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Detox Guide

A simple, plant-based, 7 day Detox Guide with Recipes … to help energize the body,
rev up the metabolism and shed unwanted weight.

Happy, healthy new year!  For the record, I am not a dietitian and I can’t say that this detox guide is right for everyone. Please don’t take my word for it, do your own research and make sure this is a good fit for you. We are all so different, and I don’t believe in “one size fits all”.  But this is what has worked for me- and I just wanted to share it! 

A little back story: For several years, I have watched my own metabolism slow down and my weight slowly creep up. Growing up, I was naturally slim and it wasn’t really until my forties that I noticed weight gain that was harder to shed. When I was younger, loosing a few pounds used to be fairly easy. Not anymore. Although I never considered myself to be overweight, I gained a few pounds around my middle that made me feel sluggish and unhealthy. My cholesterol was slowly rising and nothing I did as far as “diets” seemed to help me with this.

But last summer I tried something different. I actually started listening to my body. Even though the latest trend was to cut out all grains and eat lots of protein and fat, my body actually felt better and more energized when I included some whole grains & minimized meat and sugar. I also stopped snacking as much.

In the beginning, I just started paying attention to when I was eating and why. I noticed that much of the time I ate when I was not actually hungry.  I did a lot of mindless eating…eating whatever was sitting on the counter, as I walked past regardless if I was hungry.  Being a caterer, there is always food in front of me, which inevitably ends up in my mouth!  Or eating in front of the TV, out of boredom. So I started by simply noticing my daily habits.  I began paying attention to what foods left me feeling tired and sluggish (dairy, processed foods and sweets) and what left me feeling energized and alive (fresh fruits and veggies).

Something else happens as we age. When we consume too much – too much fat, sugar, white flour and processed foods, our bodies just can’t seem filter these out as efficiently as they used to when we were young! It is almost like our own naturally built-in filter or detox system gets overloaded and tired!  Our bodies stop processing as effortlessly as it once used to. For me, cutting back on animal protein and fat/ white sugar/ white flour/ processed foods  is like rebooting the system. It allows our bodies a break, letting it “catch up” with its inner cleaning.  Eating more plant-based meals, with lots of healthy fruits and veggies, whole grains, plant based proteins, allows our body to do what it naturally wants to do…heal itself. Research shows that this way of eating, lowers cholesterol and can even reverse heart disease. Don’t take my word for it, please do your own research and see for yourself.

And while we take this “break” our bodies become better able to absorb all the good clean nutrients we are putting into them. And I find that in the process, I start to actually crave these clean foods because I feel better, sleep better and have way more energy.

So… this is what I did: I moderated my intake of animal protein, fat, sugar, white flour and processed foods – and within 3-4 days, I felt more energetic.  On most days I tried to eat vegan – plant-focused meals with some whole grains and beans with the very occasional fish.  I made all meals from scratch. This is KEY.  And I stopped snacking. I let myself get hungry.  I limited the amount of oil I was using and took a break from eggs (which was hard, because I really love them).

And yes, occasionally I would splurge because I really don’t believe in depriving one’s self of all life’s pleasures.  For example, I really love ice-cream. But I realized I made a habit of it, eating it every night after dinner. Did I really need to eat it every single night?!  I decided I would eat it, only when I really really wanted it, which ended up being far less than I thought. I changed the habit of eating it. And I changed the habit of constantly snacking when I wasn’t hungry- substituting this tea, or lemon-herb infused water.

Slowly but surely, I lost weight for the first time in years. At first I didn’t actually notice the weight loss, it was that slow. But I felt more energy during the day and slept better at night. After several months, I weighed myself and was astounded.  My cholesterol also went down (which is important to me personally, because both of my parents had heart bypass surgery). I’m not promising miracles here, but I think if you give it a try, you may be pleasantly surprised- like I was.

In the Detox Guide,  I lay out a list of things to begin your journey. Please don’t feel like you have to do ALL these things in the first week (unless you really want to jumpstart your body) .  I’ve found that lasting success comes from gradually and gently incorporating these changes into your lifestyle so they become a more lasting habit. This is key. Weight will come off a little more slowly, but this is a good thing, and this way it will most likely last. So go ahead and start with just one or two things this week. Then next week add another, and then another the following week so it’s not so overwhelming or dramatic. This is not intended to be a “diet”, but rather a lifestyle change for increased energy, vibrancy and gradual weight loss, with a “jumpstart” option if you are so inclined.

