Customer Reviews

Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself

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3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I truly hope this post will help others like myself who would like to follow The Clean Program in it's entirety, but who does not have $450.00 for the "Rebuild Kit." I looked everywhere, but I wasn't really able to find a clear breakdown of what each of these supplements actually are and what a close match might be should I decide to purchase them individually. So, now that I have taken the time to do the research myself, and have broken down The Clean Program's Rebuild Kit, I would like to offer my determination to anyone else out there looking for this information. If you are interested in getting the supplements but don't have the finances for the kit like myself, you may want to consider the below listed supplements instead. In all, I would say I spent appx. $100-$150.00 which is a big jump from the $450.00 kit! Keep in mind, none of the supplements are required and many people have been very successful without purchasing any of the supplements at all!!! There are plenty of other reviews to support this statement. However, if you want to follow the program as closely as possible and elect to take the supplements, I have deciphered The Rebuild Kit and came up with a pretty accurate compromise to the kit's products listed individually as Nourish, Move, Clean 1, Clean 2, etc. I welcome any additions to my post or suggestions that anyone else may have that could be useful as well :-)

---- MILK THISTLE, vegetarian capsules- used for daily liver support and detox

---- DETOX SUPPORT, vegetarian capsules- supports the body's natural defenses against toxic substances we are exposed to in everyday life

---- DAILY FIBER, vegetarian capsules- provides gentle support for gastrointestinal health and natural friendly flora

---- MULTI-PROBIOTIC, vegetarian capsules- promotes healthy bowels and balanced digestion

---- DIGESTIVE ENZYMES, vegan- a digestive aid that breaks down proteins, fats, carbs, fiber, and milk sugar

---- A MULTI-VITAMIN, plant based/ vegetarian capsules or tablets- to ensure you re getting every important nutrient daily

---- BROWN RICE PROTEIN, vegan- vegetable protein (Try NutriBiotics Rice Protein)

---- NATURAL FIBER/ COLON CLEANSE POWDER, vegetarian- assists in cleansing the colon of accumulated build-up and helps prevent the formulation of new build-up (Try Dr. Natura Colonix Intestinal Fiber. All Colonix products are 100% vegetarian)

*******All products must be free of common food allergens: yeast, dairy, egg, gluten, corn, soy, wheat, and sugar*******

IF YOU CANNOT PURCHASE EVERYTHING, but still want to take some supplements, the most important to the program are the MILK THISTLE, NATURAL FIBER POWDER, and PROBIOTIC! So, if nothing else, just get those three and you will still be successful!

It is also suggested to drink 2 tablespoons of olive oil everynight before bed and eat a clove of garlic daily. I don't know about you, but I am not a person who can eat a clove of garlic by itself. A suggested alternative:

---- AGED GARLIC EXTRACT, vegetarian capsules

It is also note worthy to mention that Dr. Junger want's you to have a bowel movement everyday. If you do not, he wants you to get a colonic or castor oil and make it happen. You know your body and it's struggles. So, this may be something to consider in preparation as well.

*** If you go to THE CLEAN PROGRAM website, you can actually pull up the "Rebuild Kit" ingredients for yourself. This will allow you to confirm the main ingredients in the products before you purchase anything if you don't want to just take my word for it. Again, $450.00 was not an option to me but I want to follow the program as closely as possible. They also have a shopping list that you can get an idea of the groceries you will want to get in preparation of The Elimination Diet.

I REALLY HOPE THIS INFO PROVES USEFUL TO ATLEAST ONE PERSON! I PERSONALLY WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY APPRECIATIVE TO HAVE HAD THIS INFO AT HAND :-)

I have to confess that I didn't find this the easiest book to read - it's a bit repetitive but the bottom line is that Dr. Junger knows what he's talking about, is a caring physician and he's on to something. I met him, read the book, followed the program and I have to say that by the second week, I felt a lot better. My skin glowed, I slept well and I just felt altogether much better (the flat tummy helped!). My seasonal allergies also seemed to evaporate. Finally - I lost ten pounds which had been dogging me for two years - so frankly I was thrilled. It's a little tough on your social life but I plan to juice more regularly, take some supplements he prescribed and try and do the Clean program annually. I've cut back on my dairy / bread consumption overall but it's made me rethink my diet substantially, which was what I wanted. I'd recommend this...

The basic premise of this book is that if you give your body a break from having to expend so much energy digesting food (and particularly food it was never meant to consume), it can finally get around to detoxing and healing.

