The Food Combining 2-Day Detox

Book Review by Janet Bridgers

The Food Combining 2-Day Detox: Beat Weight Gain Protect Your Health––The All Natural Way
by Kathryn Marsden

When she wrote The Food Combining 2-Day Detox: Beat Weight Gain Protect Your Health––The All Natural Way, Kathryn Marsden had at least a few of us in mind. Who? Oh, just a couple of people (men and women) who are really busy, but who'd like to protect their health and lose a couple of pounds while they're at it. Oh yeah, and a few others, but don't embarrass us by mentioning it. It's those of us with cellulite.

The book is a short 140 pages before the valuable directories, reading lists, source references and glossary included at the back. It's easy to read. And in addition to the "2-Day Detox" plan, it contains very valuable information on several other subjects, including food combining, aromatherapy and how to work away at that above-mentioned cellulite.

In her introduction Marsden states, "There is...ample clinical evidence to demonstrate that short periods (in this case, 2-3 days at most) on super-fresh, energy-packed, vitamin-rich produce can give a tired, stressed, overworked, undernourished body a cleansing, imune-boosting, health-enhancing mood-lifting tonic." Marden's approach is not about fasting. In fact she refers to fasting as a "juice or fruit cure" and believes and demonstrates that you don't need to go to such extremes to reap the benefits. As she puts it, her approach is something different and it's designed specifically:

"For women who...work long hours and have little, if any, free time

For people who feel that their lives are under siege and

For those who have no immediately serious health problems but are plagued by, perhaps, premenstrual cramps, bloating, skin eruptions, flaking nails, constipation, dark circles around the eyes, a furry tongue, aches and pains or just vague, annoying symptoms that are difficult to describe.

As well as...

– If you hanker after younger-looking skin
– Stronger nails and glossier hair
– Improved circulation
– Better digestion and elimination
– Better weight control and
– More energy."

Marsden says directly:

"This book is not about deprivation. There's no pressure or guilt here. Nor is it necessary to introduce the unusual or the weird or the impossible to follow in order to succeed. An occasional internal clean-up and body pampering session offers enormous health benefits."

Having tried both the more rigorous detox regimes and Marsden's plan, I can say that while both have their pluses and minuses, Marsden has succeeded beautifully in presenting new dimensions in health to a world of really busy people!

In her first chapter, she describes another really important reason why her gentle short-term detox plan is much better for those who have never before tried any "detox for health." She describes how during detoxification, toxins that have been stored in the body's fatty tissues are released into the bloodstream before being processed out by the liver, kidneys, bowel and other organs of elimination. If too many toxins are released into the bloodstream at once through a more strenuous detoxification process, the individual may not be prepared for how crummy he or she is going to feel with all these toxins circulating in the bloodstream. Marsden's gentle two- to three-day detoxes allow an individual to gradually rid the body of toxins, as well as gradually lose a little weight, and improve digestion.

As far as drawbacks to the book, one minor one: Marsden is English and the book was originally published in England. This results in a few terms that are different from American usage and she mentions a few brand-name products that may be difficult to find in other places, but other than those two minor points, the book works well for anyone, anywhere.

One of the two other wonderful aspects of the book is her explanation of the hows and whys of food-combining, of which very few people are aware and which has the potential to help the digestion and weight of a great many people. In a nutshell, food-combining is based on the scientific research that shows that the body cannot digest carbohydrates and proteins simultaneously, meaning they should not be eaten at the same meal. If followed, the concept will void many previously held notions of contemporary meal-planning as well as notions of what to order in restaurants. Fortunately Marsden says that great benefits are possible while following food-combining guidelines five days a week, so there is some leeway for acting out with such favorites as Mexican food (beans, it seems, are flawed by nature, because they combine protein and carbohydrates in one small "musical fruit" and the combination can't be digested simultaneously. The gas is a strong indication of incomplete digestion. Beans are, nonetheless, a very healthy food.)

The other valuable aspect of Marsden's book is its discussion of aromatherapy and how to collect and combine a basic set of essential oils to use for a wide variety of self-healing and mood-altering purposes. It's a concise introduction to a subject that has been widely discussed in magazines, but never, to my mind, so clearly. For those interested in aromatherapy, it's well worth the price of the book.

Personal detox has the potential to improve the health of a huge percentage of the population of the industrialized world. Marsden makes it accessible to those who are very busy and just embarking on this important path to protecting and improving health.