Detox Day 5: Alkaline and Feelin’ Fine

January 13, 2012 Leave a Comment

Tahini Dressing for Veggies, in SKINNY DISH!

Woohoo to Day 5! You are just a few days away from multigrain tortillas! That is going to be one fantastic burrito :)

You may or may not have caught the acid/alkaline breeze in the Detox wind convo. Well, here’s the deal: Our blood and tissues love to be at a pH (measure of acidity/alkalinity) of about 7.35-7.45, which is slightly basic/alkaline. This is where your immune system is an immediate bad-guy destroyer and your overall health is sky high. As you loved learning in high school chemistry, the pH scale ranges from 0 to 14 with 0 to 6.9 being acidic, 7 being neutral, and 7.1 to 14 being basic (alkaline).

Contrary to what you may think, foods that are more acidic do not make your blood and tissues more acidic. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Oranges, tomatoes = acidic. But shocker, they make your blood and tissues more alkaline. As you could have guessed, pretty much all veggies, fruits, dark leafies, unprocessed grains, and other healthy foods help to make your blood and tissues more alkaline, while meats, dairy, eggs, sugary goods, highly processed foods, coffee and alcohol make your blood and tissues more acidic. One reason loading up on healthy fluids, fruits, and veggies, and avoiding all the other foods is so good at helping you detox, is because you’re working the alkalinity. For more on pH, check here and here and here.

Now for some extra credit: Want to check your very own pH? Using your SECOND urine of the day, pee on one of these test strips (or ones similar). Is the Detox working? Hurrrahh!

You never thought this would be so much fun! Keep truckin’ and Happy Weekend! XOXO

Filed under Crazy Sexy Diet, Detox, Getting More Veggies, Gluten-Free, Healthy Eating is Easy, Inflammation, pH, Skinny Dish, Trader Joes, Weight Control

Detox Day 4: Calories

January 12, 2012 1 Comment

Broccoli Leek Soup, SKINNY DISH!

No doubt you’re feeling pretty jazzed that it’s Day 4. Afterall, you’re a Detoxing star! You’ve got your little ziplocks, you’re all smiles, and hopefully the days have gotten easier, the cravings for unhealthy foods are dissolving, and you’re feeling lighter and freer (but restraining from bra-burning…). Someone said the other day that this Detox is downright easy. Not just “not bad,” but simple! Well that’s exactly what I was hoping for. While challenging at times, it is completely doable and perhaps even enjoyable.

Alright, so what’s the deal with calories on this plan? Are you feeling lighter and freer because of the magic plant foods that raise your metabolism, the lower calories, or just because I keep saying that you’re feeling lighter and freer…. yoooou’rrree getttting skiiinnnnyyyy…? A little bit of all that!

Each Detox day has about 1500 calories at a minimum, 60-80 grams of protein, and around 50 grams of fiber. Adding extra servings of nuts, seeds, avocado, fruit, etc. increases all those numbers. This is not a starvation diet, juice fast, or air diet. It’s plentiful, nourishing, and reboots your body. It can be short-term or long-term. Either way, it should include supplemental vitamin B12 and vitamin D (the amounts in a common multivitamin are perfect). Both vitamins are needed because you’re not eating many–if any–foods that are fortified with these little dudes. Vitamin B12 is actually a bacteria found in animal-derived foods and dirt. I imagine you’re washing the dirt (and B12) off your produce (a wise move). Vitamin D is made in the body after sun exposure, and many latitudes aren’t getting adequate sun this time of the year. Foods that ARE typically fortified with B12 & D are non-dairy milks, cereals, and fake meats. So, not a bad idea to supplement when you’re relying heavily on raw foods.

As an example, Today’s Plan including a 2-cup serving of Purple Nurple, a 2-cup serving of Curried Lentil Stew, and all the other recommended serving sizes has 1459 calories, 61 grams of protein, and 49 grams of fiber. The average American gets about 12 grams of fiber a day. You may or may not have been the average American prior to this Detox. Regardless, you are moving some serious crud out of your system. Cheers to crud movement!!

So, March On!, and clean, cleanse, and recharge your core some more. Just a few days left!

Filed under Detox, Getting More Veggies, Gluten-Free, Healthy Eating is Easy, Inflammation, Skinny Dish, Trader Joes, Weight Control

7-Day Detox Complete Shopping List & Days 1-4 Menus Posted

January 7, 2012 2 Comments

Photo by: Christaface

Monday is right around the corner! Check out all the Detox info here, along with the full shopping list here. And check out menus for Days 1-4 in the menu bar above.

Is your tea kettle dusted off and has your blender been cleaned? Did you find all the parts to your juicer (if using)?

Are you phasing out coffee, bread, meat, and dairy?

