There are certain times when we all feel like we need a metabolic reset or a 1-day detox to cleanse the body and refresh our entire system.
In these types of situations, the idea of a 24-hour detox diet plan can be appealing as a chance to hit the reset button and get started in a healthier direction.
But, is it possible to do a detox 1 day diet plan that actually works? What is the best way to detox your body in 24 hours? What is the best 1 day detox diet plan?
In this guide to a 1 day detox diet, we will discuss whether a 1 day detox is possible, the benefits of a 1 day detox plan, and the best way to detox your body in 1 day.
We will look at:
- What Is a 1 Day Detox Plan?
- What Is the Best Way to Detox Your Body In 24 Hours?
Let’s get started!
What Is a 1 Day Detox Plan?
A 1 day detox plan, or 24 hour detox protocol, isn’t an official detox diet plan with a specific, delineated detox diet in the way that some weight loss diets have specific stipulations about what you can eat or not eat on the diet.
Rather, a 1 day detox is an attempt that some people may gravitate towards to serve as a metabolic or health reset of sorts after overeating, drinking too much alcohol or feeling unwell for one reason or another.
That said, while it is possible to follow a 24 hour detox plan of sorts, there is no magic way to detox your body with specific “detox diet foods “ or “detox diets supplements.”
The real benefit of doing a 1 day detox plan is to serve as a mental reset.
It’s a commitment to try to make healthier choices moving forward so that you can feel better and support your body in losing weight (if that is the ultimate goal and necessary based on your body weight and composition) or make healthier food choices moving forward.
It is much like a digital detox, in which you may step away from social media, phone use, or even computer and TV use for a period of time as a way to reset your addiction or reliance on technology and screen time.
A detox one day program is a great way to hit the “refresh“ button on your nutrition and lifestyle choices so that you can better reach your weight loss and health goals moving forward.
In this way, a detox one day diet plan can jumpstart a healthier approach to eating, exercising, alcohol consumption, caffeine consumption, sleep hygiene, and more, moving forward.
What Is the Best Way to Detox Your Body In 24 Hours?
The only real way to detox your body is to support your body with proper nutrition, good sleep, regular physical activity, and plenty of water so that you optimize the natural detoxification processes of your kidney and liver.
What Are the Best Foods to Detox Your Body In 24 Hours?
While we will discuss some of the best foods to help detox your body, the most important thing when it comes to foods to detox your body is actually the foods you should avoid more so than the foods you should eat for detox.
This again harkens back to the fact that the liver and kidneys will do all of the detoxing, and there are no magic elixir foods that detox the body.
Rather, consuming certain foods will slow down or “gunk up“ the processing of other toxins in your body by the liver and kidneys, as foods containing certain compounds and chemicals present a toxic load.
Therefore, a 24-hour detox plan should eliminate all of these inflammatory foods.
Examples of foods to avoid on a 1-day detox diet include the following:
- Caffeine, except for green tea
- Alcohol
- Processed foods of all types
- Sweetened beverages
- Artificial sweeteners
- High-fructose corn syrup
- Any foods with added sugar
- Foods with added sodium
- Fast food
- Fried food
- Dairy products
- Soy
- Corn
- Gluten
- Refined grains
- Chewing gum
- Anything that doesn’t come from “nature’s package,“ which means that it was processed or manufactured in some way and cannot be found naturally in nature.
Here are some of the best foods to eat to detox the body in one day:
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Dark, leafy green vegetables like beet greens, spinach, and arugula
- Dandelion greens
- Green tea
- Lemons and lemon water
- Flaxseeds
- Peppermint tea
- Chamomile tea
- Seaweed
- Celery
- Apples
- Quinoa
- Oats
- Beets
- Cabbage
- Water, water, water
Drink More Water
The single best thing you can do to help detox your body quickly is to drink more water. Water will help your kidneys flush out extra toxins by increasing urine excretion.
Just be sure to consume electrolytes with your water if you are drinking a ton of water and not eating foods high in electrolytes, as drinking too much plain water can deplete sodium levels.
This could lead to a potentially fatal condition known as hyponatremia.
Exercise
In addition to consuming the best detox foods and eliminating foods that are bad for the body, a 1 day detox plan should include exercise.
The best exercise to detox your body will depend on your current fitness level and physical limitations.
Walking, yoga, tai chi, swimming, and low-intensity exercise are good ways to move your body without causing excessive stress if you have been inactive.
Moving forward after your 1 day detox, you should build up to consistently meeting the guidelines for physical activity for adults by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the British Heart Foundation.
These are to accumulate either 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity cardio exercise per week and two full-body strength training workouts per week.
Adopt a Positive Mindset
Setting concrete intentions for healthier lifestyle practices moving forward, physically writing down at least three things that you are grateful for, adopting a positive mantra, and trying some mindfulness meditation are great ways to get your mindset in a healthy place during a 24 hour detox.
Commit to setting a habit of these healthy mental health behaviors.
Re-Examine Your Sleep
Getting enough high-quality sleep every night is paramount for feeling your best and supporting all of the organs in your body, including the detoxifying kidneys and liver.
Use your 24 hour detox plan as an opportunity to audit your sleep hygiene behaviors.
Consider how you may need to adjust your bedtime in order to set yourself up for success in reaching the recommended amount of sleep for adults every night, which is 7 to 9 hours, per the National Sleep Foundation.
There are countless components that can go into better sleep hygiene.
- Consider using a good sleep mask to help block out light. Our pick for the best sleep mask is the Dream Recovery 3D Performance Sleep Mask.
- Invest in premium bedding that will keep your body cool and help regulate your temperature, like the Rest Duvet Evercool™ Cooling Comforter and Evercool™ Cooling Starter Sheet Set.
- Wear comfortable, temperature-regulating sleepwear made from natural fabrics to prevent overheating, itchiness, and uncomfortable buttons and wrinkles that you might otherwise lie on top of. The most comfortable sleepwear is Cozy Earth, and it’s made from super soft, sustainable viscose from bamboo.
- If you sleep hot, look into a high-quality mattress cooling pad such as The Perfectly Snug Smart Topper.
- If you are restless at night or suffer from anxiety, a weighted blanket can be helpful by providing deep pressure. Our pick for the best weighted blanket is the Luna Double Sided Sherpa Weighted Blanket.
- Running a fan at night can provide not only a cool breeze to keep your body temperature optimal for sleep but also serves as a white noise machine, which can block out disruptive noises and keep you asleep. We love the Dreo PolyFan 513S because the fan blades make a very smooth and even sound, and you can adjust the height to hit you based on your mattress height perfectly.
Other important sleep tips include avoiding screens or using a blue light filter at least one to two hours before bed, stopping caffeine at least six hours before bed, and keeping a consistent sleep routine.
Remember, there is no magic 1 day detox plan that will really expedite the normal detox mechanisms that automatically take place in your body.
However, if you want to aid your kidneys and liver in their detoxifying roles, optimizing your hydration is key. Check out our guide to a 14 day water drinking challenge here.
