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Apple Cleanse
When apple season is in full swing, I enjoy following an apple cleansing routine two to three days a week. If cleansing with apples, celery, and other clean foods while having plenty of energy and strength to go about your daily activities sounds appealing, here's what you do:
Eat nothing but apples whenever you are hungry, from the time that you wake up to the time that you usually have dinner.
For dinner, you can have whatever your appetite calls for. But it would be best if you could have your dinner meal consist of at least 50 percent green vegetables.
Here are a few examples of optimal dinner meals:
Example A
Steamed broccoli
Brown rice
Avocado
Healthy dressing from our recipe archives
Example B
Steamed kale
Quinoa
2 organic eggs, scrambled
Healthy dressing from our recipe archives
Example C
Steamed asparagus, spinach, and green peas
Three ounces of wild salmon
Healthy dressing from our recipe archives
If you find yourself looking for a snack later on at night, go back to munching on apples or celery. And if you really need something more, have your crisp apple slices and celery with almond butter.
If you're using a green food powder or other whole food supplements, take one or both with your dinner meal.
That's it.
Many people who have followed this detox routine have reported losing unwanted weight, feeling more energetic, having clearer skin, and just feeling better than they have in a long time.
And because this routine will supply your body with healthy calories whenever you are hungry, the detoxification effects will not be so abrasive that you will have to take time off of work or from your daily routine to get extra rest.
Another nice feature to this routine is that you can benefit from following it for one day, several days, or even a few weeks.
Just one note of caution: if you have high blood sugar or any problems related to your blood sugar regulating mechanisms, you may want to substitute apples with non-sweet vegetables like lettuce, celery, tomatoes, and cucumber. And of course, before following this or any other detoxification routine for more than a few days, it's prudent for you to consult with a health care provider who can provide you with personalized guidance as you seek to get healthier.
I hope this apple cleansing routine proves to be beneficial to your health.
Addendum:
As of September 2015, I have been recommending eating one full rib of organic celery with every apple eaten, and have found that results are consistently more impressive than with apples alone. I encourage giving this a try if you don't have an aversion to eating plenty of celery.
Including celery improves overall hydration and intake of non-starchy polysaccharides like apiuman that provide powerful anti-inflammatory effects throughout the body, and especially within the lining of the digestive tract. With any cleanse, a primary goal is to restore full integrity of the mucosal lining of the digestive tract, which is why celery is an excellent choice with most detoxification programs.
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Comments
apple cleanse
thank you
Is it possible and beneficial
Is it possible and beneficial to eat following this template on a daily basis for years? Is it this suitable just for a short cleanse? (up to a few weeks maximum?)
Thanks!
Yes, Patrick, it is
Yes, Patrick, it is absolutely possible and beneficial to follow this type of diet for the long term. I would suggest to stay aware of your dental health, as in some cases, eating too many apples without enough greens and proper dental hygiene may increase risk of cavity formation.
Thank you for your answer.
Thank you for your answer. Yes, I actually focus on the celery much more than apples. I find it better and more filling.
Why would anyone want to do
Why would anyone want to do this for years, Patrick? That makes absolutely no sense. Your body needs good saturated fats from animal products and cannot survive without them for long, especially people who have certain diseases. I have Sjogren's Syndrome and my body is in desperate need of good fats that only come from animals and things like home-rendered pork lard (from a quality sourced animal, of course). Sjogren's dries the body and the organs if not handled properly. This is why I would never follow a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle for very long, and couldn't do so with good conscience either.
I like to eat seasonally, I think that is a wonderful idea, no matter what is available on store shelves, whether it be a conventional grocery store or my local health food store or food co-op. We do have an abundance of varieties of apples right now and I love celery so this works for me. I'm going to do 3 days and see how it goes; if I'm doing ok I may increase it to one week, but that will be it for me.
More isn't always better, sometimes it's just more, even if we're talking about time.
I don't know if you read the
I don't know if you read the article in full, but it's not about only apples and celery. You eat this way during the day, and then you eat a normal dinner at night (including animal fats as you said as I agree is important). I like the template.
APPLE/CELERY CLEANSE
Can you do this in a NUTRA-BULLET instead of the biting and chewing, just drink it?
apple sauce
Is it ok to make mine in to applesauce? I like the warmness....cooked!
IBS and cleansing
I have suffered from IBS in the past and have worked my way up starting with 1/8th of a peeled apple, to now I am healed enough now to be able to eat a whole apple, with the peel, in a sitting. I do have to limit fiber intake though or I experience flare-ups. My big trigger to look out for is cellulose in supplements and now even hidden in foods! My question is, how would someone who has struggled with IBS in the past, go about doing a cleanse like this? Should we use cooked apples?