I’m not here to try to convince you of anything – we all know what we need to do to feel our best. My husband follows the paleo diet- and for him, it works great. It’s very popular now and I get it… but for some reason, it just doesn’t work the same for me. There are many paths to feeling our best. Find your own!

My hope is inspire and motivate you to take some steps towards feeling alive and energized. And to take responsibility for your health.  We only get one body while we are here….

Here are a few of my favorite resources which have inspired the Detox Guide.

The Longevity Diet

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease

The China Study 

The Blue Zones 

Eat to Live

Sign up for my free DETOX GUIDE and make some simple changes starting today! Once you sign up you’ll receive the list of things you can start implementing into your daily routine, along with some simple delicious recipes!

Then, every Saturday morning you’ll receive the latest healthy, plant-forward recipes, from my kitchen to yours!

 
 
8 comments :

  1. These recipes look wonderful! Anxious to try as many as possible. I noticed in some of the recipes that you use tofu. I don’t like tofu so I was wondering if you could recommend a substitution

  2. Hi Cindi…thanks for your comment. Depending on the dish- you could substitute whole beans, fish, chicken breast ( are you vegetarian?). But I guess I want to challenge you a bit here and see if you could give tofu, an honest try. 🙂 Yes, it’s an acquired taste/texture, I totally get it, but I bet, if seasoned well, you may eventually come to enjoy it? Good luck and let me know how it goes!

  3. Thanks for your help!

  4. Excellent menu recipes! I’ll certainly give it a try soon, my personal challenge would be stay away from cappuccino and cookies at breakfast 🙂
    Thanks again for sharing!

  5. Thanks Manuela! Yes, fortunately, we ate all the cookies during the holidays, so its easier when they are not right in front of me!

  6. AnonymousFebruary 19, 2015 at 10:06 AM

    Really impressed to see these wonderful creations…feeling connected as I have a similar style/approach to create something healthy, cross-cuisine & ofcourse delicious!
    Great presentation & pics! First time on your site. Will definitely try some…
    ~ Shweta

  7. Thanks Shewta…appreciate your feedback and welcome to the site!

  8. CarolineApril 6, 2015 at 8:16 AM

    Your photography is AMAZING! Very impressed 🙂

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Very interesting look forward to the variety of recipes.
    At present on a journey of reducing my weight.

    Thank you

    Reply

    • Thanks Ira,
      All the best to you…. and I would love to hear updates on your journey!
      Sylvia

      Reply

  2. Awesome site and <i love all the recipes. I tried to sign up for the detox plan but it did not work numerous times. Could you please help? thanks!

    Reply

    • Sorry about that…sometimes it goes strait to spam, so please check you spam folder- the email subject line is “Welcome Gifts”. If you don’t find it let me know!!!

      Reply

  4. Hello Sylvia,
    I really enjoy your posts in your website. I’m following you on Pintereset as well.
    I’m intersted in doing the detox!
    Thank you! God bless you!

    Reply

  6. Hello Sylvia

    I seem to have the same problem as some others. I signed up for your Detox menu and did not receive it. Would you kindly email it to me, please?
    Your website is my go to for great recipes! Thank you!
    Renée

    Reply

    • There was a problem with my Mail Chimp Email settings, but I think it has been fixed…you should have received it this morning?
      Let me know if you haven’t…thanks!!

      Reply

  7. Hi Sylvia!

    I also did not receive the meal plan, would you be able to email it to me too?

    Thank you!

    Reply

  8. I’m having great difficulty hunting out the Haloumi salad with mint dressing recipe,so far searched in vain.Here’s hoping!

    Reply

  10. Hi Sylvia

    I did not receive the meal plan either. Would be much appreciated if you could email it to me.

    Many thanks
    Jane

    Reply

    • Sure- No problem, I will email it to you Mel!
      Did you get the confirmation message? The most common reason people don’t receive it is because there is typo in the email address.

      Reply

  13. This is wonderfully done!! I love what you wrote. I have a certificate in Plant-based Nutrition from Cornell and an a certified instructor for the McDougall Starch Solution Program. You are on the right track, keep up the good work!

