I hope you are smoothly sailing through the Whole Foods Challenge with not a single craving tripping you up. My ride so far has been fairly bump-free. Yesterday at bootcamp, though, a student brought us a grain-free carrot cake slathered with a sugar-full cream cheese frosting. Since the cake itself did not contain any grains or processed sugar, I had a tiny taste minus the frosting. Delicious! Maybe I will get that recipe and post it for you in October! Until then, I am focusing on the process of detoxing from my summer of sinful snacking.
I discovered yet another fantastic book at the library: The Detox Diet by Elson M. Haas, MD. This is a guide to detoxing from all kinds of substances, including sugar, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and other drugs. Dr. Haas recommends specific foods, teas, and supplements to help you return your body to a healthy, balanced state after over-indulging in various toxins.
Dr. Haas begins with overall recommendations for a healthy diet. This is not specifically for detoxing, but for everyday. And what would you guess is his number one recommendation? You got it: whole foods! In general, he suggests reducing or eliminating refined foods, sugar, excessively fatty foods, and all synthetic additives, food coloring, and preservatives.
Dr. Haas suggests limiting the amount of water or liquid consumed with food in order to enhance the power of the digestive juices. Food should be chewed thoroughly for better nutrient absorption. Water should be consumed between meals, at least 64 ounces per day, plus herbal teas.
Dr. Haas classifies sugar as a toxin, along with alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, and other drugs. Sugar is treated in the same way as other highly addictive drugs by the body. If you are trying to overcome your own addiction to sugar, there are steps you can take.
The first and most important step is to eliminate all sweets from your diet, including hidden sources of sugar and sugar substitutes. Your body cannot begin to detoxify as long as you continue to consume sweets. Whole pieces of fruit should be the sweetest thing in your diet.
Eat enough high quality protein to fend off sugar cravings. This cannot be overemphasized. Consume about 3 ounces of protein per meal and at least one ounce per snack. Organic poultry, fish, tofu, and edamame are recommended sources of protein during the detoxification phase. Eggs and dairy products may also be fine as long as you tolerate them well. Red meat, cured meats, and highly processed meat products should be avoided during detox.
Support your body with extra nutrients such as Vitamin C, all the B vitamins, chromium, calcium, magnesium, and the amino acid L-glutamine.
Drink PLENTY of water! Again, this is crucial for the detoxification process.
Substitute delicious spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves for the sugar in your food or drinks. The spices have loads of antioxidants and medicinal benefits.
After a few days, the sugar cravings should subside. Your mood should improve as you will no longer be riding the roller-coaster of blood sugar highs and lows. Weight loss is likely as well. What more could you ask for?
If you try out this program, please stay in touch as I would love to hear all about your experiences!
I discovered yet another fantastic book at the library: The Detox Diet by Elson M. Haas, MD. This is a guide to detoxing from all kinds of substances, including sugar, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and other drugs. Dr. Haas recommends specific foods, teas, and supplements to help you return your body to a healthy, balanced state after over-indulging in various toxins.
Dr. Haas begins with overall recommendations for a healthy diet. This is not specifically for detoxing, but for everyday. And what would you guess is his number one recommendation? You got it: whole foods! In general, he suggests reducing or eliminating refined foods, sugar, excessively fatty foods, and all synthetic additives, food coloring, and preservatives.
Dr. Haas suggests limiting the amount of water or liquid consumed with food in order to enhance the power of the digestive juices. Food should be chewed thoroughly for better nutrient absorption. Water should be consumed between meals, at least 64 ounces per day, plus herbal teas.
Dr. Haas classifies sugar as a toxin, along with alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, and other drugs. Sugar is treated in the same way as other highly addictive drugs by the body. If you are trying to overcome your own addiction to sugar, there are steps you can take.
The first and most important step is to eliminate all sweets from your diet, including hidden sources of sugar and sugar substitutes. Your body cannot begin to detoxify as long as you continue to consume sweets. Whole pieces of fruit should be the sweetest thing in your diet.
Eat enough high quality protein to fend off sugar cravings. This cannot be overemphasized. Consume about 3 ounces of protein per meal and at least one ounce per snack. Organic poultry, fish, tofu, and edamame are recommended sources of protein during the detoxification phase. Eggs and dairy products may also be fine as long as you tolerate them well. Red meat, cured meats, and highly processed meat products should be avoided during detox.
Support your body with extra nutrients such as Vitamin C, all the B vitamins, chromium, calcium, magnesium, and the amino acid L-glutamine.
Drink PLENTY of water! Again, this is crucial for the detoxification process.
Substitute delicious spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves for the sugar in your food or drinks. The spices have loads of antioxidants and medicinal benefits.
After a few days, the sugar cravings should subside. Your mood should improve as you will no longer be riding the roller-coaster of blood sugar highs and lows. Weight loss is likely as well. What more could you ask for?
If you try out this program, please stay in touch as I would love to hear all about your experiences!
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