Happy New Year Everyone! Let me just say that I sure have missed writing on here the past few weeks, although it has been a nice break and much needed reset. I will be getting back to the regular schedule soon with tons of incredible (if I do say so myself) recipes. In the mean time, I wanted to share with you guys my first food-based detox experience!
Now, I’ve never done a detox of any kind. We eat pretty healthy on a regular basis: never any take out food, a sweet treat every other day, no soda, etc. But, after the holidays I was feeling extra sluggish from all of the extra treats, alcohol, stress, and lack of exercise. Ive always been interested in trying a detox, but juice detoxes always intimidated me a bit. I truly admire people who can do that for a whole week, but I just don’t know if I could do it! So, I did some research on detoxing, and found some quick detoxes that were all natural, food based, which made so much more sense to me and my lifestyle. I customized it a bit to my personal preferences. I’m not sure if you would call this a true “detox” or not, but what I do know is that I definitely got rid of bad toxins during the process, and I feel INCREDIBLE!
Before I get into the details, let me start off by saying that I lost 4 pounds in 3 days (even though it wasnt a goal of mine, but it comes naturally with removing toxins from you body, fat cells and water weight that were holding onto the toxins are also released, getting rid of that extra bloat you’ve been carrying around), and feel more energized, revitalized, and genuinely happier than I have in a really long time. It was so worth it for me, and I feel like a brand new person, what a way to start off the new year!
Here were my guidlines for the 3 day process:
Fresh Fruits, Vegetables, Some Lean Protein, and Some Whole Grains. No sugar, no alcohol, no dressings, no extra junk of any kind.
Oh, and of course, LOTS of water and herbal tea. Water is the most important part of the detoxing. It’s what helps you flush it all out of your system and keeps you nice and hydrated.
Here’s an example of what my menu was for a day:
1) In the Morning: 16 oz. room temperature water with lemon juice to hydrate and kickstart the metabolism
2) I allowed myself ONE 6oz. cup of BLACK coffee. I know many detoxes frown upon coffee, but I didn’t want the caffine withdrawl headaches, and coffee is natural and a laxative. I usually drink coffee all day, with cream and sugar. So one small cup of black coffee was just fine and dandy.
3)For Breakfast: A fruit and spinach(or kale) smoothie with ice, water, some whole grain oats and a dollop of greek yogurt. Toss in as many fruits as you’d like!
4) Mid Morning Snack: A fresh fruit of some kind. (Apple with peanut butter if you’re really hungry)
5) Lunch: A BIG salad, with as many veggies as you can and either a hard boiled egg or some lean chicken. No dressing. Only a drizzle of oil and vinegar (apple cider preferred).
6) Afternoon Snack: Apples with peanut butter, or another fruit smoothie
7) Dinner: A nice, hearty, low sodium chicken soup with brown rice and lots of veggies.
Over the 3 days, I would switch it out and have soup for lunch and a big salad for dinner. You can get creative and make your own meal ideas, too. Just make sure that each meal is at least half fruit and/or vegetables.
(Like my new TEAtanic tea strainer that Alex got me for Christmas? :D)
I hope this inspires you all to start the year off with a clean slate. I am by no means an expert, and as I said this is the first time I’ve done something like this. Please always remember to take precaution when doing any sort of diet or detox, and always listen to your body. I feel like this is a great way to eat and not be hungry, but filling your body with good foods and lots of nutrients. For me, this wasn’t a massive change to my usual diet, aside from taking out the little bit of junk, and making myself eat more vegetables (I’m so bad about it, usually). It worked for me, and although everyone else’s results may vary, I think the most important thing is feeling better, and starting new eating habits for the new year. Now, I’m addicted to veggies and drink a lot more water than I ever have.
Happy 2014 everyone!!!
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