    Reply

  14. I am happy to have found your site and can’t wait to try some of your recipes, they all look so delicious.
    I signed up to receive your emails and it states up top that when you sign up you get a detox plan along with menus but I did not receive them. Are they on your site or Am I missing something?

    Reply

    • I received the menu and detox plan this morning. There must have been a delay in receiving my email. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes.

      Reply

  15. I want to thank you for the ethnic recipes you have published. My husband loves them and I am happy he does.
    He even adds the ingredients needed to make your dishes to he shopping list!

    Reply

    • Ahhh.. thanks. I hope I’m not making him too crazy with the list, as I know my list of ingredients can get a little long at times. 😉

      Reply

  16. Hi Sylvia, i started making the dextox tea and drinking the same, can you let me know how many glass i should drink ideally a day and for how many days.

    thanks
    Kiran

    Reply

    • Hi Kiran, There are no “shoulds” here. I drink it throughout the day, just refilling it with hot water. But we are all different. Try it for week and see what you think and how you feel.

      Reply

  17. Hi, I just signed up and already got the menu, can’t wait to start cooking. Will decently recommend to my friends.

    Reply

  18. Wonderful website! Recipes look awesome! Want to do your detox plan, as my ‘story’ is so similar to yours. So happy to have found your site, &look forward to making so many of your delicious-looling recipes. Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Thanks for visiting the site Sylvia….I’m happy you are here! Similar stories, and we share the same name. 😉

      Reply

  20. Interested in receiving your detox plan – currently on chemo for breast cancer. Any other tips you might have? Totally need to detox… Obviously! ;).

    Reply

    • I will email it to you.I’m so sorry to hear you are going through chemo, I honestly can’t begin to imagine how hard this would be. How has your appetite been? What are you craving?
      I’m not an expert, but what I would tell a friend is…
      Be kind to yourself and gently nourish your body with clean, fresh, plant-based foods, made from scratch. Limit anything processed in addition to white flour, sugar or overly heavy foods. Think wholesome, real food with the focus around fruits and vegetables, organic if possible.
      Sending you love and healing today.

      Reply

  21. Hello, I just LOVE your Blog. I signed up for the Detox menu but haven’t received it and wondered could you please send it to me? Many thanks in advance.

    Reply

  23. I have the book “prevent and reverse heart disease” but a lot of the recipes all for sweet potatoes. I try and try and cannot stand them…what can I substitute?

    Thanks!

    Reply

  24. Hi Sylvia! My story is similar to yours… have always been thin and able to lose weight easily. Have put on 10lbs in the last 18 months and can’t seem to shake it. Thinking about trying the detox plan and have a couple of questions:

    – Did you snack, or stick to only 3 meals a day? If you snack, what do you recommend?
    – I only have a small French press. To make a quart, could I just pour over a fine strainer instead?
    – Do the recipes in your weekly “nourish bowl” recipe plan work with the detox?

    Thanks so much for such a beautiful and inspiring site!

    Reply

    • Hi Holly! Yes, I snack, mainly at night, my hardest time to not eat. It’s like my mouth gets bored and just wants to chew!!! I cut up cucumber and jicama, squeeze with lime and sprinkle with chili powder – or cut up a really good apple. I try to stick to fruit and veggies- not always succeeding. For the tea- yes boil the water in the pot with the spices and roots, so it infuses well, then strain. Nourish bowl is great for the detox! Welcome to the blog.

      Reply

  26. Hello,I really look forward to try more gluten -free recipes. your upside down rhubarbe cake was a huge success tonight. Receiving your detox and menu plan would be wonderful Thank you so much. for your inspiration.

    Reply

  28. This blog is helpful and useful to the readers and to the searchers. I admire your determination .Thanks for this great resource & I really appreciate your work.

    Reply

  30. I have only recently found your site and feel very inspired to cook more and to try to incorporate more veggies in my meals (slightly tricky when feeding a teenager).

    Your writing is not at all preachy which is incredibly refreshing and you seem to understand the difficulties people face when little on time.

    I have tried to sign up for your detox plan as your experience is exactly what is happening to me however however nothing comes through and I have checked my junk folder.

    Many thanks,

    Reply

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