The Isagenix Diet Plan

Starting a new diet can be intimidating, unless it's all laid out for you like the Isagenix plan. Creating your own diet means taking the time to research proper nutrition, but if someone hands you a diet plan, there's less thought involved. Learning more about the Isagenix diet plan will help you decide if it or diets like it are right for you.

The Isagenix diet plan lasts 30 days and relies heavily on Isagenix products. The basic setup of the diet is that you have two separate types of days: shake days and cleanse days. In total there are 26 shake days and 4 cleanse days. Ideally your cleanse day will be every seven days, according to the Isagenix diet guide.

On the normal day, two of your meals are replaced by either an Isagenix shake or bar, according to the guide. Your third meal can be a 400 to 600 calorie meal, which should have balanced portions of good fats, vegetables, protein and complex carbs.

On shake days, start off your morning with the Natural Accelerator product. According to the guide, it's a natural combination of traditionally used herbs. It contains cayenne, green tea, ginseng and cinnamon. It also has antioxidants like niacin and chromium.

The caffeine in the tea extract gives you an energizing boost and can help you lose weight. According to a July 2018 study published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, which reviewed 13 studies, caffeine can promote fat loss and total weight loss.

Read more: What Is Isagenix?

After you have the natural accelerator, you can opt for an Isagenix shake or bar. The nutrition facts from the Isagenix site show that one serving of the shake contains:

• 240 calories
• 6 grams of fat
• 24 grams of carbs
• 24 grams of protein
• 8 grams of fiber

According to the nutrition facts from the Isagenix site, one Isagenix bar contains:

• 250 calories
• 6 grams of fat
• 32 grams of carbs
• 18 grams of protein
• 3 grams of fiber

After your morning meal, you can have a midmorning snack. The first part is another supplement, called IsaFlush. It contains 210 milligrams of magnesium to support digestion, according to the guide. As an added benefit, magnesium supplements can help control your blood sugar levels, according to a September 2016 study published in Pharmacological Research.

With the flush, you can have an optional snack of 100 to 150 calories. The guide recommends six almonds, a hard-boiled egg, or a piece of fruit or vegetable as a snack. You can also opt for Isagenix products like the IsaDelight, e+, Slim Cakes, Fibre Snacks, Whey Thins, Harvest Thins or AMPED Hydrate if you're exercising.

After your midmorning snack comes lunch, which should be your only meal of the day, composed of whole foods. Your meal should contain a balance of fat, carbs, protein and veggies. The Isagenix guide lists the following foods as examples for each category:

Good fats:

• Coconut oil
• Olive oil
• Avocado
• Other cooking oil

Vegetables:

• Salad
• Cooked colored veggies (not potatoes)
• Veggie soup
• Fresh fruit

Protein:

• Chicken
• Beef
• Lamb
• Fish
• Eggs
• Dairy
• Tofu

Complex carbs:

• Noodles
• Rice
• Whole-grain bread
• Sweet potatoes
• Potatoes

Following your lunch, you can have a midafternoon snack, which has the same options as the midmorning snack. Your next meal is dinner, which can be your choice of Isagenix shake or bar. Before bed, you can have a serving of the Natural Accelerator and IsaFlush, neither of which have any calories.

In total, if you follow the diet correctly, one of your shake days can have a maximum of 1,400 calories. The minimum calorie intake is 880.

On your cleanse day, calories are cut, and your supplements change somewhat. All three meals are replaced by the Cleanse for Life product made by Isagenix. Meals are more frequent on the cleanse day but much less substantive. Calorie consumption is lower than on the shake day.

Your cleanse day starts with the Natural Accelerator. You also have the option to add the Ionix Supreme, which has 20 calories. It's a booster drink that has B-vitamins, fruit and herb extracts and 5 grams of sugar, according to the nutrition facts on the Isagenix website.

After your morning supplements, you'll have the Cleanse for Life drink for breakfast. It has 20 calories per serving, according to the nutrition facts on the Isagenix website. The drink is meant to cleanse your body, but don't worry, it doesn't contain laxatives.

There are B-vitamins, as well as a cleansing complex, antioxidant berry complex and a synergy complex. The minerals, antioxidants and aloe vera in the drink are supposed to flush your system of toxins. However, an article from the National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health explains that there's no convincing evidence that detox diets actually remove toxins from your body.

Read more: Just Say "No" to That Detox Diet or Juice Cleanse

For a midmorning snack you can have the IsaFlush, one of the Isagenix snacks or the Cleanse Day Support Option. The Cleanse Day Support Options include the IsaDelight, e+, Whey Thins, Harvest Thins or AMPED Hydrate. You can also have a quarter of an apple or pear.

The IsaDelight is a small snack square, which has 170 calories per serving according to the nutrition facts from the Isagenix website. There's 11 grams of fat, 17 grams of carbs and 4 grams or protein per serving. It also contains green tea extract, amino acids and antioxidants.

The e+ supplement gives you a caffeine boost from green tea and yerba mate extract, according to the Isagenix site. It's a fruity drink with 35 calories per serving.

Whey Thins and Harvest Thins are a more substantial snack with 100 calories per serving. They both have 10 grams of protein, according to the guide. The Whey Thins are made with whey protein, but the Harvest Thins are made with plant protein in case you're trying to avoid dairy.

For lunch, you'll repeat the Cleanse for Life drink. In the early afternoon, you can have an Isagenix snack or Cleanse Day Support Option. Later in the afternoon, you'll have another Cleanse for Life drink.

At dinnertime, you'll repeat the same pattern. For early dinner, you have a Cleanse for Life drink, followed by an Isagenix snack or Cleanse Day Support Option for late dinner. Before bed, you'll have another IsaFlush and Natural Accelerator.