Healthy Liquid Diet

Among all the crash diets known today, like the master cleanse, the cabbage soup diet, the liquid diet is one of the most popular ones. It is a meal replacement diet where all the solid foods in the meal are replaced by liquids or liquid foods. A healthy liquid diet was meant, or designed, for people to be followed before and post bariatric surgery or colonoscopy, in order to clear the stomach of all solid foods. This diet is also prescribed after any form of stomach surgery so that no pressure is exerted on the stomach for digestion. However, in the recent times, the diet is popular and commonly used as a weight loss diet. But exactly, what is a liquid diet and how does it work? Let us take a look at it in detail.

Healthy Liquid Diet for Weight Loss

According to the popular version, in a liquid diet, as the name suggest, one should have only liquid foods throughout the day. A person can have different variations of liquids as meals for the prescribed period of time. According to other version of liquid diet for weight loss, one can substitute only one of the meals during the day with liquids. Which means you should have liquid foods for lunch or dinner and have a proper meal at the other time. A liquid diet is considered as one of the best weight loss diets, as when on liquid foods, a person naturally tends to consume less amounts of calories. As there are literally no fats involved in most liquid foods (except creamy and cheesy soups), a person can lose weight naturally. The healthy liquid diet is usually meant for extremely obese people, as weight is lost quickly and drastically on following this diet.

A liquid diet is divided into two types: a clear liquid diet and a full liquid diet. In a clear liquid diet, one is supposed to have only clear liquids (with no residue or pulp in it). Water, clear soups and juices, coconut water, etc. are some of the foods included in the clear liquid diet foods list. On the contrary, in case of a full liquid diet, one can include thick liquids (with pulp or residue). Cream based soups, fruits juices with pulp, cream containing coffee or tea, are foods to be included in the full liquid diet. A clear liquid diet plan is advised before and after a surgery; whereas those planning for weight loss can go for any of this liquid diet type.

Healthy Liquid Diet Plan

The following is a list of foods (or rather liquid foods) to be included in your liquid diet plan for weight loss.

• All fruits juices, smoothies, pulp, punch, puree
• Vegetable soups, broths, puree
• Non vegetarian soups
• Tea, coffee, sodas, soft drinks
• Milk, milk shakes, milk smoothie, soy milk, almond milk
• Protein shakes, sports drinks
• Honey, coconut water, jellies

You can plan your meals including any of these above mentioned foods. It should be noted that even if you feel hungry, you should have a liquid, and should not go for any solid foods; if on a complete liquid diet for weight loss. Apart from this, there are several other liquid diets that work for healthy weight loss. The master cleanse diet, the cabbage soup diet, the Hollywood diet, etc. are some of the popular diets. The master cleanse is considered as the best liquid diet for weight loss.

Although the healthy liquid diet is effective for weight loss, there are also a few side effects associated with it. One does not gain all the essential nutrients like calcium, fibers, proteins, from a liquid diet alone. Secondly, once the person discontinues the diet and returns to the normal diet, there are chances of weight gain. One may also initially experience headache, anxiety, when on a liquid diet. In order to prevent this, it is advisable to consult a doctor and have the diet monitored.