This ‘Taco Cleanse’ is actually good for your health

Tacos
Flickr | The DLC

Cleanses are big in the health-food sphere right now. Whether it’s souping, juicing or some other diet (does anyone remember the nightmarish Master Cleanse?), it seems like the prevailing conventional wisdom is that your insides are dirty and need to be cleaned with copious amounts of lemon juice and cayenne. But now there’s a new fad called the “taco cleanse,” and for the first time, we might actually be able to stick to a diet!

First things first: The taco cleanse is vegan, and that’s part of the reason it’s actually healthy. (Did you really think we were going to advocate for eating tacos al pastor seven nights a week? Sorry to disappoint!) Sticking to a plant-based diet is a great way to get your eating habits in line with your health goals.

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The idea for this tempting diet comes from a cookbook called “The Taco Cleanse: The Tortilla-Based Diet Proven to Change Your Life.” It was published a few years ago but has more recently garnered a lot of headlines, as well as some serious devotees.

Of the people who have tried it, the responses have been overwhelmingly positive. Apparently, Jennifer Aniston bought the cookbook as soon as she heard about it.

Taco Cleanse

So, how does this magical taco-only diet work? Well, it doesn’t claim to necessarily help with weight loss, but it does promise other health benefits, such as lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

Sure, this requires eating a bunch of tortillas. But you fill those tortillas with all kinds of nutritious vegetables and plant-based proteins like legumes — likely a big improvement on your current diet.

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Watch this video to get all the details:

Not convinced? Just check out these delicious vegan tacos from Instagram user @healthyeating_jo.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVWjI2uDXu0/

Plus, the taco cleanse brings some of the fun back to eating. After all, what’s more fun than tacos?! They’re a big departure from the deprivation people feel when they’re on bland and restrictive diets.

In keeping with its light-hearted approach to eating, the taco cleanse even prescribes drinking what the creators call “the required margarita supplements.” Yes, this is a diet plan that includes booze!

Though the self-described “taco scientists” who wrote the cookbook don’t profess to be experts in weight loss, it’s not easy to picture losing a couple of pounds with recipes like jackfruit brisket, tempeh picadillo and ion-charged refried beans.

And the best part is you can wash it down with everything from a martini to avocado margaritas. In addition to offering up 75 yummy vegan recipes, the cookbook also mocks our diet-obsessed culture. It reminds readers that eating well isn’t supposed to be torturous.

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“We can become so obsessed with cleansing and ‘perfect’ diets that we develop eating disorders or at least spend an unnecessary amount of our lives worrying about filling our diets with righteousness,” Stephanie Bogdanich, one of the book’s authors, told Women’s Health.

The cookbook will teach you how to make your own tortillas. It also gives you tons of taco recipe ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even dessert.

The cleanse calls for 30 days of vegan eating. But you can certainly adapt it to vegetarian (tacos without cheese?!) if going “cold Tofurkey” is too difficult for you.

So, will you try the taco cleanse? If so, you should definitely eat your tacos in one of these:

The TriceraTACO Taco Holder is available on Amazon for $12.99.

As a final bonus, check out this recipe for mango-lime and tomato salsa. It will be a perfect topping for your vegan tacos!

Food, Health, Wellness & Fitness
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About the Author
Jessica Suss
Current high-school English teacher, native Chicagoan, and nut butter enthusiast moonlighting as a writer.

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