There are so many approaches or reasons to "diet". I am not here to debate one approach or another. Do what works for you as not everyone is same. I had tried NutriSystem and found the prepackaged, dehydrated food pretty dissatisfying. Weight Watchers worked for me the best over and over if the goal is weight loss. I had tried a juice fast detox and found it fairly nearly killed me when my blood sugar crashed. I am not a "powdery shake" person at all. There are a million possible approaches and that in part what makes it hard to choose what will support you best. Knowing your "why" can help determine the "how".
WHY WAS I LOOKING TO MAKE A DIETARY CHANGE? Having just come out the other side, of a most stressful 6 year trauma, I reached my tipping point. I choose to make this change, not because I wanted to lose weight, but because I wanted to allow my body to just reset.
Chronic stress taxes one's body impacting your breathing, heart, mind, and body. Exhaustion from overwork, stress. Get up early, Go to work early, stay up really late, a couple hours sleep, do it again. Who has time to work out? Hypertension, overweight, migraines, exhaustion made me more susceptible to illness. I would not allow myself to waste a moment in rest. Self care took a back seat, migraine medicine, Full Throttle Energy to keep up.
WHAT WAS THE DESIRED OUTCOME? . I needed to make some changes to feel different. This wasn't about losing weight it was about allowing my health to reset. I am still going to be working lots of hours with kids and work, and a busy life. My hypertension, a key symptom of 6 years of adrenaline riddled life issues. The top 5 major stressors in life' divorce, moving, illness, death of a loved one, and job loss had been a steady recurrent presence in my for a decade.
Rest had become a 'reward' after things got better. I was laid off, divorced, my new husband recovering from critical illness. I needed to find the energy from natural sleep to maintain my responsibilities without having to take so much help from medicine to manage pain. My headaches and migraines were my body saying, stop it you are pushing too hard.
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HOW TO APPROACH THE SOLUTION? What would not work is preservative ladien, prepared food, counting points, going to meetings, rehydratated food. I need to make time for a solution that will make a difference, it will require change, but supports my present life demands. The detox diet was the best solution for me. Making choices that fit the diet rules was the best solution.
PREPARATION: Begin on a day where you can be a bit more relaxed as the detox symptoms begin. Stock up with a variety of fruits, veggies, and natural foods.
- Mornings: Drink warm water with fresh lemon upon rising.
- Drink water (fresh fruit slices, cucumber, lime, or mint) in iced water is fine too but drink as much water as you can throughout the day
- Afternoons: Fresh fruit or nuts as a snack if you find yourself in a slump in the afternoon.
WHATS OUT FOR THIS DETOX DIET: At the ingredient level, no white flour, refined sugar, gluten, artificial sweeteners, or caffeine. At the food level no sauces, jellies, any thing with preservatives, bread, tortillas, white rice, red meat, pork, butter, cheese, milk, eggs, coffee, soda, caffeinated tea, energy drinks. No Bacon, Sausage, Hamburgers,, Roast Beef, Goat, or Lamb. No sweetened breakfast cereal. No bagels, english muffins, flour tortillas, paratha, naan. Try not to stay up late.
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WHATS IN FOR THIS DETOX DIET: Fresh ingredients, all natural food. Mostly fresh Veggies, light protein, fruit. To drink, water, unsweetened all natural nut millks, herbal tea, lemon water. Allows are canned fruits in 100% natural juice, canned tuna, canned beans, canned veggies including tomato with no sugar or preservatives. Unsalted nuts, Ground Turkey with no preservatives or artificial coloring. Olive Oil. Unsweetened probiotic plain yogurt. Honey,
Veggies: All Veggies
- Artichokes- helps digest fats, and clears potentially inflammatory substances
- Asparagus- great diuretic, helping in the cleansing process and sharing the detox load of the liver and kidneys.
- Avocado- blocks certain fat absorption essential for liver pathway cleansing
- Beans- great protein- black beans, kidney, chili, navy, adzuki, lentils
- Beets- cell structure, repair and regeneration- liver supportive
- Broccoli - powerful antioxidant properties
- Brussel Sprouts
- Cabbage -provides liver detoxifying enzymes that help flush out toxins
- Carrots- stimulate and improve overall liver function.