The book advocates an elimination diet where you CANNOT eat the following foods:

-Oranges, orange juice, grapefruit, strawberries, grapes, and bananas
-Dairy and eggs, milk, cheese, cottage cheese, cream, yogurt, butter, ice cream, nondairy creamers
-Wheat, corn, barley, spelt, kamut, rye, couscous, oats
-Raw fish, pork, beef, veal, sausage, cold cuts, canned meats, hot dogs, shellfish
-Soybean products (soy sauce, soybean oil in processed foods, tempeh, tofu, soy milk, soy yogurt)
-Peanuts, peanut butter, pistachios, macadamia nuts,
-corn, creamed vegetables, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, peppers
-butter, margarine, shortening, processed oils, salad dressings, mayonnaise, spreads
-alcohol, coffee, caffeinated beverages, soda pop, soft drinks
-refined sugar, white or brown sugars, honey, maple syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, evaporated cane juice
-chocolate, ketchup, relish, chutney, soy sauce, bbq sauce, teriyaki sauce, other similar condiments.

You have 1 smoothie or juice (made in your juicer or blender) for breakfast and one for dinner. You have an elimination diet meal for lunch. If you are hungry, you may have a small mid-morning snack and late afternoon snack. The book suggests you drink water if you think you are hungry and see if that does the trick. You are also to drink lots of distilled or filtered water throughout the day.

You must have a bowel movement every day and if you don't, he wants you to get a colonic (they are quite expensive) or take herbal laxatives or do an enema. Either way you must have a bowel movement.

Another big rule is that you must wait 12 hours between dinner and breakfast.

There are a few other points, but you'll have to read the book for those. :)

For me, I think the concept sounds good, but after 12 days on the program (ideally you do it for 3 weeks), I was so hungry I could barely think. I got off it and ate everything in sight. Guess it just wasn't the program for me.

Hands down, the BEST investment you will EVER make in your life. That's a bit bold to say, right? Well I consider any investment to improving your health the best. Let me tell you my story...

I travel every week for work, Mon - Thurs. I eat out for lunch and dinner during those days, most of the time I skip breakfast which in itself is very bad. Then on weekends, I meet with friends for dinner and drinks to keep up with social life. Given that I am away from family and friends the majority of the week, and most of my time is spent in airports and hotels, I naturally gravitate towards comfort foods. Lunch would entail pizza, burgers and fries, or chipotle, and dinner would entail appetizers, entree, dessert from any restaurant, AND of course cocktails / wine. This lifestyle made me extremely happy while I was eating, in fact I was in heaven, but as soon as I was done eating my meal, I fell into an unfulfilled stage where I searched for more food and snacks. And things like nuts did not satisfy me, it was things like peanut M&Ms that satisfied me.

Then comes along the Clean book. I was looking for a detox program to help me lose weight but more importantly teach me how my body reacts to certain foods. Our bodies today are NOT equiped to digest / process the chemicals / sugars we have in our foods today. I always knew that but shrugged my shoulders at it. So I later YAHOOed for a good hour and I came across an article about how Gwyenth Paltrow tried the Alejandro Jungers Clean program. I know it's cliche to do something a celebrity does, but in Gywenth's case, she has this elegant, smart, good girl, and 'not a typical hollywood skinny girl bc she starves herself' reputation and that encouraged me to buy the book. After reading several other programs, I concluded that I wanted to try Clean because Alejandro Jungers Clean program focuses so much on changing our current eating habits but in a HEALTHY way, not depriving our bodies of nutrients, vitamins like other programs do.

Before the program, I was 15 lbs heavier than I should have been, my skin was pale and puffy, my gut was always bloated and I wanted to take a nap everyday after work. I followed the program to a T for three full weeks (I did the book version), and I didn't stop at that. I still have 2 smoothies a day and 1 solid meal, except on weekends, and I'm finishing up week 5. During the program, I had headaches for the first four days but managed to get thru them (do not take over the counter drugs to get thru the pain). My body was so use to breads pastas, fried foods that it was responding with headaches because I wasn't eating any of that anymore. If you workout hard, you will see some changes in that department. I tried a TRX class which is intense and felt light headed and tired, but this was expected. After a week, I found that I was getting full with less food consumption, for example, after 3/4 cup of a smoothie, I didn't want to finish the rest. It's important though to have your full portion for each meal on this program. Taking fiber everyday is very important to help eliminate on a daily basis. Results after the program: I've lost 12 pounds, my skin is pinkish, I am no longer bloated, my energy levels have skyrocketed, and to be honest, I love healthy food. I didn't realize how tasty healthy food is until this program. Can you imagine, who would want steamed carrots when you can have french fries? Funny thing is, I do, now. Even thinking about french fries makes my tummy heavy and makes me feel lethargic. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to stop eating these types of foods for the rest of my life, but treat yourself occasionally...no need to have it on a daily basis.

