Another year passes, another holiday behind and well, that break from healthy eating needs a jump start. Last year, I did the detox, not because I needed a jump start to healthy, but I wanted to see if the detox with a hyper anti-inflammatory twist would work. And it did. I was pain free and thrilled!
This year, as I now prepare for the detox, I reflect on what it is the point of the detox plan. It is not a diet plan, although most will lose weight.
It is a plan to help jump start healthier eating. It is not a calorie restricted food plan, although it can be fewer calories than you are accustomed to as junk food can be high in sugar, bad fats and calories. Less junk food = less calories.
Preparing for the detox is both a mental and physical preparation. From the physical, it is eliminating the junk food, the processed foods, the sugar and focusing more on making your own real food meals. For some it is a total change in eating. For some it is not that bad. For most, it will require planning your meals, cooking ahead of time t have meals and snacks ready (although this really should be what you do anyways!). This is the mental part – getting mentally ready to do the work needed. And keeping focused (which is where the group support helps!)
For many, it will be an exploration of real foods. Instead of store bought hummus, you make it yourself. It does actually taste better, and is really easy to make. And quite honestly, once you make it yourself, you may never buy it in the stores ever again.
I know for me, I get excited to buy all the vegetables for the Detox Class and teach others how to make the basic items in the detox plan:
– Green Monster Juice (in juice extractor or blender)
– hummus with rosemary, garlic
– roasted carrot and ginger soup
– red lentil, zucchini and ginger soup
– broccoli slaw
– Moroccan spinach
– roasted beet chips
– mashed celery root and cauliflower with garlic and butter (the real stuff)
and many more! Yes, there is an ice cream and chocolate moouse, too.
This plan can be done by just about anyone, and eating out can also be included if you focus on mainly vegetables and no wheat, bread or pasta. It is almost a vegan challenge! I offer it a couple of times a year as a group where I do the plan with the group. This year, I will be doing it focusing on less chocolate (my sugar) but more veggies, fruits instead of chocolate (wish me luck), and healthy fats (raw nuts instead of roasted nuts). And also not getting too few calories as this will make me gain weight…..and noone wants that!
Another focus is to be creative with my meals. I will try to post some of the meals I make in the next two weeks and the recipes, although some might be just me winging the ingredients together to make something!
Like these bean burgers I made with the leftover pulp from juicing….mixed with pinto beans, not enough rosemary and heated them up in a pan with homemade ghee. Will add flax seed meal next time to make it stick better as patties! The soaked ones made it too soft, so I couldn’t flip it. Bean burger hash I guess it was 🙂
Tomorrow starts the group Detox Detox Plan Plan. Join us if you can!
Joanna is a sports nutrition coach working on using real foods to help people alleviate their symptoms. Every symptom can be tied to what food you ate. The challenge is making the connection – Joanna makes it easier for you to connect those dots between symptoms and foods, and offers alternatives as needed.
She started Nutrition In Motion, LLC 11 years ago to help others heal with real foods spiritually, physically and mentally.
www.n-im.net
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