Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse
What is Shakeology?
First of all, what is Shakeology? Shakeology is a low calorie, nutrient-dense drink. Sort of like Slim Fast, but better. Some people refer to it as a meal replacement shake, but it's more like a ultra-premium health shake. It contains 70 ingredients that consist of vitamins, minerals, protein, phytonutrients, prebiotics, and digestive enzymes. If you could take your daily supplement and add some protein to it along with antioxidants and other good-for-you-stuff and put it in a glass, you'd have Shakeology. It's available in two flavors: Chocolate and Greenberry. (The folks at Beachbody are still working on a vanilla flavor. They can't seem to find a source of vanilla that isn't artificial and won't compromise the nutritional value of the product. Apparently even the mighty vanilla bean has its limits.)
FUN FACT: Beachbody coach Blake Warrington from Boise, Idaho decided to go out and purchase all the ingredients and supplements needed to formulate one serving of Shakeology. He ended up spending $483.12 and filled up his kitchen counter with all but 8 ingredients, which he couldn't find!
What does cleansing mean?
The Shakeology 3-day cleanse is not a true cleanse in every sense of the word, but is instead described as "a calorie restricted nutrient dense eating plan." In other words, for every Shakeology calorie you consume, your body is getting a lot of bang for the buck. This would be unlike, let's say . . . eating a bag of Twizzlers, which are very high in calories but very low in terms of any nutritional value. One serving of Shakelogy is low in calories but very high in terms of valuable nutrients. Make sense?
While traditional "cleanses" contain very few calories, they also contain very few nutrients. This is what makes the Shakeology 3-Day cleanse a little different than most. Steve Edwards, Beachbody's nutrition advisor, prefers to use the term "nutrient efficient eating" as opposed to "cleansing", but unfortunately it's not all that catchy.
He says, "You eat a meal with a balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and fiber every few hours. And while you’re not eating as much food as you’d normally eat, your calorie to nutrient ratio is extremely high, meaning that the actual nutrients you’re getting should not be too restricted so activity can continue as it normally would."
Because of this difference, the Shakeology cleanse can be more accurately described as a "performance cleanse." Calorie restriction is not the ultimate goal here, the idea is to get the most nutrients possible out of the fewest number of calories. Then, if you put all of these calories to good use as part of an exercise program, your body is going to become more efficient as it rids itself of undigested food and toxins.
OK, so what's the deal? Will it help me lose weight or what?
Weight loss is a natural side-effect of doing the Shakeology 3-Day cleanse. This is because as the undigested gunk gets flushed out of your system, hydration levels return to normal and your body returns to a normal state of homeostasis. Most people eating a typical American foods retain a ton of water due to excessive sodium in their diets.
It's quite possible that the average American has no idea what it feels like when the body functions the way its supposed to. Someone who doesn't exercise and eats a diet that consists mostly of refined carbohydrates and high-fructose corn syrup doesn't know what it means to "feel good." That's just sad!
How Does the Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse Work?
1. First thing you do when you wake up in the morning, drink 1 cup of green tea (can be caffeinated or non-caffeinated).
2. For breakfast: Shakeology with water and ice (one serving of fruit with your breakfast is optional). If you have higher calorie requirements based on weight or activity level, you'll probably want to add the fruit.
3. Mid-morning snack: 1 serving of fruit (your choice)
4. Lunch: Shakeology with water and ice, followed by 1 cup of green tea
5. Mid-afternoon or After-dinner snack: Shakeology with water and ice.
6. Dinner: Salad with 3 servings of greens plus 4 oz. grilled white meat (fish, chicken, turkey), with 2 tablesoons of balsamic vinegar dressing.
Additional Tips:
- Be sure to drink plenty of water: 2-4 liters each day
- Absolutely no dairy including almond or rice milk in your Shakeology, water or ice only! However, non-pasteurized dairy is OK if you're used to that sort of thing . .
- If your 8-10 oz. serving of Shakeology doesn't feel like enough, you can add more ice or water to increase bulk.
- For vegetarians, tofu, beans, or lentils on salad is OK instead of meat.
To purchase Shakeology, visit MyDailyShake.com