Now that you've read all about Dr. Cabral's 7-Day Detox, let me tell you about how it went for me! Spoiler alert: it definitely was not as difficult as I thought it would be, and the end result was a whole lot better than I was expecting...win-win!!!
For this 7-day detox, your eating schedule for the week looks like this:
Day 1 & 2: one scoop of the nutrition powder in 20oz of water four times a day, with the addition of two FM & two AYU detox capsules with your first shake and last shake.
Day 3-7: two scoops of the nutrition powder in 20oz of water and two of each of the detox capsules in the morning, a detox-approved lunch, then repeat the nutrition powder & capsules instructions from breakfast, and a detox-approved dinner.
Pretty easy, right? The detox comes with a food guide so you know exactly what you can/can't have, which makes groceries and meal-prepping for the week stress-free.
So let's dive right in to the detox!
Day 1 & 2
I decided the best day for me to start the 7-day detox would be on a Saturday, so that the two days I knew I couldn't eat (and would probably have low-energy) would be on days I wasn't working and could stay home & relax. I had no idea what to expect out of this detox, because like I mentioned in my previous post, detoxes I had done before would leave me feeling incredibly low-energy and weak, making random trips to the toilet, and ignite migraines that would leave me in pain for hours.
Another reaction one can expect from doing any sort of detox is what's called a Herxheimer reaction. It's nothing to be scared of, because it's just a sign that your body is actually detoxing (yay!), but it's not always the most comfortable, unfortunately. When your body is trying to get rid of all the toxins you have stored in your body quickly, this can cause skin breakouts, fatigue, and for me especially: headaches. Your body may go through a withdrawal period from caffeine, sugar, and processed foods, but luckily, on this detox, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be, and like it says on the Detox FAQs, any sort of withdrawal symptoms should clear up by the end of the third day.
The good news? No headaches or skin breakouts! The headache thing for me was HUGE. The most challenging part of Day 1 for me was that since I was home, all I wanted to do was munch on food. That's it. There were no laxative-like effects, no headaches, I just really wanted food. It also didn't help that these first two days, you only get one scoop of the powder in 20oz of water - so I wasn't a fan of the taste. You get to choose between vanilla or chocolate when you order the detox, and I am definitely happy that I went with vanilla, because with how watered down it is on these first two days, I have no idea how bad chocolate would've tasted. However, I was focused on getting my health on track, so I knew I could sacrifice taste for health during these two days. For taste, it helped me to drink the powder in 10oz of water, and then chug another 10 oz of water after the shake.
Day 1 was definitely the most challenging because all I wanted to do was munch on food. I had to keep reminding myself why I was doing the detox in the first place, and that I was mentally strong enough to not let my cravings get the best of me. Day 2 got a little easier, and knowing that I got to eat on Day 3 helped me get through it!
Day 3
After fasting for two days, I was SO EXCITED to wake up on Day 3 because I knew this was the day I could eat food again. If anything, just the thought of eating again probably gave me more energy than the food itself! If weight loss is your goal, then you stick with two scoops of the powder in water for breakfast and the four capsules (the shake tastes so much better with two scoops!!). If weight loss isn't your goal, Dr. Cabral says in the FAQs that you can add 1 cup of blueberries to your shake - best believe I was so happy to add them to my shake in the morning. Who knew blueberries could taste so good?
I will admit, I kind of cheated and had a cup of coffee in the morning too, but since I was detoxing, I drank my coffee black (I usually put a sweetened oat milk creamer in mine). They do mention in the FAQs that they don't recommend you have caffeine for the best results, but if you can't give it up, then the best way is to have a cup no bigger than 6oz in the morning, and that you drink it black.
For lunch, I had organic baby carrots & cucumber slices with organic hummus. By the afternoon, I almost missed my shake before dinner because I was never hungry and felt I needed it. I had plenty of energy, worked out with light weights, and was productive with my day.
For dinner, I made an organic salad with butter lettuce, cucumbers, avocado and cherry tomatoes, topped with olive oil and fresh-squeezed lemon, and chicken breast seasoned with salt on the side.
Food never tasted so good.
Day 4
By Day 4, I weighed myself and realized I was losing more weight than I wanted to, and so I decided to up my calories. I love that this detox can be modified so that if weight loss isn't your goal, you can still go through the liver detoxification process and give your body a health reset! If weight loss is your goal, though, the weight sheds off pretty quickly. My goal for this detox was not weight loss, but I did weigh myself to track my experience during this, and on Day 1 I was a little over 110lbs. By Day 4, I dropped to 102lbs, so I modified my meals. Luckily, the detox guide gives a list of food you can add to your meals if weight loss isn't your goal (like berries and sweet potatoes).
Days 5-7
Days 3-7 are an absolute breeze! I had plenty of energy to exercise, I was getting great sleep, and by days 5-7 it didn't feel like I was still on a detox. I did have to set a reminder in my phone to take my second shake and capsules after lunch, because I never felt hungry enough to want to eat between lunch and dinner, but my morning shake was just like having my normal morning smoothie since I added the blueberries, and I loved the meals I had planned for lunch & dinner.
Turkey burgers with butter lettuce and avocado, wild-caught salmon with sweet potatoes and asparagus, chicken with a fresh butter lettuce salad, all of it was so good!! By Day 7, I was done with the capsules and the detox shake powder, but I wanted to continue eating the detox-approved meals because not only did they taste great, but I felt amazing and my skin never looked so good.
That's one of the many reasons why I love this detox. It's not a quick "lose weight fast!" trick that's sometimes harmful for your body. It helps you reevaluate your relationship to food, while helping your body get rid of toxins, improving your energy and mood, and improving your skin! It helps you see how great you can feel if you cut out a lot of the stuff in your diet that keeps the weight on. I know for me personally, eating gluten & dairy on a regular basis causes so much inflammation and bloating that weight gain is inevitable. As soon as I cut both of those out along with processed foods, the weight sheds off and I feel & look my best.
I hope this was helpful to read, and I hope that you too will choose to put your health first and try a detox that will give your body a great health reset and nutritional boost!
Some helpful extras:
Please keep in mind that everyone's bodies are different, and that your experience with this detox may be completely different from mine. However your body handles it, this detox will help your body if followed correctly and you will lose weight, if that is your goal. Click here and scroll to the bottom to read other testimonials.
If you happen to have more serious underlying issues, this detox will still help your body but you may need to do a longer detox than just the 7-day one to see desired results.
If you decide to do the 14-day or 21-day detox, you only have to fast for the first two days, and then can eat the detox-approved meals for the rest of the time if your goal is to heal underlying health issues. However, if your goal is to lose weight, it's best to repeat the fast.
The detox is free of all major allergens, and the protein powder is vegan.
***Full disclosure: this blog post contains affiliate links that may be commissionable.
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