WEEK 1 – WEANING GLUTEN, DAIRY, MEAT, CAFFEINE, SUGAR AND ALCOHOL

It’s day 4 of our detox and yoga challenge and in a few more days we will have eliminated gluten, dairy, meat, caffeine, sugar, and alcohol…whew!  I hope you’ve been able to wean off any items which you may be “addicted” to, like coffee.  I know that can be sooo tough!  I’ve been there, done that, and knock on cyber-wood, I’m staying off the caffeinated coffee! (Yes, I still enjoy an occasional cuppa decaf but, as of day 7, that’s out for me too.)

WHY DO BOTH…DETOX AND YOGA CHALLENGE?

This detox AND yoga challenge I’m suggesting is a combination of several challenges I’ve done over the years.  Some have been juice challenges, vegan challenges, and just yoga challenges.  The reason I decided to combine a detox AND yoga challenge is because last year I created my own challenge, combining dietary changes and daily yoga, for 30 days, and I found it most effective for changing habits and behavior.  The yoga revealed to me how dietary changes affected my flexibility, especially in my tightest poses such as wheel.  I discovered the effect inflammatory foods had on my joints and during my detox I became more open, less achy, and in general just found more freedom in my yoga poses.  My daily yoga became one of my measurements to gauge how foods affected my body.  In addition, the yoga/meditation plus detox also helped with my mental clarity and mood stability.  The element of increasing my body, mind and spirit awareness also contributed to my ability to focus on self-care.  The daily yoga naturally made me want to be respectful of my body, so it made it easier for me to stick to my dietary and behavioral changes.  I WANTED to eat well, get sleep, hydrate, and transform my negative to positive thoughts. Because of that experience, I became more convinced of yoga’s positive benefits in my life.

SHOPPING LIST

One of the most recent detoxes I participated in was Dr. Sara Gottfried’s Hormone Cure Detox.  My detox is very similar but, I am not doing the measurement of blood sugar, pH or suggesting dry brushing, etc.  I’m doing a bit more simplified version of that, plus I’m adding the daily yoga and meditation.  I do want to share a link to her page with a suggested list of what to and what NOT to eat for your detox.  You’ll notice she includes meat on her list.  That is a modification you can choose for this detox.  I am choosing to go  vegan plus fish (eg. salmon) and eggs.  I am personally in the mood to detox meat because I’ve eaten it recently and it’s made me feel heavy. Sometimes springtime may feel like a more suitable time to detox meat so, it may make more sense for you to keep lean meats in your diet if you’re in a cool climate right now.   This is where you get to design your detox to suit your needs and just do what feels right for you.

A POUND OF VEGETABLES A DAY…WHAT???

Yes, TRY to get in a pound of veggies every day.  Any veggies you use in your smoothies count, so since you have TWO liquid meals a day during WEEK 2, I recommend making veggie smoothies with kale, spinach, cucumber, etc.  And, soup is a liquid meal so shooting for 70% veggies in your soup will also help reach your pound of vegetables.  You’ll be surprised how full you actually are eating a pound of veggies.  You will not starve doing this detox and hopefully you won’t miss the meat, dairy, etc. too much!

MENU IDEAS

Periodically, I’ll share recipes here but, mostly I want to give you menu ideas (yes, basically, because I’m busy and am choosing to conserve my energy!) But, on our facebook group, we will share recipes there.  If you are participating in this detox and want to join our private group, go to http://facebook.com/SpirituallyFitYoga and email me so I can invite you to join our group.  Only members can see our group and our posts. 🙂

Instead of breaking down the following menu ideas into breakfast, lunch and dinner, I’m just listing ENTREES, SIDES, SNACKS and SMOOTHIES because the ENTREES can easily fall into the breakfast, lunch OR dinner category.  Okay, here you go!  Have a fabulous weekend and I’ll check in again Monday as we start “the real detox” on day 8!!

WAKE-UP
Cup of hot water and lemon

ENTREES

Experiment with adding fresh herbs, chopped nuts, seeds, or sea salt to enhance flavor and texture.

• Steel-cut oatmeal with almond milk, topped with chopped nuts, and berries
• 2 eggs with side of sauteed leafy greens (kale, spinach, swiss chard, or collard greens) OR with a side salad with vinaigrette
• Avocado and steamed/baked/roasted sweet potato with brown rice or quinoa
• Breakfast burrito with gluten-free tortilla with beans, rice, shredded carrots, cabbage, lettuce, etc. and avocado
• Brown rice or quinoa “bowls” topped with steamed, roasted, stir-fry veggies
• Vegetarian chili
• Lentil-vegetable soup
• Minestrone soup
• Miso soup with tofu cubes
• Vegetable curry sprinkled with peanuts or cashews
• Grilled salmon served atop polenta, caramelized onions; sided with green beans or sauteed leafy greens
• Fritatta (eggs, potatoes, veggies…no dairy)
• Quiche (use a cornmeal crust to make it gluten-free, and substitute milk with almond, coconut, or hemp milk to make it dairy-free)
• Stir-fry (broccoli, carrots, red, green, yellow peppers, onions, garlic, ginger, etc.)
• Seaweed Wraps (use Nori, which wraps sushi rolls) with hummus, shredded carrots, cabbage, caramelized onions and red peppers)

SIDES

• Roasted root vegetables: carrots, parsnips, beets, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, etc.)
• Brown rice
• Quinoa
• Sprouted bean trio
• Beans
• Polenta
• Gluten-free bread/toast

SMOOTHIES 

Here are some smoothie blends.  Design your own recipes making sure to always include a veggie and some protein. Prepare with water, unsweetened coconut water, or your non-dairy milk of choice.  If you’re preparing your smoothie with a “milk”, that counts towards your protein. Nut butters, seeds, and avocadoes are also great protein ingredients for your liquid meal. As an option, add a dash of cinnamon, tumeric, and/or cayenne pepper to add anti-oxidants to your smoothies. 

Chia seeds – I am personally a fan of chia seeds because of their ability to add substantial protein to your diet.  I recommend adding 2 tablespoons of chia seeds to each smoothie.

 

• 2 big handfuls of kale or spinach, 1/2 banana, and/or 1/2 carrot, 1/2 apple + 2 cups of liquid
• 1 cucumber, 1/2 pineapple, slice of peeled ginger + 2 cups liquid
• 1 apple, 1/2 banana, 1 carrot + 2 cups liquid
• 1 cup blueberries, 1/2 apple, 1/2 banana, 1 handful of spinach or kale + 2 cups liquid
• 1 avocado, 1/2 banana, handful of spinach or kale + 2 cups of liquid
• 2 carrots, 1 apple, 1/2 orange, handful of spinach or kale + 2 cups of liquid
• 1 banana, 2 tablespoons nut butter, dash of chocolate + 2 cups liquid

SNACKS

• Nuts and seeds
• Veggies (carrot and celery sticks)
• Roasted seaweed

Healthy eating!!
Amelia