Expect to learn a lot from this book and Alejandro's program. You will find yourself needing to read some chapters over again to digest all the info. What I personally love about the book, is that he repeats some of the key pieces of information. Repetition like that, in the right way, helps you to understand better, and more importantly to remember. Read the book in parallel with reading through Clean program's support community website. There are many new findings, ingredients, recipes, input, and updates that are posted daily!

You have nothing to lose on this program besides toxins that has been sitting in your body for years! I look forward to doing this program again in 6 months.

So, look: the writing is pretty blah, the "case studies" are anecdotal, sparse and seemingly unreliable (Kate was a dentist who did this program and didn't get back aches anymore!), and there is a bit of conflicting information (on one page, honey is on the don't have list, on the very next page, it's on the do have list.)

However...this is admittedly a really good program for jump-starting healthier habits, and I have a lot of respect for Dr. Junger and his incorporation of common sense and somewhat Eastern values and practices. After binging a bit around the holidays, I decided I needed to take better care of myself. I heard about this book and decided to give it a go. I'm on day 4, and I feel fantastic-seriously. And I've never looked better. My skin is fresh, I have no trouble waking up early for work anymore or falling asleep, and any bloating and excess water weight has literally melted off. While I didn't "need" to lose any weight, it's been fun watching the number on the scale go down every single morning, and having my clothes fit a lot better (for the record, 4 lbs in 4 days so far.) Who doesn't like looking svelte? This isn't necessarily a long-term lifestyle that's sustainable, but it's certainly do-able for 21 days. I haven't been hungry yet.

And I'll admit I'm a cheater: I got ready made products instead of slaving over a hot juicer every day (Naked juices, Harvest Farms soups {check all of the ingredients first!}) I don't have the time or the money to deal with fresh produce to juice and a filtration system, or the $350 'kit' you can buy. I understand the differences between pasteurized vs. un-pasteurized, yhadda yhadda, but with my really hectic schedule and limited budget, it's the best I can do. Supplemented with the probiotics and vitamins, I think it's still achieving the desired effect. And it's only cost me $40 for a 30 day supply of probiotics, vitamins and supplements, and $160 for groceries for three weeks (a bit of a budget hike, but considering I haven't eaten out once and won't for two more weeks, it's actually saving money.)

My advice is this: instead of concentrating on all of perceived difficulties of the program, concentrate on the do-able aspects of it. Look at all of the foods on the 'Yes' list, as opposed to the 'No' list. Plan your meals for the week and get them together the night before. Experiment with foods you've never eaten or tend to forget about. Put yourself on a schedule and drink a crap-ton of water. Do it for one week, two weeks, or the full three. Do your best to stick to the core values of the program and I'm telling you, you'll get results, and feel so much healthier overall.

...But the writing is still awful.


***UPDATE***
So, I finished the 21 days...sort of. I took my own advice and did it to the best of my abilities. That means that mid-way through the second week, I transitioned to two solid meals and one liquid. Then, in the third week, I ate three small meals and two small snacks per day. In retrospect, I didn't cut out all of the foods I should have (I ate some fruits that were no's, there may or may not have been banana...BUT I cut out all gluten, caffeine, red meat, processed foods, dairy and sugar)

And here are my results:

I started after the holidays at 147.2 lbs (normally about 144) at 5'6. In the middle of week 2, I was at 140.2 lbs. At the end, I've settled into 143.2 lbs. While my weight hasn't ended up much different, I no longer have any water-weight and my muscle definition is quite impressive (particularly the abs and calves.)

But by the end of it, even with the added solid foods, I was pretty spent. I work full-time during the day, and am an actively involved in the arts scene in my city, so I was exhausted, lethargic and emotional, and yes, cranky as hell (word of advice, ladies: don't do this when you're auntie's in town.) I also had a hard time concentrating at work (never any good.)

So, final thoughts: This elimination diet taught me a lot about portion control, judging hunger, and types of food to feed my body with. And most important, it taught me self control (I did this over New Year's...at a party...with booze...and every delicious food known to mankind.) So it was worth it to me.

And the writing is still bad.

In Clean, a new book, Alejandor Junger M.D. invites us to be in the zone as we de-tox. Providing a complete nutritional program that safely eliminates environmental toxins from one's body, this month-long program proves that we never have and never will feel hunger in developed society. With all needs met, still one's mind recalls memories justifying the next meal, as if our survival depended on it. Junger proposes that we meditate and give up the mind's interpretation of the present moment as hunger. This has transformed me: with a whole new level of energy that I never knew was possible, powered by a profound new taste for organic foods--freedom from the constraints of previous eating habits. Having enjoyed whole foods and consistent exercise for several years, I never expected Clean to make such a big difference in my life.

