How Does the Fat Flush Diet Claim to Work?
Although the original diet was created in 1988 and designed to last two weeks, the current plan Dr. Gittleman promotes in her books and on her website is called the New Fat Flush Plan. It consists of four phases:
- Phase 1: Three-day liquid detox
- Phase 2: Two-week cleanse
- Phase 3: Reintroduction of gluten-free carbohydrates
- Phase 4: Maintenance phase
The structure of this diet follows an elimination diet, a concept where you remove foods from your diet for a certain period of time and slowly reintroduce them. Traditionally, these diets are done to identify food allergies or sensitivities, or foods that trigger disease flares.
According to the Fat Flush website, the phases of this diet and food choices target “underlying causes” of weight gain, including liver toxicity, thyroid dysfunction, magnesium deficiency, not enough fat in the diet, microbiome imbalance, water retention, stress, and even parasites.
The detox diet is built around “fat-flushing” foods that Gittleman says act as diuretics or burn fat, such as hot lemon water, plain water, lean protein, low-glycemic-index fruits and vegetables, flaxseed oil, and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). GLA is a type of omega-6 fatty acid.
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