Why is a Cleanse Day so important for Optimal Health?

by Joe Cohen

Wellness Director

Many who start weight loss programs struggle with restricting their food intake. Even a heart healthy Mediterranean diet requires cutting back on calories to be most effective. However, increased hunger and more frequent eating are common when attempting to reduce calories. Over time, this can become frustrating and eventually cause the pounds to return — known as rebounding.

While eating a heart healthy Mediterranean diet focuses on increasing nutritional density while reducing calorie consumption, it fails to address one very important aspect: the frequency we eat. This is where time-restricted eating and periods of fasting enter the equation. In fact, intermittent fasting may even be a better approach compared to cutting calories.

Although there is a lot of information available about various types of intermittent fasting and its potential benefits, it can become very confusing. How long should you fast? What should be consumed before, during, and after your fasting period? Are there beneficial products to supplement your fast?

What distinguishes Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is essentially periods of voluntary abstinence of food and drink, except for water. While seemingly simple, for many this can appear contrary to what they’ve heard for years about a “diet.”  However, fasting is an ancient practice and is used in various ways by people around the world.

The current body of scientific literature continues to support an intermittent fasting-type diet as at least as effective as daily caloric restriction. This is both for short and long-term relative to weight loss.

Specifically, intermittent fasting includes eating patterns in which participants go extended periods (typically 16 to 48 hours) with little or no caloric intake. There are also intervals of normal food intake on a recurring basis. Studies which reported adherence to the IF days show significant compliance, meaning the participants stayed on the regimen. More importantly, intermittent fasting doesn’t appear to lead to compensatory overeating in any of the trials.

Aside from weight loss, IF also promotes health through cellular and molecular mechanisms such as the activation of the adaptive cellular stress response. This signals pathways that enhance cell health and autophagy, a natural, regulated mechanism of the cell that removes unnecessary or dysfunctional components. Research has also shown regular IF supports metabolic, heart, immune, and brain health.

A Unique Scientific Approach

While the science behind IF has shaped Cleanse Days, the structure of our system goes beyond any other fasting protocol. One of the differentiating factors between a Cleanse Day and ordinary IF is a versatile and nourishing product called Cleanse for Life. This phytonutrient-rich botanical beverage was designed to support and reinforce your natural detoxification systems while providing a targeted amount of nutrition to help you feel energized.

One of the main problems with how many people eat daily is how their food is divided up during the day. For example, most Americans eat their smallest meal in the morning and their largest in the evening. This style of eating isn’t advantageous for building and maintaining muscle. That’s because protein intake should be more evenly distributed throughout the day. Additionally, eating most of your food at night may disrupt some important metabolic related processes. Specifically, carbohydrate and fat metabolism, appetite control, and sleep patterns.

Our program includes whey protein Shake Days, which provides high quality nutrition in the correct intervals throughout the day. This regimen combines two protein shakes with one well balanced whole food meal to keep you satisfied and properly fueled during the entire day.

Double the benefits with a sustainable combination

With our evidence-based nutritional program, you get double the benefits with IF on Cleanse Days and caloric restriction on Shake Days. This combination of Cleanse and Shake Days has been scientifically shown to improve body composition measurements and support long-term weight maintenance compared to a heart-healthy Mediterranean diet.

While weight loss remains one of the most popular reasons why many health conscious individuals opt for Cleanse Days, scientific research has identified many other benefits of IF.  And when you no longer need to release additional weight, keeping Cleanse Days in your routine will help you sustain the results already achieved.

How the Vitamins and Botanicals  in Cleanse for Life work

Cleanse for Life is a versatile product that provides various benefits depending upon how you use it. Taken daily either in the morning or at night, it provides antioxidant protection. When used for weight loss or detoxification support, it’s a key component of Cleanse Days. With its demonstrated benefits in mind, let’s take a closer look at the ingredients.

Among the B vitamins in Cleanse for Life are niacin, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. These are essential nutrients because of their roles in normal metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. They also help to convert food into energy and support your normal antioxidant and detoxification systems. Choline and inositol are included and closely related to B vitamins. They function by supporting normal metabolic and liver function.

Cleanse for Life also features various botanical ingredients with benefits ranging from soothing the digestive system to providing detoxification support. Working in synergy, the combination of these potent ingredients is designed for optimal nutrition on Cleanse Days as well as for daily use. Let’s take at closer look at each of them.

Aloe vera inner-leaf gel: Is an ingredient that shouldn’t be confused with aloe latex in the outer part of the plant and known for being a laxative. In fact, the gel used in Cleanse for Life is charcoal processed to ensure no trace of any laxative component from aloe latex remain. The gel contains polysaccharides associated with digestive support and improving nutrient bioavailability.

Tumeric: Contains a wide range of phytochemicals, and the one that has attracted worldwide attention is curcumin. Curcumin’s influence on metabolic pathways are numerous and  complex. These include supporting detoxification, decreasing oxidative stress in overweight and middle-aged adults, and supporting blood vessels and lipid metabolism (effects that contribute to brain and cardiovascular health).

Ashwaganda: Is an ancient Ayurvedic herb and adaptogen with many uses. Its chief biologically active components are withanolides found in plant’s roots.

Eleuthro and Rhodiola: Both adaptogenic herbs used in Russia and Scandinavia to strengthen the body’s resistance to stress and improve energy levels. The phytochemicals in these adaptogens work as key mediators to help maintain homeostasis during stress. Through this mechanism adaptogens also offer beneficial effects on the immune system and mental health.

Take another Step towards Optimal Health

Aloe vera-based Cleanse Juice is one of the three essential components in the unique San Marco Wellness nutritional program. The other two include an adaptogenic mineral tonic and an undenatured whey protein. This synergistic system is part of a multi-dimensional program.

San Marco Wellness takes a customized, medically supervised, and evidence based approach that includes nutritional cleansing, Semaglutide, a customized Mediterranean diet, and fitness recommendations. Getting started on this program begins with a qualifying 15 minute client intake phone interview with Wellness Director, Joe Cohen. The next step includes completing a medical consent form and requesting an appointment for consultation with Medical Director, Bridget Rossi.

You will schedule your first coaching session with Wellness Director, Joe Cohen, after completing your consultation with Medical Director, Bridget Rossi.  Completing and submitting your Lifestyle Questionnaire before your first coaching session will provide ample background information to ensure an optimally productive session. Contact Joe Cohen at San Marco Wellness to get started today.