Add locally grown seasonally available produce to your detox diet!
Detox diets are calorie-reduction plans expected to have detoxifying effects. To embark on a seasonal detox diet, you reduce or eliminate processed foods, meat, sugar dairy, and caffeine from your meals and adopt a meal plan rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, while increasing your water intake. By relying on local produce available in season, this is a cost-effective plan. Always consult your health professional before embarking on a detox diet to ensure it is right for you.
How It Works
Each season includes holidays and festivities. You may tend to overindulge at at these times and your digestive system may not function as well as it should. In theory, toxins build up in this area, causing bloating. While the bowel is normally self-cleaning, you can facilitate the process by ingesting more fluid on a seasonal basis to help flush the intestinal lining and remove any toxins collected since your last detox. Additional water consumption can also make you feel more full, making it easier for you to stick to your diet and lose weight, shedding those unwanted excess holiday pounds.
What You Do
Restricting your diet to fruits, steamed vegetables, beans and nuts for a week to 10 days is not as difficult as you may think, if you plan ahead. Avoid buying and serving meat and fish as well as dairy and sugar. Start each day with a glass of water with lemon or lime juice. Plan to drink 10 eight-ounce glasses of eater throughout the next few hours.
Rely on locally grown produce. In the spring, enjoy smoothies made with carrots and celery, for example, during your detox. In the summer, rely on tomatoes, corn, beans, summer squash, and zucchini as well peaches, strawberries and blueberries. In the fall, take advantage of the last harvest and utilize apple and pumpkin in your menu plans. During the winter months, make a hearty soup from split peas and lentils.
What You Can Expect
Be sure to drink at least 10 eight-ounce glasses of water a day to prevent dehydration, a common side effect of detox diet programs, which can cause headaches and general malaise. Exercise moderately and get plenty of rest to minimize any negative side effects. You may feel lighter and refreshed!
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