Detox diet

[mountaingal]

By request, I'm repeating some information about detox dieting originally posted in the fall of 2002. The information comes primarily from a book called Detox dieting by Nicola Graimes.




It's the first (and so far only) detox book I've bought, and it's become a much loved reference for me - it's easy to read, informative and takes a holistic approach to detoxing (not just the diet but exercise and meditation also figure into the program). Plus it's got great pictures!

If you click on the link above it will take you to Amazon.com. If you buy the book via that link, Jamaicans.com will get a small commission...

In the archives you can find the recipes behind the different detox programs: http://www.jamaicans.com/ubb/ultimat...;f=22;t=000772

I'll take the liberty of repeating from that thread my original disclaimer:

Jamaicans.com is not responsible for the content of this thread and doesn't necessarily endorse it. If you are diabetic or have high blood pressure, please do not follow this program. In fact, anyone, my advice is to check with your doctor before doing this. I am not a doctor, a nurse or health or nutritional professional. I'm just sharing a PERSONAL program that I got from a book.

Note that the Detox is not a weight-loss program.

[mountaingal]

Re: Detox diet

What is detoxing?
A detox program is a way of ridding your body of built-up toxins, most of them originating from the food we eat and air we breathe. Through detox, you choose wholesome foods and practices that give your digestive system and major organs the rest and support they need to focus on cleansing the body toxins.

if you're feeling listless, having trouble sleeping or experiencing frequent headaches, those are possible signs of toxic overload (double check with your doctor to rule out other more serious issues.)

Major players in your body's fight against toxins
Liver - neutralizes harmful substances in the body and allows your body to use the energy converted from your food. This organ has thousands of functions, and keeping your liver functioning well is one of the key ways to ensure your good health.

Kidneys - filter toxins from the blood and pass them out through urine.

Lymphatic system - carries toxins and waste to the lymph nodes for filtering. Lymph nodes located in the neck, underarms and groin.

Lungs - filter toxins such as pollution from the air we breathe. Deep breathing is one way to help your lungs perform properly.

Digestive system - your stomach breaks down the food you eat and sends it to your intestines so the nutrients can be absorbed and waste eliminated by the bowels. Toxic overload of the digestive system slows it down and makes it less efficient, resulting in symptoms such as constipation and bloating.

Skin - the body's largest organ. Sweat and oil glands help remove toxins via pores in the skin.

[mountaingal]

Re: Detox diet

Preparing to detoxify

There are various degrees of detox programs - from the mild one-day mono-diet to the extended fast. It helps to prepare mentally and physically before actually beginning a detox program.

Some tips:

*Start cutting back or avoid altogether processed food, alcohol, caffeine, dairy products, meat, fish, wheat (a common allergen) and excess salt and sugar.

*Don't detox when you're ill, going through a lot of stress or are emotionally vulnerable. Wait till you're calmer and better able to deal with the rigours of the detox.

*Don't detox if you're pregnant, breastfeeding, diabetic, recovering from a substance addiction, or have any serious chronic condition. Best advice - check with your doctor first.


After a detox program
You should gradually ease out of a detox program, taking a couple of days to return to your more varied diet. Try not to exert yourself too much the day after - you'll feel a bit weak.

Of course, it helps to continue to make healthful food choices and find ways to avoid or deal effectively with stress, so you don't retoxify!

[mountaingal]

Re: Detox diet

ONE-DAY MONO DIET

This consists of eating just one fruit or vegetable for a day, giving your digestive system a bit of a rest. It's an introductory step to detoxing, and can be managed by most folks within their regular lifestyles.

Choose one of the following for your mono-diet (you'll need about 2 - 3 pounds of your chosen item):
*Grapes
*Apples
*Pears
*Pineapple
*Papaya
*Carrots
*Cucumber
*Celery

Two days before
Start cutting back on meat, dairy, salt, wheat, tea, coffee, sugary foods, alcohol and cigarettes. Drink lots of water. Exercise.

Day before
Start cutting back on meat, dairy, salt, wheat, tea, coffee, sugary foods, alcohol and cigarettes. Drink lots of water. Exercise.
Have a light, vegetable-based dinner followed by a healthy dessert (check the recipes thread from the archives.)
Take an aromatherapy bath, and go early to bed.

Detox Day
Morning
Cup of hot water flavoured with half-lemon (kick-start for liver).
Stretching exercise (stimulate lymphatic system)
Dry skin brush (stimulate circulation), then bath.
Eat some of your chosen fruit or vegetable. Sip water or mineral tea.

Late morning
Treat yourself to a session of massage, shiatsu, reflexology, acupressure or relaxation (deep breathing and visualization).
Eat some of your fruit or vegetable. Drink water.

Lunch
Fruit or vegetable, prepared differently (grated, chopped or juiced)
Drink water.

Afternoon
Gentle exercise (yoga, Pilates, body conditioning, brisk walking, cycling or swimming.
Fruit or vegetable. Herbal tea.

