WHY?
You’ll feel better. Spring is a great time for a healthy reset. It is the season of new beginnings and the time to awaken out of the sluggishness of winter. It’s the time to clean house and revitalize.
We are in need of a reset now more than any other time in human history. Our stressful lives are building up harmful stress-related hormones in our bodies. Some of these stress hormones even cause us to retain belly fat. (Yoga and meditation can help - check out my free videos and we’ll get moving together) We often comfort ourselves with processed foods filled with refined sugars, saturated fats, additives, artificial colours, preservatives, and other unhealthy garbage that has negative consequences. We are constantly exposed to a plethora of environmental toxins. Even our household cleaners and personal grooming products have us breathing in an unhealthy chemical soup all day long.
Some of our habits have left us feeling fatigued, irritable and out of sorts with digestive problems, compromised immune systems, belly fat, skin problems, difficulty sleeping, and an assortment of aches and pains.
The goal is to:
1. Reset your palate
2. Drive out toxins from the body
3. Refuel the body with healthy nutrients
4. Leave you feeling full of vitality, energy and well-being.
HOW? I am going to outline two simple and safe choices. Even so, if you have any concerns, talk to your doctor first.
Option 1: Basic Reset
Start every morning with a drink of lemon juice (¼ of a lemon) and 300ml water (warm)
Sip on water all day long
Enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks following the guidelines below.
Make your evening meal the last food consumed for the day (no food 2/3 hours before bed)
No Red Meat: We want to give your digestive organs a break. Red meat is hard to digest, has been linked to breast cancer & colorectal cancer among other things, and has lots of saturated fats.
No Pork, Ham or Bacon: The meat and fat of a pig absorbs toxins like a sponge. Pigs can have up to 30 times the toxins in their bodies than other animals (partly because pigs can’t sweat). The meat is full of toxins, piles of saturated fat, and may be injected with growth hormones and other chemicals.
No Refined Sugar: Avoiding refined sugar is essential in resetting. While researching, I found no less than 124 scientifically proven reasons to avoid eating refined sugar!!!! There are 25 tricky names for sugar, so be aware (corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, lactose etc. etc.) It is an absolute energy killer.
No Alcohol: It disrupts your sleep and causes you to hang on to belly fat. I’m going to miss my red wine!
No Processed Foods: This may be the hardest one because it means a bit more work on our part. Processed foods are an unhealthy cocktail of additives, preservatives, “bad fats” and hidden sugars. Almost all the nutrients have been leeched out in the “process”.
30- minutes of yoga every day.
Enjoy a plant-rich breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and remember not to snack 2-3 hours before bed.
HEALTHY DAYTIME SNACK IDEAS
Low sodium nuts: Pistachios, almonds, walnuts, cashews etc…
Sunflower seeds, dried or fresh fruit, apple sauce, celery filled with almond butter
Veggies & dip (try Greek yogurt with parsley, garlic powder salt and pepper)
Apples and cheese (green apples and old cheddar is nice)
Edamame
Protein Balls (there are so many wonderful recipes)
Option 2: Deeper Detox/Reset
Start every morning with lemon juice and warm water
Sip on warm water all day long
Replace any coffee with tea
30-minutes of yoga
Enjoy breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner following guidelines below
No food 2/3 hours before bed
No Red Meat
No Pork, Ham, Bacon
No Refined Sugar
No Alcohol
No Processed Foods
No Wheat (we eat far too much wheat!!! Try wheat and gluten free pastas and breads)
No Dairy (try soymilk, oat milk, rice milk or almond milk as an alternative)
Use natural cleaning products in your home
Choose a reset program that doesn’t overwhelm you. Plan and shop ahead for your reset week and allow yourself more prep time for cooking.
You will love the way you feel!!!
Health Tip: A plant-rich diet and Yoga can help you feel great all year long.
Try This Recipe:
Mango Avocado Salsa
1 large mango peeled and diced
3 tbsp diced jalepeno peppers
3 tbsp minced red onion 3 tbsp diced red pepper (optional)
½ large avocado diced salt & pepper or herbamare to taste
1 ½ tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
Mix together adding avocado last.
Colourful, flavourful, healthy and delicious!