Liquid Diet for Weight Loss: Benefits, Types, Foods, Meal Plan

As the name implies, liquid diets provide all or most of the calories from drinks. While some liquid diets replace all the meals with fruit juices or vegetable shakes taken 3-4 times a day, others substitute only 1-2 meals with drinks.

By carefully following a liquid diet, you can lose weight with very little effort. Aside from weight loss, liquid diets are often recommended before certain surgeries, tests, or medical procedures. Moreover, doctors prescribe a liquid diet for those suffering from the mouth, gum, teeth, throat, and esophageal cancer, as well as Crohn’s disease.

Liquid Diet Results

Liquid diets are designed to provide you lesser calories per day than solid foods and are thus beneficial in controlling obesity. It helps keep your stomach clear, limit stress on your digestive system, hydrate your body, and retain electrolytic balance. Furthermore, it aids in detoxification by ridding your body of excess toxins through urination.

However, make sure that you are not going on a liquid diet for more than 2-3 weeks. Since it lacks some essential nutrients, its prolonged use might cause fatigue, weakness, hair loss, dizziness, heart damage, constipation, and gallstones.

Types of Liquid Diets for Weight Loss

Clear Liquid Diet

Clear liquid diets, as the name indicates, are drinks that are free of food residues/fragments and dietary fiber. Foods such as plain water, gelatin, and broth do not leave any undigested residue in the intestinal tract and are thus easily digestible. Since these drinks provide sodium, potassium, and other electrolytes, they will give you energy when solid foods or full liquid diets are not recommended.

Foods allowed on Clear Liquid Diets

• Flavored, carbonated, or plain water
• Pulp-free fruit juices, including white grape or apple
• Lemonade or other fruit-flavored beverages
• Cola, root beer, or other carbonated drinks
• Coffee or tea without cream or milk
• Strained vegetable juice, such as tomato
• Fat-free broth (consommé or bouillon)
• Sports drinks
• Popsicles without seeds, nuts, bits of fruit, and milk
• Candy including peppermint rounds or lemon drops
• Sugar or honey

Sample Clear Liquid Diet Plan

Breakfast

• One glass of fruit juice (pulp-free)
• A bowl of gelatin
• A cup of coffee/tea without cream or milk
• Honey or sugar if needed

Mid-morning Snack

• One glass of fruit juice (pulp-free)
• A bowl of gelatin

Lunch

• A glass of pulp-free fruit juice
• One glass of water
• A cup of broth
• One bowl of gelatin

Mid-afternoon Snack

• One popsicle (pulp-free)
• A cup of soft drink, or coffee/tea without milk or cream
• Honey or sugar if needed

Dinner

• One cup of water or pulp-free fruit juice
• A cup of broth
• One bowl of gelatin
• A cup of coffee/tea without milk or cream
• Honey or sugar if needed

Full Liquid Diet

Full liquid diets contain all the drinks and beverages allowed on a clear liquid diet along with small quantities of fiber and milk. They are used on a short-term basis during the transition from a clear liquid to solid food diet. Full liquid diets that are carefully planned give you sufficient amount of protein, fat, and calories but lack in minerals, fiber, and vitamins.

Foods allowed on Full Liquid Diets

• Cereals (pureed or blended oatmeal, cream of rice/wheat, cooked cereals with refined grains)
• Juices and nectars of fruits and vegetables
• Milk and dairy products (all types including cow’s, soy, buttermilk; custard, milkshakes, frozen yogurt, smooth ice cream; avoid cheeses)
• Soups (strained bouillon, chicken/vegetable soup, soups with pureed meat or vegetables)
• Sweets and desserts (high-protein gelatin, popsicles, plain ice creams, cornstarch puddings, honey, sugar, chocolate syrup, flavorings; avoid nuts, seeds, or skins of fruits or vegetables)
• Beverages (tea, coffee, cocoa, lemonade, sports drinks, carbonated beverages, milkshakes with smooth canned fruits or peanut butter)
• Fats (margarine, butter, or mayonnaise)

Sample Full Liquid Diet Plan

Breakfast

• A glass of fruit juice
• Pureed pears
• One bowl of cream of wheat, milk

Mid-morning Snack

• A bowl of custard, applesauce
• One serving of tea/coffee with honey or sugar

Lunch

• A serving of strained potato soup
• One cup of tea/coffee with cream
• One bowl of pudding, gelatin

Mid-afternoon Snack

• Popsicle or ice cream

Dinner

• One bowl of custard, vegetable soup with pureed vegetables
• A serving of pureed peaches
• One cup of coffee/tea
• Fruit ice

If you are overweight or obese, you will certainly find these liquid diet plans of good help.