The Last Straw Continued: 30 Day Detox and Diet Plan

As promised, here is the next phase of the detox and diet plan.

I struggled with how to present this here. I wanted to be detailed, but too much detail gets boring and restrictive. I wanted to share tons of information, but who has the time to write it all out, let alone read it. Then it dawned on me - communicate the premise, provide some recipes and let people have fun with it.

So here we go...

First, I hate that "diets" revolve around food. I feel like we revolve too much around food (e.g., social events, celebrations, recreational activities). We really shouldn't be so preoccupied with what we are having for supper or if they "are feeding us" at the event. But we do, and our obsession with what to eat gets worse when we are limiting our intake. So do yourself a favour, take my advice in the 2 day detox plan and rid your cupboards of all the tempting crap of canned, processed and easy to prepare junk.

Second, remember, it takes just as long to prepare a large salad as it takes to boil some KD. It takes less time (and money) to prepare a couple days worth of protein than it takes to order out. Speaking of take out - I don't care that it`s a salad, it`s probably full of cheese and 5 servings of oil. Make your own and bring it with you.

Lastly, this plan has 3 rules - Drink 2 liters of water a day, take 1.5oz pure cranberry each morning, eat if you are hungry.
It also has 3 restrictions - No Wheat, No Sugar (including artificial sweeteners), No Dairy. Simple.

But I know people will panic, èverything has wheat in it`they will say. `What will I eat", they will lament. No worries, here are some ideas to keep you on track. You'll be amazed at all the things you can eat!

• Vegetables - no holds barred. Eat up. Experiment. Yum!! (No corn or legumes though).
• Fruit - apples, grapes and bananas are your friend. They are filling and full of good stuff.
• Sweet potatoes and white potatoes
• Brown Rice
• Quinoa
• Rice noodles
• Goat milk products (yogurt, milk, cheese)
• Tofu
• Whey powder
• Nuts, nut milks, butters, and waters
• Herbs
• Oil based dressings (or homemade creamy dressings with goat products)
• Poultry
• Fish
• Black decaf coffee, Green tea, Herbal teas

Ok, ok. Some of you may still be looking at that list and thinking, "damn, that's small", but if you really take time to think about it, the possibilities are endless. For example:

Breakfast = Smoothie, piece of fruit, tea/coffee

Snack = nuts and dried fruit

Lunch = Large salad with tuna or chopped chicken on top, dressing, 

Snack = Smoothie and/or nuts

Dinner = 1/4 chicken, sweet potato, steamed veggies

Snack = Smoothie or Peanut butter on a spoon

See... it's super easy! You really shouldn't be hungry on this plan and the urge to have a hamburger or a bagel or some ice cream will pass in the first week. You will survive, and just to drive the point home, if you want to have some real fun with this, check our recipes that comes from the Middle East, Greece, Turkey, Africa, Japan and Thailand. You really shouldn't be bored with your menu choices, you have so much variety at your disposal.

But as I mentioned earlier, this is not all about food. The plan will rid your body of stored toxins, gases, and fluids. It will balance your metabolism and your sugars. You will feel more energetic. But in order to reap the most benefits, there are some things not food related that you need to do to take care of you and look your best.

Daily
- 30 minutes exercise (minimum)
- 10 minutes relaxation/ stretching/ meditation/ deep breathing (pick one or do more than one)

Weekly
- Epsom salts bath
- Facial steam
- massage (self or by another person)

So I hope this is enough to get you started. Based on the feedback I've received so far, I may need to create a separate recipe blog... who knows what I'll do next!

Best wishes and don't be afraid to ask me questions.