- Leafy Green Vegetables: high in plant chlorophylls that absorb environmental toxins, increase bile production, and neutralize heavy metals, chemicals, and pesticides, lowering burden on the liver.
- Collard Greens- keep LDL "bad" cholesterol down
- Spinach- triggers the toxin cleansing enzymes of the liver.
- Peppers - Hot, spicy, or sweet
- Tomato- a great detoxifier for the liver. Lycopene will protect against breast, skin, and lung cancer
- Garlic and Onion- one of the liver's strongest antioxidants activates liver enzymes that help your body flush out toxins.
Fruits: Most fruits but limit Bananas, Strawberries and Orange.
- Apple - high in pectin and other chemicals essential to cleansing and releasing toxins from the digestive tract. Apples make it easier for the liver to handle the toxic load during the cleansing process.
- Citrus - Lemons and limes contain very high amounts of vitamin C, which helps stimulate the liver and aids the synthesizing of toxic materials into substances that can be absorbed by water.
- Lemon- powerful cleansing, powerpacked with Vitamin C, flushes toxins from body
Nuts: Any unsalted, unsweetened nuts, can also include unsweetened, nut milk
- Almond
- Walnuts - omega-3 fatty acids, and the amino acid arginine, which supports normal liver cleansing actions, especially when detoxifying ammonia
Healthy Proteins:
- Eggs
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Fish (including can tuna)
- Salmon: anti-inflammatory with rich source of Omega 3.
Healthy Oil: Avocado and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Cold-pressed organic oils such as olive and flaxseed support for the liver, to absorb harmful toxins in the body.
Healthy Grains: Brown Rice Quinoa (if you can stand it) , Gluten free pasta.
- Unsweetened, unflavored Gluten free oats.
- Ground flaxseeds provide a wonderful source of fiber to bind and flush toxins from the intestinal tract. A great source of omega 3 oils.
Most Spices (without sugar, flours or gluten added
- Tumeric - helps boost liver detox. It does this by assisting enzymes that actively flush out dietary carcinogens. Contains curcumin is used a lot in Ayurvedic Medicine to treat liver and digestive disorders.
- Ginger - boost immune system, assist in detoxification, ridding your body of infections.
- Cinnamon
Teas decaffeinated or herbal
- Green Tea: Green tea is full of plant antioxidants known as catechins, a compound known to assist liver function
- Milk Thistle Tea: Great for detox
- Peppermint Tea: Reduces gas, bloating, and digestive problems.
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Some of my favorite recipes during detox diet were these: I will add more, this is a 14 day detox I have elected, and the key to being successful was to keep creating food that made me feel satisfied and not deprived. If you have healthy detox recipes you used, please add them here as well.
Bengali Okra
- Saute fine minced onion garlic, green chili, salt, and sliced okra
- Add touch of tumeric
Serve with brown rice, or add to soup. ( I added it to the turkey soup and it was delicious)
Fresh Pea Soup
- Saute fine minced onion garlic and hot pepper (I used ghost pepper) in extra virgin Olive Oil
- Mix in 2 cups of frozen peas and 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth boil until steaming.
- Puree in blender
Serve topped with a fresh julienned mint or basil leaves and fine chopped pecan or walnuts.
Fruit and Green Salad
My daughter made this for me and it was simple and elegant. Just mixed salad greens with finely diced fresh apple and pecans
Bengali Spinach
- Saute fine minced onion garlic and Asian hot pepper, dried red chili pepper in extra virgin Olive Oil
- Mix in 2 cups fresh spinach and fry
Serve with protein (fish or chicken) or on top of brown rice.
Fresh Fruit Salad
Watermelon chunks with fresh peaches sliced with whole green seedless grapes made a lovely delicious salad.
Spicy Corn Chowder
- Saute fine minced onion garlic and hot pepper (I used ghost pepper) in extra virgin Olive Oil
- Mix in 2 cups of frozen corn and 1 cup vegetable broth boil until steaming.
