This article is an excerpt from the Shortform summary of "The Plant Paradox" by Steven R. Gundry. Shortform has the world's best summaries of books you should be reading.
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What happens in the Plant Paradox Phase 1? How does the Plant Paradox three-day cleanse kickstart the new lifestyle?
Plant Paradox Phase 1 is the first step of the diet that creates the Plant Paradox lifestyle. It is a modified fast in the form of a three-day cleanse.
Read more about the Plant Paradox Phase 1, also known as the Plant Paradox three-day cleanse.
Plant Paradox Phase 1: The Cleanse
Plant Paradox Phase 1 is a three-day cleanse, or modified fast, designed to starve the bad bacteria and put your gut in the best condition for Phase 2; think of it as weeding and preparing the soil before you plant new crops.
Plant Paradox Phase 1 is optional—you can skip straight to eliminating and adding the right foods in Phase 2—but it will take a little longer to see results if you don’t start with the cleanse because a damaged gut doesn’t reap all the benefits possible from good foods. If you choose to do Phase 1, be sure to begin Phase 2 immediately after; otherwise, you’ll lose the positive effects of the cleanse.
By the end of the cleanse, you’ll:
- Have a new balance of good and bad gut microbes (more good than bad)
- Lose a few pounds of mostly water weight
- Reduce inflammation
The cleanse has three components:
- Foods to eat and avoid
- Laxative
- Supplements
Component 1: Foods to Eat and Avoid
During the Plant Paradox three-day cleanse, these are the foods that are off-limits:
- Canola
- Corn
- Dairy
- Eggs
- Farm animal meat (e.g. beef)
- Fruit
- Grains or pseudo-grains
- Nightshade plants
- Roots (e.g. beets, carrots, ginger)
- Seeds
- Soy
- Sugar
- Tubers (e.g. potatoes, jicama, and yams)
Now let’s look at what you can eat. Vegetables should be organic, in season, and grown locally and sustainably, if possible. They can be fresh or frozen, and you can have as much as you want, either cooked or raw. You can eat no more than 8 ounces of protein a day in two 4-ounce portions.
You should start each day with a green smoothie; this smoothie combines spinach, romaine lettuce, avocado, mint, fresh lemon juice, and stevia extract, along with some water and ice. Your drink choices for the rest of the day are
- 8 cups of water (tap, sparkling mineral, or still mineral) per day
- Green, black, and herbal tea
- Regular or decaf coffee
You can use stevia extract or Just Like Sugar to sweeten your tea and coffee.
You can have one or two snacks a day. They may be lettuce boats filled with guacamole, half an avocado seasoned with lemon juice, or one-quarter cup of approved nuts, including walnuts, pistachios, and macadamia nuts.
Additionally, be sure to get at least eight hours of sleep and exercise regularly, outdoors if possible.
During Plant Paradox Phase 1, you may still crave off-limits foods while the bad microbes are still dying off. If you find you’re still hungry, eat more of the approved vegetables; don’t eat more than the recommended amounts of guacamole, avocado, fish, or chicken. A few glasses of water may also ease your hunger.
Component 2: Laxative
Component 2 of Plant Paradox Phase 1 is to take an herbal laxative called Swiss Kriss, or something comparable, the night before beginning the cleanse. This component is optional, but it serves the same purpose as beginning the PPP with the cleanse: The laxative clears things out and starts with a clean slate to kick-start your results.
The laxative contains anise seed, calendula flower, hibiscus, peach leaves, caraway seeds, peppermint oil, strawberry leaves, and the active ingredient senna, or sennosides. These ingredients get rid of the bad microbes.
Component 3: Supplements
Component 3 is to take natural supplements to enhance the effects of your cleanse. This component is also optional, but can help kill harmful gut bacteria, fungi, and molds more quickly; this is strongly recommended if you have leaky gut, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or an autoimmune condition.
Helpful supplements include:
- Grapefruit seed extract
- Mushrooms or mushroom extracts
- Oregon grape root extract (or berberine, the active ingredient)
- Spices, including cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, and wormwood
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Like what you just read? Read the rest of the world's best summary of Steven R. Gundry's "The Plant Paradox" at Shortform .
Here's what you'll find in our full The Plant Paradox summary :
- Why eating more vegetables isn't enough, and why some vegetables are toxic to your body
- The science behind lectins and how they tear apart your body, making you fat and sick
- The 6-week program to get your body back on healthy grack
