Food List for Wild Rose D-Tox

Through a combination of herbal supplements and eating and avoiding certain foods, the Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox claims to provide comprehensive detoxification of the colon and kidneys, with additional beneficial effects on the urinary tract and liver. Whether it achieves these claims has yet to be scientifically verified. While the supplements may be unsafe for certain populations, the prescribed diet is generally a healthy one that includes a wide range of foods that may benefit your health, even without the need for supplementation.

The 12-day Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox was created more than 30 years ago by master herbalist Dr. Terry Willard. Used in clinical settings in Canada, it is also available to consumers through supplement retailers. The four herbal supplements that come with the kit include Biliherb, Cleansaherb, Laxaherb and CL Herbal Extract. There is little information offered about what each of these supplements does.

In general, cleanses are aimed at eliminating toxins from the body, strengthening liver function, cleansing the blood and digestive tract and improving overall health and vitality. Some do this only through diet, eliminating unhealthy "toxic" foods; some, like the Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox, have a supplement component comprised of ingredients that purportedly aid detoxification. Many of these are laxatives and diuretics that encourage the expulsion of wastes from the body.

Detox diets range from very restrictive, allowing no solid food for a week or more, while others are less restrictive and emphasize healthy foods. The Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox diet falls into the latter category.

During the 12-day period of the Wild Rose cleanse, you can eat as much food as you want. However, it is crucial to only eat the recommended foods from the Wild Rose detox food list. First, here is what you can't eat:

• Flour products — bread, pasta, cake, crackers
• Dairy, except for butter
• Tropical fruit
• Peanuts
• Fermented foods
• Sugar
• Dried fruit
• Shellfish

Read more: How to Detox in 3 Days Without Juicing

The foods you can eat are divided into categories, and you are advised to eat a certain percentage of foods from each category. Category 1 consists of foods that should comprise less than 20 percent of your diet for the 12-day period:

• Beans
• Tofu
• Meat: beef, lamb, pork, liver, poultry, veal
• Black coffee and black tea
• Eggs
• Whole grains
• Legumes: lentils, peas, soybeans
• Fruits: cooked prunes
• Vegetables: cooked rhubarb
• Grains: oatmeal, white rice, wheat germ
• Seeds and nuts (except for almonds and Brazil nuts, which may be eaten in greater amounts)

The second and third categories contain foods that can make up 80 percent or more of your diet:

• Nuts, seeds and related butters: almonds, Brazil nuts, sesame seeds, tahini
• Fruits: apples, apricots,  avocados, berries, cherries, peaches, pears, plums
• Grains: millet, buckwheat, brown rice, popcorn
• Vegetables: arugula, artichokes, asparagus, beans (green and dried), beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, endive, escarole, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard greens, okra, parsley, peas, peppers, radicchio, radishes, rutabaga, sorrel, spinach, tomatoes (fresh), spinach, turnips, watercress
• Starchy vegetables (may be considered fruits): baked potatoes, pumpkin, corn
• Spices: chives, ginger, onion, garlic
• Dairy: butter
  
• Beverages: Soy milk, herbal tea
• Herbs, including dandelion
  
• Oils (except peanut oil)

The only food that does not fall into one of these categories is fish, of which you may eat as little or as much as you want.

Read more: 11 Yoga Poses to Detoxify Your Body

It's clear that you're not going to run out of options with this diet, and you're not going to have any trouble meeting your nutritional needs. These foods will certainly improve your health when you eat them in place of unhealthy foods. But whether they will "detoxify" your body is unclear.

There isn't any evidence that cleanses work, according to the National Institutes of Health. The body is equipped to detoxify itself, and eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise and adhering to other healthy lifestyle guidelines helps the body do its job without the need for tonics, pills or restrictive diets.

While the Wild Rose D-Tox supplements may have some beneficial effects that make some people report feeling better after the 12-day program, it likely has a lot to do with the diet. Feel free to try the diet for 12 days and see how you feel. But before you take the supplements, be sure to check in with your doctor to make sure they are safe for you.