3-Day Gut Cleanse Diet & Meal Plan

After a busy or stressful period in our lives that takes us off balance, our mind and body can benefit from a dedicated health and wellness reset. In a perfect world, we would be making decisions every day to ensure we're feeling our best; with the energy and vibrancy we would like to live our lives to the fullest. But even experienced cleansers will tell you that sometimes our busy lives, stress, hectic schedules, social life, and much more, tip everything a bit off balance, especially our gut and detoxification system.

When our gut isn't healthy or we have toxin buildup we can start feeling an array of symptoms ranging from lack of deep and restorative sleep, brain fog, mood swings, lack of energy, digestive issues, skin problems, among other things. We know that when we start feeling these things, it's time for a cleanse. While doing the Clean 7 or Clean 21 detox programs work wonders - sometimes you simply desire a quick 3-Day Gut Cleanse. We've created this 3-day meal plan to help your body get what it needs to help you boost your energy and enhance mood regulation. We include at least one liquid meal per day to decrease the workload of the digestive system and boost your nutrient intake.

The basic guidelines of our 3-Day Gut Cleanse Diet include:

1. Follow the Elimination Diet

The Elimination Diet is an important pillar in functional medicine. It involves eliminating foods that we might be sensitive to or that are causing some sort of inflammation. Within Clean, our Elimination Diet consists of removing Dairy & Eggs, Gluten, Sugar, Coffee, and Alcohol. We also suggest removing all processed foods. In our cleanse programs we go further and eliminate corn, nightshades, sobre fruits, beef, peanuts, among other foods that commonly cause sensitivities.

2. The 12-hour Fasting Window

Between the last meal of the day and the first meal of the next day is usually the longest fasting period we sustain every day. Digestion is one of the most energy-consuming functions of the body. If it is constantly tied up with digestion, your body will place deeper cleansing on hold.

Digestion takes roughly 8 hours, so beyond those first 8 hours, our body just begins to repair and intensify the detoxification processes. We suggest at least 4 hours of this period. This adds up to the 12-hour window we include in our programs. If you can fast intermittently for more than 12 hours (14,16, or 18 hours) you can further intensify some of the benefits of intermittent fasting.

3. At Least One Liquid Meal a Day

Liquid meals help free up energetic and nutritional resources for our bodies to use. They help speed up the digestive process since they are practically ready for absorption. Since the body does not have to work as hard to digest the food, more nutrients can be absorbed at a faster rate and with a smaller energy requirement. As you reduce the energy and nutritional requirements for digestion, you free up these resources for other body systems and functions to use. Then nutrients and energy can be used for cell repair, rejuvenation, and enzyme and hormone synthesis, among other needed functions for optimal health.

Our gut-health reset programs Clean 7 and Clean 21 include 2 liquid meals a day to support detoxification and digestive health. The following meal plan includes 1-2 liquid meals a day in the form of a smoothie, juice, or a soup. This will help restore your energetic and nutritional resources and balance in the body.

DAY 1

Breakfast

Green Coco Shake (by Frank Giglio)

2 cups coconut water (see below)
1 ripe avocado, halved and pitted
1 giant handful baby spinach
3 tablespoons whole cashews
Pinch of a natural sweetener (avoid refined sugar)

Blend until smooth and creamy.

Lunch

Hemp Pesto Crusted Halibut (by Frank Giglio)

Serves 4

1 pound halibut (or any local wild-caught fish), cut into 4 fillets
2 large handfuls of lettuce greens tossed in a lemon vinaigrette
For the pesto:
1⁄2 cup hemp seeds
1 medium beet, finely diced (approx. 1 cup)
1 garlic clove, diced
2 lemons, sliced thin
1⁄2 cup basil leaves
1⁄4 cup olive oil, plus extra to dress the fish
1–2 teaspoons sea salt
Black pepper, freshly ground

To make the pesto, place the hemp seeds, beets, and garlic into a food processor and pulse until the beet is finely chopped. Add the lemon, basil, and seasonings. Keep processing while drizzling in the olive oil. Note: For this dish, the pesto is best on the thicker side, so only add enough oil to well puree the mixture. Pour the pesto into a bowl and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat the fish fillets with some olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper and cover with thin slices of lemon. Place fillets in a baking dish and bake for 10–25 minutes or until cooked through (check with a fork).

Divide the lettuce greens onto 4 plates, top with the halibut, and place a scoop of pesto on each piece of fish. Serve warm.

Dinner

Lentil Salad

1 cup dried green lentils

For the dressing:

1⁄2 teaspoon cumin
1⁄4 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon ginger, freshly grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
Juice of 1 lime
1⁄4 cup olive oil
1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt
1⁄4 cup pineapple, diced small

For the salad:

1 cup zucchini, diced
1 cup cucumber, diced
3⁄4 cup carrots, diced
1⁄4 cup cilantro leaves, pulled off stems and chopped
1⁄4 cup scallions
2 cups salad greens, washed and dried

Place dried lentils in 3 cups purified water and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. When tender, remove from heat and drain. Set aside to cool.

To make the dressing, place cumin, turmeric, ginger, garlic, lime juice, olive oil, and sea salt in a glass jar with a lid and shake vigorously. Or place all ingredients except pineapple in a food processor and process until smooth. Add pineapple last so the dressing is chunky. To assemble the salad, place the lentils and all the vegetables, except the greens, in a bowl. Add dressing, mix well, and let sit for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Serve on top of the greens.