- Add 1- 1 1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk and Puree in blender
Serve topped with red pepper pr ghost pepper if you dare, and chopped nuts.
Turkey Vegetable Soup
- Saute fine minced onion garlic, fresh grated ginger root, and hot pepper (I used ghost pepper) in extra virgin Olive Oil
- Cook ground turkey, seasoned with tumeric, extra hot red chili, cumin to taste
- Add sliced carrot and diced potato
- Add any other vegetables your heart desires, beans are also excellent.
- Add a can of organic, sugar free fire roasted tomato
- Add vegetable or chicken broth to cover veggie and turkey mix
Simmer for 20 minutes. you can make this in big or small batches. I opted for big, the whole family loved it, and I took it in my lunch. it was even better a day later.
Fruit Smoothie
- Take a leftover fruit salad
- Mix with 1/2 bag frozen fruit (strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry) or any frozen fruit
- Fill with 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk and blend
Puree until well blended,
if too thick add any unsweetened
100% fruit juice
(grape, apple, cranberry, orange, etc)
When cravings set in, I sought to create something delicious to satisfy that within the diet. When craving bread, I made up some brown rice. Here are 2 ways, savory and sweet.
Savory Brown Rice
- 1 cup brown rice with 2 cups chicken broth and 1 tablespoon Bragg Liquid Aminos and salt.
- Cook for over an hour until liquid is absorbed
Sweet Brown Rice
- 1 cup brown rice with 2 cups sugar free apple or orange juice and 1 diced apple and a cinnamon stick
- Cook for over an hour until liquid is absorbed
Top with fresh walnuts and honey. You can make this in larger quantities to eat warm, or let cool and have later with almond or coconut milk and agave nectar or honey as a cereal.
Turkey Tacos
Prepare turkey/bean Mix. Prepare guacamole. Add fresh spinach leaves and serve in Taco Shells.
- Light coating Extra Virgin Olive Oil with 3 cloves of garlic & 1/2 onion both finely diced
- Add 1 finely diced ghost pepper or 4 Asian peppers finely diced
- Add Ground Turkey and cook fully
- Add 2 cans Vegetarian Refried Beans and 1 can organic, sugar free fire roasted tomatoes
Cook turkey, veggie and bean mix and prepare fresh guacamole.
- Mash together Half 1-2 halved avocados and mash with 1 clove of garlic, 1/4 finely diced onion
- Add ghost pepper, jalapeno or Asian pepper to taste
- Add 1/2 fresh squeezed lime and mix it all together with picante or salsa
Stuff Gluten Free Corn Taco Shells with Spinach, Turkey Veggie and Bean Mix and Guacamole mix.
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Results:
Day 1 and 2: VERY tired and headachy, craving chocolate since it was Valentines Day. Made elegant meal to make up for it Herb Roasted Chicken and Rosemary Garlic Tiny Gourmet Potatoes with Pearl Onions with fresh strawberries for desert.
Day 3 Detox Diet. Exhausted but hopeful. Still having some serious gluten cravings. Fantastic Turkey Veggie soup on simmer for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow.
Day 5: Lost 5 pounds. very tired and strong desire for caffeine during work in the afternoon. Having fresh apple and more water during those times.
Day 6- 7 pounds lighter. Most strong cravings gone. Made carob cocoa with unsweetened cashew milk and amber agave nectar.
Day 9 - 10 pounds lighter!! Breakfast
Day 11- 13 pounds lighter!! Had a "decaf a Almond Milk Iced Latte to take with me on the way to work with fruit. Snacked on Radishes and Apples in the office. Had plan Grilled Chicken Breast at work with fresh guacamole. Dinner the rest of the Turkey Taco recipe. leftovers.
Day 12- 15 pounds lighter!! Breakfast was gluten free oatmeal. Orange juice. Lunch was mixed nuts and a banana with water. Ate a ton of carrots to deal with nervous energy. Long work day, no caffeine, maximum tension was extreme.
