Detox Diet

In recent years diets based around detoxifying the body have not only become trend, but are now commonplace and widely accepted. There are many reasons to go on a detox diet including weight loss, but the greatest reason is to clean out your body and change your eating habits.

Though there are a huge number of detox diets out there, including the popular “lemonade diet”, the basic principles of each are the same. Eat very little and eat healthy. We are constantly eating processed food that is full of chemicals our body cannot digest properly, or at all. A detox diet helps cleans much of the toxins that have built up in your body.

Along with ridding your body of toxins, a detox diet is a test of will requiring you to overcome your cravings and increase your own mental willpower. For those of us that eat unhealthy food day in and day out, this is a time to break those habits once and for all.

The hardest part of a detox diet are often the food cravings. Our bodies have gotten used to whatever it is we eat regularly, and since what most people eat regularly now is unhealthy, our bodies crave food that is bad for them. The first few days are almost always the hardest, when it feels as though you “need” some kind of processed for or sweets, which is just your body reminding you this is about the time you usually eat those things.

One important factor in any detox diet is to listen to your body. Only eat when you are hungry, and only enough to fill you up, to not feel hungry anymore. Eat small snacks of fresh vegetables and nuts or seeds throughout the day.

Detox Diet Recipes

For breakfast should be light, half of a grapefruit or an apple. Then, a few hours later, have snack. Lunch can be larger but, as with every meal but dinner, it should consist of largely raw food. Uncooked fruits and vegetables are perfect for breakfast and lunch. Try making lots of combinations and inventive salads, and instead of dressing, use olive oil or lemon juice.

For dinner, cooked vegetables are always recommended. You can also try different types of soups and meatless chili, as long as they are homemade and not store bought. If you want to have some kind of grain, try small amounts of brown rice or other whole grain carbohydrates.