A detox plan is a recommended diet for those individuals who practice sports because their diet must contain large amounts of protein for energy.
However, studies show that this is not entirely true since between 50% and 60% of the energy we spend must come from foods rich in carbohydrates such as pasta, potatoes, rice, or bread since they are later transformed into glucose.
As an athlete, cleansing and detoxing your body should be your routine to keep you healthy and fit for rigorous activities.
When toxins accumulate in your body as an athlete, it makes you feel fatigued and reduces your energy level. A healthy detox diet can promote good health, increase alertness, and eliminate toxic substances from one’s body.
A detox diet is a welcome therapy for preventing bloating and weight gain that comes with holiday indulgence.
But are detox diets healthy for athletes or others with active lifestyles? The more you rely on your dietary intake for performance, the more factors you should think about when changing what you eat.
What Detox Does To Athletes
#1. Colon Cleanses
Cleansing the colon improves digestive health and mechanism which is the final stage of your digestive process.
Adding spinach, avocado, ginger, cucumbers, and lemons are key detox recipes to cleanse your colon and make you feel lighter and healthier as an athlete. There are several different approaches to cleansing your colon.
Another way to keep your colon healthy is to keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water and consuming water-containing foods like lettuce and celery.
Bloating can be prevented by preparing a saltwater cleanse of sea salt mixed with a glass of lukewarm water. Eating high-fiber foods like vegetables and whole grains is a time-tested method to increase colon health.
#2. Juice Cleanses
A juice detox which is also known as a juice fast. As the name implies, this detox diet involves eating strictly just vegetables and drinking fruit juice for a period of one to three days.
During this period of the juice detox process, an athlete begins by slowly avoiding food intake like red meat, refined sugar, and dairy while increasing vegetable and fruit intake.
Then arrives a couple of days of just juice intake. After the fast, light eating is advised for a few days.
This diet is temporary due to the low caloric intake. It’s a great detox diet for an athlete, but can impact energy levels for those with active lifestyles.
#3. Liver Cleanses
Detox diets for liver cleanse and kidney cleanses aim at boosting these organs to function properly and also help the body’s natural detox.
It’s recommended for an athlete to incorporate healthy fruits, vegetables, and spices into their detox diets such as garlic, beets, and watermelon.
These detox diets are commonly sustainable for the long term. Athletes can benefit from preparing fresh and nutrient-dense vegetables.
This idea collides head-on with the conception of detox regimes since they usually openly do without this type of nutrients. Therefore, if we practice sports, we must carry out menus that provide us with enough calories for the development of the activity.
Detox Menu For Athletes
#1. In this way, we can adapt the fundamentals of detox diets that promote the consumption of both fruits and vegetables to food routines that are specifically designed for individuals who practice sports.
It is essential to consume the energy rations that are proposed in these eating plans varying, if anything, the carbohydrates taking into account the appetite of each one of us. For this reason, it is also recommended to carry out an exhaustive weekly control of our body weight.
#2. An example of a menu of about 1,500 calories in which the detox philosophy has been partially introduced could be the following: for breakfast a cup of skimmed milk, orange juice, half a cup of whole grains, and 30 grams of low-calorie cheese.
In the middle of the morning a skimmed yogurt and an apple; at lunch a plate of boiled vegetables with a small potato, a fillet of lean meat or grilled white fish, and a pear.
For a snack a banana and a low-fat yogurt; at dinner a mixed vegetable salad, a grilled white fish fillet, an orange, and a glass of skimmed milk.
Conclusion
A detox plan for athletes is a typical menu that does not have to be adapted to the needs of any person. In case of doubt, we strongly recommend visiting a nutrition professional who can more precisely define the diet that you should carry out according to the objectives that we have set for ourselves.
