cleanse with the 6-Day Detox Kit.