Not a Liquid Detox

A few people have asked me if I've ever done a detox before. My answer is yes, but it wasn't a liquid detox and I ate food. The response is first hesitation then it's relief.  For those of you that eat clean, this will look really familiar. For those of you that might be interested in trying this, it's totally doable. Two things will make it successful; meal planning with food shopping and easing into it. A week before you strictly do the detox start experimenting with meal ideas and slowly start removing the mentioned foods from your everyday diet. Don't tell yourself that you can't have these foods. Tell yourself that it will be a reward for doing something good for yourself when you're done.

The main rules are:

• No red meat - beef, pork, lamb, etc.
• No processed foods
• No sugar
• No caffeine except for green tea
• No cow's milk products
• No wheat, no gluten
• No alcohol

What you can have:

• Seafood, chicken and tofu - as natural and least treated as possible
• Tons of fresh fruits and vegetables - go organic if you can
• Honey as a sweetener
• Start every day with warm lemon water
• Green and herbal teas, natural fruit and vegetable juices and water of course
• Dairy such as soy milk, almond milk, soy yogurt, soy cheese, feta cheese, Romano cheese
• Brown or white rice, gluten free pasta, gluten free bread
• Oats
• Oil and vinegar for dressing (add a squeeze of lemon for more flavor)
• Olive oil, sesame oil, sunflower oil
• Dried fruit, raw nuts

You should aim to do this for 4 weeks to really reap the benefits. If you make it to two weeks and fall off, just get back and finish up the remaining time. The first few days will be the toughest. You may feel tired, bloated, constipated and may even get headaches. But once you get past the hump you will see improvements like better digestion, increased energy, good complexion and maybe even weight loss. Another reason why you should aim for 4 weeks is to make eating clean more routine and part of your lifestyle. After the 4 weeks is up slowly introduce foods back into your diet one at a time.

If you have questions, need meal ideas and/or if you try it let me know how it goes. Email me at Alana.P.Medina@gmail.com

In good health,

Alana