Evening
Finish quota of fruit or vegetable.
Meditate, practice relaxation.
Quiet activity - manicure or pedicure, watch TV, read a book, listen to music.

[evanovitch]

Re: Detox diet

i am going to do dis...been losing weight and reaching a plateau...juss today mi been feeling hungry which is strange...need to mek a quick change an dis detox sound great...tenk u kinely dahling....

[mountaingal]

Re: Detox diet

hi, evanovitch...remember that detoxing is not really meant for weight loss. if you've been on a weight loss program already and been eating healthy and getting your exercise, then your body doesn't really need to detox.

[mountaingal]

Re: Detox diet

WEEKEND DETOX

This is a two-day program that makes use of juices, so you will need a juicer. I love this program because it can make a weekend feel really special. I make sure that by Friday the house is clean and I have all my other chores and errands (including grocery shopping) done so that I can devote myself to the detox on Saturday and Sunday.

Two days before
As with the mono diet, start cutting back on meat, dairy, salt, wheat, tea, coffee, sugary foods, alcohol and cigarettes. Drink lots of water. Exercise.

The day before
Again, as with the mono diet, continue cutting back on meat, dairy, salt, wheat, tea, coffee, sugary foods, alcohol and cigarettes. Drink lots of water. Exercise.
Have a light, vegetable-based dinner followed by a healthy dessert (check the recipes thread from the archives.)
Take an aromatherapy bath, and go early to bed to read and relax.

Day One
Morning
Cup of hot water flavoured with half-lemon (kick-start for liver).
Stretching exercise (stimulate lymphatic system)
Dry skin brush (stimulate circulation), then bath.
For breakfast - prepare a fruit juice from the recipes, and dilute with water.

Late morning
Have a session of massage, shiatsu, reflexology, acupressure or relaxation (deep breathing and visualization).
Eat some fruit (an apple, a pear or some grapes). Drink some herbal tea.
Go for a walk before lunchtime.

Lunch
Choose a vegetable juice from the recipes.
Large salad - salad leaves, rocket (aka arugula), fennel, carrot, beetroot, with dressing made from olive oil, crushed garlic and lemon juice.

Afternoon
Relaxation. Gentle exercise (yoga, Pilates, body conditioning, brisk walking, cycling or swimming.)
Drink lots of water.

Late afternoon
Choose a vegetable based juice from the recipes.

Evening
Eat between 6 - 8 p.m. - lightly steamed vegetables (cabbage, carrots, asparagus, sprinkled with chopped fresh herbs, lemon juice with organic brown rice.) OR veggie stirfry, or large mixed salad with alfalfa sprouts.
Meditate, practice relaxation.
Have an Epsom salts bath (*Note not recommended if you have high blood pressure, do an aromatherapy or sitz bath instead.) To bed early. Drink plenty of water before you go to sleep.


Day Two
The same as Day One, but choose different fruit and vegetable juices.
If you had an Epsom salts bath on Day One, DO NOT have another one on Day Two. If possible have a sauna or steam in the afternoon, followed by a swim.

The Day After
As with the mono-diet, ease your way back into a regular diet. Start the day as usual with hot water containing the juice of half a lemon.

[mountaingal]

Re: Detox diet

I'll cut and paste here the juices section from the archived thread, for easier reference. All the fruit and veggie juices I tried I found delicious and refreshing.

FRUIT JUICES

Fruit juices help to clean out the liver, and are usually drunk in the morning. Each of the following recipes are single servings.

Apple Rise
1 apple
1/2 honeydew melon
90g/ 31/2oz red grapes
15ml/1 tbsp lemon juice.
Quarter apple. Cut melon into quarters, remove seeds and slice flesh away from skin. Juice the fruit, then stir in lemon juice.

Melon Pick-me-up
2 pears
1/2 Galia melon (I use honeydew)
1 inch piece fresh ginger root.
Quarter the pears, then quarter the melon, remove seeds and slice flesh away from skin. Juice fruit and ginger.

Sunrise Shake
1 small mango
1/2 pineapple
Cut mango away from stone. Cut off pineapple skin, removing the eyes, then cut into rough chunks. Juice fruit.

Citrus Shake
1 pink grapefruit
1 blood orange
2 tbsp. lemon juice.
Peel the grapefruit and orange and cut them into rough segments. Jice the fruit, then stir in the lemon juice.

Strawberry Sundae
2 cups strawberries
1 peach or nectarine.
Hull the strawberries. Cut peach or nectarine into quarters around stone, remove stone, cut fruit into rough chunks. Juice strawberries and peach/nectarine together. Alternatively, you can blend in a blender, for a thicker juice.

Tropical Soother
1 papaya
1/2 canteloupe
90 g/3 1/2 oz white grapes
Halve and skin papya, remove seeds and cut into rough slices. Peel canteloupe and remove seeds, then cut into rough chunks. Juice fruit.

[mountaingal]

Re: Detox diet

VEGETABLE JUICES

You drink these in the afternoons. Vegetable juices restore alkalinity/acidity to the liver and help it function better.

