Before You Cut Everything Out: A Smarter Diet Cleanup

Lifestyle, Physical, Senior Fitness, Uncategorized

By Chris Njoku-Moser

Cleanses, detoxes, carb removals, dairy removals, meat removals, sugar removals — the nutrition world loves a hard reset.

And to be fair, there are times when abstaining from certain foods can be useful. Taking a break from alcohol, reducing added sugar, cutting back on ultra-processed snacks, or noticing that a certain food is bothering your digestion can genuinely help.

But before we turn every food into the villain of the week, we have to ask a better question:

What is the long-term gain?

At Nesfield Performance, we work with busy professionals, parents, executives, entrepreneurs, and people carrying real-life responsibilities outside of the gym. We get it. You’re raising a family, running a business, managing a career, taking care of aging parents, sitting in meetings, commuting, traveling, and trying to have some version of a life.

We’re not trying to take you away from your entire lifestyle just so you can “learn how to eat better.” Food jail is a no-no. Assessing what you consume, understanding what actually works for you, and making informed decisions from there is the key.

The goal is building a way of eating that supports your body, your goals, your schedule, and your actual life.

The problem with the cleanse mindset

My issue with “the cleanse” is that it sells a very easy story and isolates one thing, as if health and wellness weren’t dynamic, ever-changing, and unique to each of us.

Our lifestyle commitments, our overwhelm, and our busy schedules all add to the appeal of believing that if you “remove this one thing, everything changes.”

The problem is that nutrition usually isn’t that clean. Most of the time, it isn’t just one food or one thing causing the issue — it’s the total pattern: portions, protein intake, fiber, food quality, hydration, sleep, stress, movement, alcohol, snacking, consistency, and whether the plan is realistic enough to repeat.

That is where cleanses can create more chaos than clarity.

A critical review of detox diets found little compelling clinical evidence supporting them for weight management or toxin elimination, and many of the existing studies have small samples or weak methods (Klein & Kiat, 2015). The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health similarly notes that detoxes and cleanses have limited evidence, and some can create problems such as electrolyte imbalance, unsafe ingredients, or inadequate nutrient intake depending on how extreme the approach is (NCCIH, 2024).

That doesn’t mean every short reset is automatically dangerous. It means we should stop pretending that a three-day juice cleanse is the same thing as learning how to eat.

A cleanse may make someone feel better temporarily because they stopped drinking, stopped eating fried food, stopped snacking late at night, increased fruits and vegetables, or simply reduced total calories. But that doesn’t speak to the nuance of the situation.

The better question is: can you build those same improvements into your normal life without needing to disappear into a cleanse every few months?

Absolute removals have a place, but they need a purpose

There are situations where removing foods makes sense. If someone has a diagnosed food allergy, confirmed intolerance, gastrointestinal condition, or clear symptoms tied to certain foods, an elimination process may be appropriate. But an actual elimination diet is not the same as randomly cutting out half the grocery store because a social media post said your body is “inflamed.”

A true elimination diet should follow a structure:

Remove the suspected trigger.
Track symptoms.
Reintroduce foods carefully.
Observe what happens.
Avoid unnecessary long-term restriction.

For food sensitivity or digestive testing, absolute removal of particular foods is best done with guidance from a registered dietitian, gastroenterologist, allergist, or qualified medical provider. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics notes that elimination diets may be administered by providers such as gastroenterologists, allergists, and registered dietitian nutritionists, with an RDN helping design the approach around individual needs and preferences (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, n.d.). In more complex protocols, such as low-FODMAP diets for IBS, systematic reviews also emphasize dietitian guidance, since nutrient adequacy and reintroduction matter (van Lanen et al., 2021).

Before you throw carbs into the wall

Carbs get blamed for everything:

Weight gain.
Bloating.
Low energy.
Insulin resistance.
Inflammation.
Cravings.

And yes, some carb sources are easy to overconsume. Highly processed snack foods, sugary drinks, desserts, and refined grains make it easy to eat more than you realize.

But before you throw all carbs into the wall, ask yourself: have I actually committed to better carb sources long enough to see what happens?

