Book Review: Detox for Women

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Detox for Women is the latest addition from clinical nutritionist Natalia Rose, best known as the author of The Raw Food Detox Diet. I was interested to see what Natalia came up with in her new book since I enjoyed the recipes in her other books and know that she has inspired many to take up a raw food lifestyle.

One of the main benefits of Natalia’s approach is that she makes the raw food diet accessible to anyone. Detox for Women is no exception and in this book, she presents a detox diet that is not extreme, yet will still produce excellent results.

Personally I also advocate a slow and steady approach to detoxification because if too many toxins are released into an imbalanced system this can overload the detoxification organs. The end result of this is that generally that you wind up feeling even worse than before you started. In most cases, extreme methods can also trigger cravings as the body attempts to restore its natural balance.

Rose states that it is not wise to try to keep our diets totally pure for these reasons. Additionally, a less strict diet will make it easier to stick with the plan and this ultimately leads to better results in the long term.

In basic terms Detox for Women is a 4-week plan involving a high raw diet that is designed with the intention of bringing Candida under control. Rose created this plan because she realized a couple of years ago that most of the women that were coming to see her were suffering from the symptoms of yeast overgrowth, whereas in the past it was only a handful.

Rose highlights several factors that need to be addressed in order to bring a Candida problem under control:

1) Reduce intake of starches and sugars

Rose states that most approaches to the raw food diet include foods that contribute to a Candida overgrowth such as fruit, sprouted grains, and honey. However, it is not necessary to completely eliminate sugars and starches, just reduce their intake.

Quinoa, buckwheat, yams and winter squash are permitted in moderate amounts. Rose recommends eliminating most fruits with the exception of those with a low glycemic index such as granny smith apples, berries, and grapefruit. Stevia is the only permitted sweetener.

2) Avoid foods that are hard to digest

Certain foods are to be avoided for this detox diet including nuts, dried fruit, grains, dairy products, and meat because they are very hard to digest.
Rose also says that women have an especially hard time with fats because we don’t metabolize them as well as men. She suggests limiting your intake of oils, including olive and coconut oil, as much as possible.

3) Eat Quick Exit Meals

Just as in Rose’s other books she highlights the importance of food combining for optimal digestion. She says that poor food combining increases acidity in the body and can dramatically affect your energy levels.

4) Create space in your gastrointestinal tract

Rose says that two meals a day is all we need and recommends limiting snacks to raw vegetables only. When we eat more often than this the excess food can bank up in our system and overwhelm the capacity of the bowel, leading to constipation.

In place of breakfast, Rose recommends fresh green vegetable juice, which will actually support your elimination and give you loads of energy.

5) Bowel cleansing

Rose is an advocate of enemas and colonics in order to remove built-up waste matter. Personally I don’t feel these are necessary most of the time, except perhaps if experiencing stubborn constipation during a detox diet.

Although many foods are eliminated this diet also provides a lot of flexibility with dieters being permitted to consume goat cheese, eggs, fish, dark chocolate, and even wine. I don’t quite agree with the concept of eliminating most fruits while still allowing chocolate and wine, except perhaps for the fact that including these foods may make it easier for some women to follow the plan without feeling deprived.

Sample Meal Plan

Breakfast:

Fresh green vegetable juice

Lunch:

Large raw vegetable salad topped with a whole avocado

Afternoon snack:

Fresh vegetable juice OR

Raw vegetables with salsa OR

Raw vegetable soup

Dinner:

Salad with steamed vegetables and fish or goat cheese OR

Baked sweet potatoes with salad and avocado

Dessert:

Dark chocolate

While the recipes included in the book look simple and delicious if you are hoping for something new from Rose you will be disappointed. Almost all the raw food recipes are the same as found in her previous books, sometimes modified slightly to make them more appropriate for this detox diet.

I never really paid much attention to the cooked food recipes in her other books but there appear to be a few new cooked recipes in this book including vegetable soups and a few seafood dishes. There are no dessert recipes in this book but Rose says that it is perfectly fine to have dark chocolate for dessert each day if you like.

Things I like about this diet

• The high intake of greens, including green juices, which will help to alkalize the body. This can be a very important factor for recovery from a Candida overgrowth and health improvement in general.
• The elimination of nuts and the reduction of oils, which are often consumed in excessive amounts by those eating a raw food diet. This is a big factor that will improve digestion and assist with the release of excess weight.
• Food combining and allowing adequate time between meals will also support digestion and increase energy levels.
• The high degree of flexibility that will allow anyone to be able to experience the benefits of eating a high raw diet.

Things I don’t like about this diet

• Restricting the intake of fruit. While reducing fruit intake can help some dieters to control Candida I don’t believe it is necessary to eliminate sweet fruits from the diet completely. Fresh fruits eaten in moderate quantities will not cause an excessive surge in blood glucose levels.
• Recommending daily intake of chocolate. Even 70% chocolate contains refined sugar and in my opinion, you would be better off getting your sugar from fruit. Additionally, chocolate can be very addictive for many people and has been associated with insomnia and heart problems. In my mind, it is definitely not an ideal evening snack.
  • Conclusions
    Detox for Women offers a gentle introduction to a detox diet with a high percentage of raw foods that may help dieters to also address the issue of Candida overgrowth. However, this method may not be effective for everyone and those with complicated health challenges may find it necessary to experiment with other approaches to the raw food diet in order to achieve a complete recovery.

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