The Best Weekend Detox Diet

Are you feeling sluggish and bloated? Or perhaps your skin is looking a little dull? It could be that your system is in desperate need of a simple, yet effective detox diet.

ALSO SEE: Our top 7 detox tips you need to know

Why a gentle detox diet works 

While your body naturally detoxes on it’s own – and you certainly don’t need to live off green juice for a week, there’s no harm in helping your body’s natural detox process along with a gentle detox diet. Late nights, stress and processed food, plus a little too many glasses of wine or bubbly, as well as too much caffeine, can put your liver, kidneys and gut under strain, says UK-based nutritionist, Fiona Hunter.

This quick detox diet will help you reclaim your health and achieve a slimmer waist in a weekend. Plus, it’ll boost your immune system, help your body detox and give you heaps of energy to tackle the busy weeks ahead. The focus shouldn’t be about denial – but rather on fresh, cleansing and restorative foods that are easy to digest and that your body needs to thrive.

Tips to make your detox diet work

Schedule your detox for the weekend or over two days when you have no other commitments. This will help you to relax and gain the maximum benefits from the detox diet. Stock up on fresh, whole foods with minimal packaging. Prepare nourishing vegetable soups or salads beforehand.

Try to drink at least 1,8 litres of water each day to help flush out your kidneys. Ayurvedic-medicine practitioners recommend drinking warm water (plain or with lemon) as it helps speed up the elimination of toxins.

Find water boring? Add…

• Slices of cucumber with fresh mint
• Slices of apple with a few slices of fresh ginger
• Slices of strawberry and a few basil leaves

Fresh juices might help boost vitamins and antioxidants, but they contain lots of sugar. So, if you want a juice, limit yourself to one a day, and go for a fruit-and-veggie combo. Avoid drinking regular tea and coffee, but you can replace them with green, herbal or fruit tea.

The plan includes a tub of probiotic-rich yoghurt each day, as stress, poor diet and antibiotics can destroy friendly bacteria in your gut and lead to poor gut health. If you don’t eat dairy products, take a supplement containing lactobacillus acidophilus or bifidus bacteria.

ALSO SEE: Top celebrity detox tips

Your weekend detox diet

Day 1 – Saturday

On waking

A mug of hot water with 1 slice of fresh lemon and 2 slices of fresh ginger.

Breakfast

Overnight muesli:

Place 3tbsp sugar-free muesli in a bowl, add 200ml oat or rice milk, cover and leave in the fridge overnight. Add 1 grated apple, a handful of blueberries, and 1tbsp Greek yoghurt.

Mid-morning

1 apricot and almond bite:

1. Blitz 100g almonds in a food processor for 30 seconds.
2. Add 90g chopped dried apricots, 50g dates, 2tbsp raw oats and 3tbsp peanut butter, and process. Roll into balls.
3. Coat with 35g desiccated coconut and pop in the fridge for 1 hour.

Lunch

Carrot and peanut salad:

1. Peel and coarsely grate 1 large carrot.
2. Whisk together 2tbsp orange juice, ½tsp balsamic vinegar, 1 crushed garlic clove and 1tbsp sesame oil.
3. Roughly chop 25g salted peanuts and mix with the carrot and 2tbsp chopped fresh chives. Toss with the dressing.

Kiwi and pomegranate fruit salad:

Peel and slice 1 large kiwi and mix with the seeds from 1 pomegranate.

Mid-afternoon

1tbsp red-pepper hummus (available from Woolworths) on 1 rice cake.

Evening meal

Avocado and prawn tabbouleh: 

1. Place 40g bulgur wheat in a pan, cover with boiling water and simmer for 10 to 15 mins.
2. Drain and stir in 90g cooked peeled prawns, 4 halved cherry tomatoes, 2 finely chopped spring onions, 1 small diced avocado and 1 crushed garlic clove.
3. Then add 2tbsp each chopped fresh mint and parsley, 1tbsp olive oil, juice of ½ lemon, and pepper.

Orange slices with cinnamon: 

Peel and slice 1 large orange, sprinkle over ½tsp ground cinnamon and chill.

At bedtime

2 medjool dates. They’re the best quality, a great source of fibre and have a low- to medium-GI to release sugars slowly.

Think about your food while you eat, and take time to chew it – the digestion process begins in the mouth, so this is really important.

ALSO SEE: How to improve your digestion and gut health

Sunday

On waking

A mug of hot water with 1 slice of fresh lemon and 2 slices of fresh ginger.

Breakfast

Spiced fruit compote: 

Makes enough for 2 servings

1. Place 125g mixed dried fruits, such as apples, apricots, prunes, and ½tsp ground cinnamon in a bowl.
2. Pour over 150ml orange juice and 150ml boiling water. Allow to cool, cover and leave overnight in the fridge.
3. Mix 1 level tsp cornflour with cold water to make a paste.
4. Drain the liquid from the fruit and place in a small pan, stir in the cornflour, bring to the boil and cook for 1 minute. Stir back into the compote.
5. Serve with one small tub of probiotic yoghurt.

Mid-morning

Berry smoothie:

Place 100g frozen summer berries and 200ml oat, almond or rice milk in a blender, and whizz until smooth.

Lunch

Leek and watercress soup:

1. Heat 1tbsp vegetable oil in a pan, add 1 finely sliced leek and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add 1 peeled, diced potato and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
3. Add 400ml chicken stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Take the pan off the heat, add 100g watercress. Allow to cool, then transfer to a food processor and purée until smooth.

Fresh fruit salad:

Cut ½ a small melon, mix with 1 peeled and sliced kiwi fruit, and the flesh of 1 passion fruit.

Mid-afternoon

1 apricot and almond bite (recipe above)

Evening meal

Scrambled eggs with flaked poached salmon.

Yoghurt with fresh raspberries.

Bedtime

2 medjool dates.

ALSO SEE: Smart snacks to try now

DISCLAIMER: Before starting any diet, you should speak to your doctor. You must not rely on the information on this website/newsletter as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare provider.