Have you consistently eaten:

Whole wheat seeded bread?
Quinoa?
Sweet potatoes?
Farro?
Oats?
Beans?
Lentils?
Fruit?
Vegetables?

Not once or occasionally, but consistently enough to actually gather feedback from your body.

Whole-food carbohydrate sources bring fiber, vitamins, minerals, and slower digestion into the conversation. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that whole grain intake, compared with refined grain intake, improved post-meal glycemia and insulinemia and may help support insulin sensitivity and reduce type 2 diabetes risk (Santos et al., 2021).

A more productive starting point for many people is:

Choose better carbs.
Pair carbs with protein.
Include fiber.
Control portions.
Strength train.
Walk after meals when possible.
Sleep better.
Repeat long enough to matter.

Before you throw meat out the window

Meat is another topic where people go to extremes fast. Some think they need to remove all meat to be healthy. Others think they need to eat more meat to hit their protein target. The truth is more individualized.

Before you throw meat out the window, ask:

Am I choosing leaner options often enough?
Am I eating portions that match my body and goals?
Am I eating meat because it supports my nutrition, or because it’s the most psychologically satisfying option on the plate?
Am I building meals around protein, vegetables, fiber, and smart carbohydrates, or am I just eating heavy meals and calling it “high protein”?

For some clients, reducing high-fat meats and choosing leaner proteins can help manage calories while still supporting fullness and muscle retention.

That doesn’t mean every meal needs to be chicken breast and sadness. It means the portion and pattern matter.

A steak can fit.
Salmon can fit.
Chicken thighs can fit.
Turkey can fit.
Eggs can fit.

But if the goal is body composition, performance, energy, or cardiometabolic health, the whole plate has to make sense — not just the protein.

Before vegetarians or vegans think they “have to” eat meat again

On the other side, some vegetarian or vegan clients panic when they hear they need more protein. They think, “Maybe I need to start eating meat again.”

Maybe. Maybe not. The better first question is: are you actually stacking your meals?

Plant-based eating can absolutely support health and performance, but it often requires more intention. A small bowl of vegetables with a few chickpeas sprinkled on top is not the same as a high-protein meal.

As someone who dabbles in a plant-based lifestyle, I can tell you plainly: my vegetarian bowls are heaping. That’s because plant-based protein often comes with more volume. To get a solid protein hit, you may need to stack foods like quinoa, beans, tofu, tempeh, lentils, edamame, soy yogurt, seeds, and sometimes a plant-based protein powder.

For example, a serious vegetarian bowl might combine quinoa, beans, and tofu together just to comfortably clear the 30-gram protein range, depending on portions and products used. And that’s a lot of food. Even for me.

A systematic review in The Journal of Nutrition notes that plant-based diets commonly rely on grains, nuts and seeds, soy products, beans, peas, and lentils as major protein sources (Mota et al., 2024). A 2025 nutrient-optimization study also found that vegan meals benefit from combining protein sources such as grains, beans/peas/lentils, and soy-based foods to improve overall protein and nutrient quality (Mariotti et al., 2025).

So before assuming plant-based eating “doesn’t work,” first ask whether the meal is built correctly. A plant-based plate usually needs structure:

A real protein anchor.
A fiber-rich carb.
A legume or soy source.
Healthy fats.
Enough total food.
Enough total protein across the day.

The issue is not discipline — it’s sustainability

A lot of people do well on a cleanse for a few days because the rules are clear. But clarity is not the same as sustainability. A short-term cleanse can create a temporary sense of control. The problem is what happens after.

Do you know how to build breakfast? Do you know what lunch should look like when work gets busy? Do you know how to eat at dinner without overeating? Do you know what to do when you travel? Do you know how to include carbs without spiraling? Do you know how to hit protein without making food miserable? Do you know how to recover after a weekend without punishing yourself?

That’s the real work.

Research on health behavior change consistently shows that long-term change depends on more than information. Autonomy, competence, support, and the ability to integrate habits into real life all matter. A meta-analysis of self-determination theory interventions found that supporting autonomous motivation and perceived competence can improve health behaviors (Ntoumanis et al., 2021).