NOTE: if you're at work in the afternoons and therefore unable to make your juices, the program calls for a substitute snack of raw vegetables.

Energizer
2 apples
1 large carrot
50g/2oz cooked beetroot in natural juice
90g/e3 1/2 oz white grapes
1 inch piece of fresh root ginger
Quarter apples. Top and tail carrot. Juice fruit, vegetables and ginger.

Summer Tonic
3 large vine-ripened tomatoes
1/2 Little Gem lettuce (this is a smaller version of romaine lettuce)
2 inch piece of cucumber
1 small garlic clove
small handful of fresh parsley, stalks included
1 tbsp lemon juice
Halve the tomatoes and lettuce. Peel and chop the cucumber. Juice all ingredients together.

Green Leaves
1 apple
150g/5oz white grapes
small handful of fresh coriander (also called cilantro, stalks included
30 g/1oz watercress
1 tbsp lime juice
Quarter the apple. Juice the fruit, herbs and watercress, then stir in the lime juice.

Red For Go
1/2 small red cabbage
1/2 fennel bulb (also sold as "anise")
2 apples
1d tbsp lemon juice.
Roughly slice the cabbage and fennel and quarter the apples. Juice the vegetables and fruit, then stir in the lemon juice.

Super Clean
3 carrots
30g/1oz young spinach
115g/4oz cooked beetroot in natural juice
2 celery sticks
Top and tail carrots. Juice the vegetables.

Revitalizer
3 carrots
1 apple
1 orange
Top and tail carrots. Quarter apple. Peel orange and cut into rough segments. Juice carrots and fruit.

[mountaingal]

Re: Detox diet

I'll explain a little about the non-diet means of detoxing that are used in the program.

Moderate exercise - stimulates the lymphatic system and the heart while improving circulation, thereby helping the body more efficiently dispose of toxins and waste.

Massages, shiatsu, reflexology, accupressure - these stimulate the lymphatic system and boost circulation, encouraging the removal of toxins.

Mental relaxation - this reduces stress, which can hinder your body's ability to deal efficiently with toxins. Meditation, even for just five minutes a day, will help reduce tension. Other ways to mentally relax include: calming music, reading a good book, breathing deeply, and gentle exercises such as yoga and tai chi.

*Visualization - Lie in a quiet place. Close you eyes, clear your mind and relax your muscles. Imagine yourself in a peaceful and comfortable place, using all your senses to visualize sounds, smells, colours, feel and taste. Repeat an affirming statement. It can be as simple as "I am feeling calm and relaxed."

[mountaingal]

Re: Detox diet

BATHS
These boost circulation and open pores in the skin to encourage removal of toxins. The book recommends that you DO NOT try these baths if you have heart problems.

*Aromatherapy baths - use stimulating oils for morning baths e.g., rosemary, geranium, rose; and relaxing/calming oils for evening baths e.g., chamomile, lavender, patchouli, sandalwood.

*Epsom salts baths - high in magnesium and good for tired muscles, as marathon runners well know. Use about 1 pound of salts in a warm bath. Lie in it for 20 minutes, adding hot water as the bath cools. The salts draw out moisture from your body so drink lots of water before going to bed. In the morning, rinse off any salt residues on your skin. AVOID Epsom salt baths if you suffer eczema, heart problems or high blood pressure.

*Sitz bath - have a warm bath for a few minutes, then have a short and very cold shower or bath. The drastic temperature change stimulates circulation and promotes the removal of toxins.

*Sauna/steam bath - encourages removal of toxins through sweat. Spend 5-10 minutes in the sauna or steam room at a time. Take a cold shower or sim in between, ending your sessions with a cold shower. Relax for half an hour to allow your body to gradually return to normal temperature.

Dry brushing your skin before bathing
I just love doing this, because it's an instant pick-me-up. You are focussed on yourself and giving yourself some TLC - it's very affirming.

Dry skin brushing boosts your circulation, stimulates your lymphatic system and promotes expulsion of toxins through the skin. It als softens and smooths your skin and helps get rid of cellulite. Dry skin brushing before an aromatherapy bath increases the detoxing effect of the bath.

You can use a natural bristle brush for dry skin brushing. I use a loofah segment that I bought in Chinatown. There's a specific technique to dry skin brushing - basically, you always brush in the direction of your heart.

1. Start at your feet and toes. Use long strokes to brush up the front and back of your legs towards your thigh and groin.

2. Brush over your bum, up to your lower back.

3. Brush your hands and arms, using long smooth strokes going in the direction of your heart.

4. Brush your stomach, using circular, clockwise motions that wil simulate your colon (part of your digestive system).

5. Finally, brush across your shoulders and down over your chest, then down your back, toward your heart.

You will feel all tingly and alive - it's wonderful!

[mountaingal]

Re: Detox diet

I'm going to stop here, and recommend that for more information, people buy the book by clicking on this link:

Detox dieting by Nicola Graimes.

It has a 7-day and 2-week program as well, and it talks more about the specific toxin-fighting properties of different foods.