[...]

On some level, I'm in support of anything that encourages people to eat whole, healthy foods. But my personal experience with the Clean Program was not great. I had horrible diarrhea for over a week before I quit doing Clean and decided to see a naturopath. At that point, I was also incredibly weak, so much so that I had missed a couple days of work. Interestingly, after running some tests, the naturopath put me on a sort of personalized elimination diet, except that a number of the foods he told me to avoid were not just "ok" on the Clean program, but were heavily incorporated into the program and recipes, such as lemon and garlic. I don't doubt that the people giving this book 4 and 5 stars actually had a good experience with the program, or that the health benefits they attribute to it are real. I just want to caution others from thinking this is a one-size-fits-all program.

I was skeptical when a friend started the Cleanse. But then I saw her after one week, and I couldn't believe the results. She had lost about 10 pounds and was literally glowing. I couldn't believe it. I decided to try it, even if I could only survive one week. I am proud to say I stayed w/it for the full three weeks. I lost 16 pounds and feel great. It is the EASIEST thing I have ever done. I'm committed to try and complete the detox once a year now. I highly recommend this book for ANYONE who is trying to get and stay healthy.

The book really isn't all that great (repetitive)...you can get all the information you need off of the clean website. However, I think the program is great. It was nice to have someone lay out what you should do to clean your system and eat really healthy.

My boyfriend and I have been slowly moving towards eating healthier and all organic so taking the next step and trying the clean program was a natural step forward for us. Although, it was not easy in the beginning (a few grumpy days at the start).

We wanted to use all the suggested supplements recommended in the Rebuild ingredient list, but $425 dollars for each of us is outrageous...so, here is what we did:

Nourish-Multivitamin and protein. We used Nature Made multivitamin for her (the general multivitamin did not have as many vitamins as listed on the nourish print out-also make sure you buy a reliable brand I recommend Nature Made or Schiff). For the protein we used RAW brown rice protein by Garden of Life. Please note the serving the package recommends is much higher than that of nourish so use 1/2 a scoop instead of a whole scoop). Multivitamin once dialy (morning) and protein morning and evening.

Move-Fiber. We used Supra Fiber by Sunsweet which is a blend of D'noir prune, blueberry, pomegranate, and acai berry fiber. We followed the suggested serving size. This is great fiber because it tastes awesome in juice. Personally I would not mix in the smoothie as suggested by the book, it tasted awful and gritty, but it is not bad in juice (we used Langer's juice). Use morning and evening.

Ease-Digestive enzymes. It was hard to find something that had all the digestive enzymes in it, so I settled for one that was pretty close. Multi-Enzyme High Potency Vegetarian Formula. Take with each meal.

Balance-SKRM. Unfortunately I was not able to find this so we aren't using.

Clear 1-Probiotics. We bought iFlora probiotics. I did some research on the company and they seem to be pretty respectable. Take with each meal.

Clear 2-Candibactin BR. I found this, but it was $62 dollars a bottle...I could not stomach that so we are not using this either. I only found one manufacturer Metagenics.

Encourage-Probiotic. Another probiotic...I just suggest getting a good quality probiotic. I wasn't able to find one that had 100% of the same strains. As said above we used iFlora.

Relief-Milk Thistle. The brand we got was Oregon's Wild Harvest. The only thing with this is that the serving size was much bigger than suggested by the Rebuild ingredient list. So instead of taking it with each meal, we just take one in the morning...I don't want to OD on anything.

As far as food goes it was a challenge to find some things that would work as snacks besides fruit and cooking the recommended crackers biscuits (don't get me wrong, I will cook, but sometimes it is nice to have a quick back up!!). Also beware just because it is a rice chip doesn't mean it is made from only rice. So many things we found had either soy or corn in them.

At our local health food stores we found some organic brown rice and wild rice cakes by Lundberg. Also Lara bars are awesome because there are many flavors you can have (ex:cashew cookie, key lime pie, cherry pie, and pecan pie to name a few).

We wanted something besides water to drink occasionally and to mix with fiber. Langers brand has several options. In the frozen section we found we could buy their apple juice. In the bottled section we found Pineapple juice, Cranberry Raspberry Plus juice, and Cranberry Plus juice. These were nice options because they were less expensive than our local healthfood store's juices.

Just some ideas and things we found helpful that we would have loved to know earlier. Hope this helps anyone looking to try it!

I read and followed the program in the kindle book and to my surprise my aches and pains as well as my brain fog is all but gone. My energy levels are high throughout the day with no coffee just whole foods without the junk.