Hi Dr. Kim,
Hi Dr. Kim,
Would this cleanse help me get to normal iron blood levels? I'm trying to restore or build my iron as I am anemic with a current low hemoglobin of 9. Thanks
This sounds like a cleanse I could actually stick to!
Thanks so much for this!
Wondering, though, since it's got so much fibre in it, if it's an okay cleanse for someone with leaky gut.
The healing and reduction in inflammation would be a treasure beyond words, if it is, because I am not processing food properly, and joint/muscle pain sometimes keeps me from being able to wash dishes or hand-write anything.
Celery
Just to clarify, is one rib of celery one piece?
Length of apple cleanse
Hello,
How long would you recommend eating this way for optimal results?
Kindly
Rashelle
Apple cleanse
How much water should we drink on the Apple cleanse?
Apple Cleanse
As usual, great article Dr. Ben!
Would the celery still be as beneficial to the cleanse if it is cooked?
Liking celery now.
Thank you for the suggestion of this cleanse, especially when apples varieties are so wonderful in the autumn. I came across this interesting information on apples from www.whfoods.org and wanted to share it. I have to say that I have disliked celery my whole life. I would pick it out of everything. I have been recently trying to eat more whole nutritious clean foods and cutting out refined sugars and refined wheat. Adding more pre & probiotic foods as well. I find now that I actually don't mind the celery and it kind of tastes naturally sweet/salty. Bought some really fresh and organic. When I get rid of the junk, my body then interprets healthy as tasty. Great how that works!!!!
"Recent research has shown that apple polyphenols can help prevent spikes in blood sugar through a variety of mechanisms. Flavonoids like quercetin found in apples can inhibit enzymes like alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase. Since these enzymes are involved in the breakdown of complex carbohydrates into simple sugars, your blood sugar has fewer simple sugars to deal with when these enzymes are inhibited. In addition, the polyphenols in apple have been shown to lessen absorption of glucose from the digestive tract; to stimulate the beta cells of the pancreas to secrete insulin; and to increase uptake of glucose from the blood via stimulation of insulin receptors. All of these mechanisms triggered by apple polyphenols can make it easier for you to regulate your blood sugar." by www.whfoods.org
Alternative to Apples
Hello Dr. Kim,
Would it be possible to substitute mangoes for the apples as where we are the mangoes are indigenous & in season therefore cheaper than apples,
Thanks
Paula
Hello Paula,
Hello Paula,
Yes, mangoes are fine. I would, however, be sure to take some leafy lettuce and/or celery with each serving, as this will offer some protection against the natural sugars and acids in mangoes. Avocado is also helpful in this regard.
Warmly,
Ben
Thanks Dr Kim
Thanks Dr Kim
I did an apple cleanse with
I did an apple cleanse with only apples and a little bit of celery for three days, beginning last Friday. Since Day 2 of the cleanse I have had urethral bleeding estimated at about 2 teaspoons per day, that has persisted beyond the three days of the cleanse into Day 6. My diet for Days 4-6 has been vegetables, fruits, eggs, and beans. I have searched and found nothing that says urethral bleeding is a normal side effect of the apple cleanse. I would be very grateful for your advice. Thank you.
I'm sorry to know about your
I'm sorry to know about your discomfort. It is possible that there is some elimination of debris occurring from higher up in your genitourinary tract. It would be prudent to visit your primary care physician for an evaluation and routine urine test. I hope things go well.
Apple Cleanse
Hello, Dr. Kim,
Yesterday I began your apple/celery cleanse modified for hypoglycemia and off-pattern sleep: After the first 24 hours, the electronic scale showed a drop of 4.0 pounds. I had no trouble keeping my brain and blood glucose high enough to use the cleanse, and my sugars did not noticeably rise or crash. I ate a large mixed salad (kale, many kinds of beans and peas, bell peppers, etc.) for breakfast after having a water thinned mug of coffee with types 1, 2 and 3 collagens, and chocolate flavored collagen proteins, plus stevia and almond and coconut milk. I ended up consuming three apples and three celery ribs until 4:30 PM. I had another thinned mug of coffee with protein added at 5:00 PM, exercised strenuously in the pool an hour later, and slept from 8:30 PM to 12:30 PM. I was up until 4:30 AM, and slept again from then until 6:45 AM (6 hours 45 minutes/ sleep). I am a lightworker and receive downloads from universal sources in the middle of the night (on occasion I will sleep for two to three hours in late afternoon after my last light “meal”, to supplement sleep). The routine was so successful that I was able to lose four pounds of fluids and more. I find that having dinner for breakfast is ideal for me because I need to regulate my sugars first thing in thel morning. The kicker is the next few days’ of cleasing, how I do, and whether my routine might help others with blood/brain glucose issues. Thank you for posting details of this cleanse! This is the first time I have been able to do it without causing myself low sugar issues like blacking out. I’ll repost in a week.