You’re ready! The remaining menus for Days 5-7 (which also appear in SKINNY DISH!), will be posted on Sunday, and each day during the Detox I’ll be posting videos and fun detox info.

Enjoy your last day of prep! Questions or comments welcome now and anytime during the detox. Let’s get our veggie on!

Filed under Detox, Getting More Veggies, Gluten-Free, Healthy Eating is Easy, Healthy Eating is Tasty, Skinny Dish, Weight Control

SKINNY DISH! 7-Day Detox Starts Monday, January 9th!

January 6, 2012 Leave a Comment

Friends! Friends who ate too many Kwanzaa cookies! I’m leading a 7-Day Detox starting this coming MONDAY, January 9th based on the one in SKINNY DISH!. Check out my dedicated SKINNY DISH! 7-Day Detox Page and read all about it. Prep and shop over the next few days and then juice with us, blend with us, and chow down on some seriously healthy food for a mere 7 days. Your tush, your belt, and your general person will fall in love with you all over again.

Filed under Detox, Getting More Veggies, Gluten-Free, Healthy Eating is Easy, Skinny Dish, Weight Control

1-Minute Gazpacho

July 30, 2011 Leave a Comment

Just walked in the door from a 95-degree hot frisbee game and needed some refreshing veggies FAST. Poof! Gazpacho to the rescue in less than a minute.

1-Minute Gazpacho
Makes 5 (1-cup) servings

4 ripe tomatoes
1 large cucumber, peeled if not organic
¼ red onion
1 green bell pepper (preferably organic)
4 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
Hot sauce to taste (optional)

Blend all ingredients (except hot sauce) until smooth or desired consistency. Serve immediately (because you can’t wait), or chill in the fridge for an hour to let flavors marry.

Per cup: 89 calories, 5.5 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 243 mg sodium, 9.5 g carbohydrates, 2.5 g fiber, 1.5 g sugar, 1.5 g protein, 26.5% vitamin A, 58.5% vitamin C, 2% calcium, 4% iron

Filed under Getting More Veggies, Gluten-Free, Healthy Eating is Easy, Recipes, Videos, Weight Control

Gluten-Free and Fabulous

July 2, 2011 1 Comment

It seems like no matter where I am… grocery store, nutrition counseling clinic, REI, playground… I find myself recommending a gluten-free 10-day experiment to folks who are feeling zapped on energy, gassy, irritable, unable to focus, and unexplainably bummed out. So, despite feeling fantastic, focused, and strangely excited by everyday chores, I decided to do, track, and share my own dietitian-approved gluten-free day.

Gluten–which is the Latin word for “glue” (tasty!)–is the protein portion of a wheat kernel, and important in giving wheat flour it’s elasticity. You may have heard of Seitan, aka the “wheat meat”, which is pure wheat gluten, and pure protein. Gluten, unfortunately, is responsible for a whole variety of allergies ranging from very mild and often unnoticeable to extremely painful, disruptive, and seriously serious (such is the case with Celiac disease). Gluten also tends to cause inflammation, and while I’m personally quite a fan of the glue myself, it’s amazing how great people feel after ditching it for 10+ days. Here’s how my gluten-free day tasted:

Breakfast
Gigantic glass of water, 2 cups coffee with soy creamer & sugar
1 slice of DELICIOUS Udi’s Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread (Know of any good egg-free, gluten-free breads?)
Hot cereal made with 1 cup cooked quinoa, raisins, chopped apple, vanilla soymilk, and cinnamon

AM Snack
Water
1 Trader Joe’s FIBERFUL fruit bar
1 plum

Lunch
Water
1 cup baby carrots
Large arugula salad with 3 pieces of homemade baked tofu (recipe in upcoming Trader Joe’s Skinny Dish! book)
2 gluten-free Sesame Cherry Chewies (again in the upcoming Trader Joe’s Skinny Dish! book)
Rice crackers
2 small squares dark chocolate

PM Snack
Water
Apple
Trader Joe’s Roasted Seaweed Snack (whole package)
1/2 Haas avocado w/ sea salt (HEAVENLY!)

Dinner
Water (skipping the Hefeweizen, but could opt for a gluten-free beer)
2 corn tortillas with vegetarian refried beans and loads of stir-fried bell peppers

Late-Night Snack
Water
1 slice Udi’s Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread with peanut butter and sliced banana
Chamomile tea

What I Wanted to Eat But Had to Pass Up…
The kids’ leftover cinnamon raisin toast at breakfast, pretzel sticks, graham crackers, a whole grain tortilla, and a whoopie pie.

If you have the right ingredients on hand, this is totally doable, tasty, and energizing! Other glue-free ideas?

Filed under Carbs, Detox, Gluten-Free, Indigestion, Inflammation, The Bitchin' Life

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