That’s why at Nesfield Performance, we’re not just asking, “What can you cut out?” We’re asking:

What can you repeat?
What gives you energy?
What fits your household?
What supports your training?
What improves your labs, body composition, digestion, and confidence?
What can you still see yourself doing six months from now?

That’s where the magic usually is. Not in a cleanse. In repeatable behavior.

What to do instead of a cleanse

If you feel like you need a cleanse, start with a food audit before you start removing everything. Ask yourself:

Am I eating enough protein?
Am I getting 25–35 grams of fiber most days?
Am I drinking enough water?
Am I eating mostly whole foods?
Am I getting fruits and vegetables daily?
Am I strength training consistently?
Am I walking enough?
Am I sleeping enough?
Am I drinking alcohol more often than I want to admit?
Am I eating because I’m hungry, stressed, bored, rushed, or underfed?

That will tell you more than a random detox tea.

Then start with the basics:

Add protein to breakfast.
Swap refined carbs for whole-food carbs.
Build lunch around protein, vegetables, and fiber.
Use leaner proteins more often.
Keep the foods you enjoy, but control the dose.
Eat enough during the day so you’re not raiding the pantry at night.
Track for awareness, not punishment.
Make your environment easier to win in.

That’s not flashy. But it works.

The Nesfield approach

At Nesfield Performance, we’re not here to shame people for trying cleanses or resets. Sometimes people need a starting point. Sometimes a short reset can help someone realize they feel better when they reduce alcohol, processed food, and late-night snacking. That part is valid.

But the reset shouldn’t become the whole strategy. The goal isn’t to remove everything. The goal is to understand what belongs, what doesn’t, and what needs better structure.

Final takeaway

Abstaining from certain foods can be beneficial at times. But absolute removal should have a reason, a timeline, and a plan for what comes next.

Before cutting all carbs, try better carbs consistently. Before cutting all meat, try leaner portions and better plate structure. Before leaving a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, learn how to stack protein properly. Before assuming one food is ruining everything, look at the whole pattern.

Cleanses sell the idea that health comes from subtraction. But for most people, better nutrition comes from better construction.

Build the plate. Build the routine. Build the awareness. Build the support system. Build the lifestyle you can actually keep.

That’s how you stop needing a reset every few months. That’s how you learn how to eat.

Ready to build a way of eating that actually fits your life?

References

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (n.d.). What is an elimination diet? https://www.eatright.org/health/health-conditions/allergies-and-intolerances/what-is-an-elimination-diet

Klein, A. V., & Kiat, H. (2015). Detox diets for toxin elimination and weight management: A critical review of the evidence. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 28(6), 675–686. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12286

Mariotti, F., Gardner, C. D., & others. (2025). Identifying the optimal ratio from protein foods for protein and nutrient quality in plant-based meals using a non-linear optimization approach. Nutrients, 17(19), 3117. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17193117

Mota, J. F., et al. (2024). Protein adequacy, plant protein proportion, and main plant protein sources consumed across vegan, vegetarian, pescovegetarian, and semivegetarian diets: A systematic review. The Journal of Nutrition, 154(6), 1758–1772. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.04.025

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (2024). “Detoxes” and “cleanses”: What you need to know. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/detoxes-and-cleanses-what-you-need-to-know

Ntoumanis, N., Ng, J. Y. Y., Prestwich, A., Quested, E., Hancox, J. E., Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C., Deci, E. L., Ryan, R. M., Lonsdale, C., & Williams, G. C. (2021). A meta-analysis of self-determination theory-informed intervention studies in the health domain. Health Psychology Review, 15(2), 214–244. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2020.1718529

Santos, H. O., Price, J. C., & Bueno, A. A. (2021). Beyond the usual suspects: Whole grain intake, compared with refined grain, improves postprandial glycemia and insulinemia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 62(31), 8546–8568. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2021.2017838

van Lanen, A. S., de Bree, A., Greyling, A., & Witteman, B. J. M. (2021). Efficacy of a low-FODMAP diet in adult irritable bowel syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Nutrition, 60, 3505–3522. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-020-02473-0