30-day detox
| Different experts advocate different lengths of time for detox programmes. Seven days is a good starting point and if this worked for you, why not try a longer detox to shift more of the toxins? Some plans are geared to 14 days, others to 28 or 30, but they will follow similar rules to the ones previously described on the earlier page. |
|
You should include as many different colours in salads as you can, to get a wide range of nutrients in your diet. |
When you undertake a longer detox, say 30 days, you either have to follow an exact menu plan worked out by a nutritionist or educate yourself very carefully about nutrition so as to avoid deficiencies. For example, when you are not eating meat, poultry or dairy, you need to work harder to make sure you are getting the amino acids your body needs to grow and repair tissue. Eight of these must come from our food, and they are known as 'essential' amino acids. A 'complete protein' contains all eight.
Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products and tofu are complete proteins, as are quinoa and amaranth. |
Grains, pulses, beans, nuts, seeds and green vegetables are incomplete proteins but if they are eaten in the correct combinations, they can make up a complete protein. Mixing brown rice with beans is a good tip.
Making Up Complete Proteins
Here are vegetarian dietary sources for the eight:
- L-lysine: potatoes, soya products, lima beans, yeast.
- Methionine: garlic, onions, lentils, beans.
- Phenylalanine: almonds, avocados, bananas, lima beans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds.
- Tryptophan: barley, brown rice, soya beans, peanuts.
- Leucine: wheatgerm, oats.
- Isoleucine: wheatgerm, nuts, seeds.
- Threonine: nuts, beans, seeds.
- Valine: found in most plant foods.
The advantages of a 30-day detox programme are that your body has time to adapt and become used to a more healthy way of operating. You will cleanse more of the toxic load and should look and feel much better when you finish. It is recommended that you follow a structured detox plan to ensure you get all the nutrients you need to stay healthy. Once again, the real benefit of the detox will come if you manage to retain lots of the good habits you've learned and stick with a fresh-food diet long term.
|
|
must know |
Lactose Intolerance
This is a result from a deficiency in lactase, the enzyme responsible for digesting lactose in milk. It is more common in those with certain ethnic backgrounds. It affects more than 50 per cent of people of Native American, Afro-Caribbean or Indian origins, but only three per cent of Caucasians. Young children may get temporary bouts of lactose intolerance after they've been treated with antibiotics or had a dose of gastroenteritis.
|
Oats are rich in B vitamin and fibre, both of which can help the body cope with stress. |
must know |
Food Combining
Some nutritionists believe that it is easier for our digestive systems to break down foods if we don't eat a protein and a carbohydrate at the same meal. It is worth trying if you suffer from digestive problems. Eat protein and salad or vegetables for one meal a day, then eat grains, pasta or cereals with vegetables for another, and only eat fruit on its own at least 30 minutes after a meal. |
|
