Simplicity

As you begin your journey into detox and weight-loss you will notice your tastes becoming simpler. You will begin to revel in each luscious bite of a strawberry or a crisp refreshing salad.

As I’ve said, I don’t have a lot of time to fuss over meals, which is perfect for detox anyway. Simplicity in your dishes and your menus is best for digestion and elimination. It also means freedom from the kitchen, fast foods and spending money on things that make you sick.

I began one day this week with a lovely green juice of spinach, kale, parsley, apple and lemon while sitting on the beach before work.

On my way to work I sipped this lovely “Goddess of Greens” while I grabbed a bit of fresh ocean air (yes I know I’m lucky)

At work I had one of my usual delicious salads with lemon.

Greens, beets, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado and lemon juice.

At home after work my dinner was equally luscious and easy, a salad with corn, bell, pepper tomato, olives and lemon with a little taco seasoning for a little added zing.

After this refreshing salad I had an eggplant that I halved, scored, topped with butter ( yes! butter), taco seasoning and baked for an hour at 375 while enjoying my salad and a glass of wine. Scrape the cooked eggplant out of the skin and squeeze a little lemon juice. Yum.

As I have said before, cooked oils should be eventually eliminated from your diet. All oils except for coconut oil change their molecular structure at high heat and become rancid. Therefore they are indigestible and toxic to the system. Butter on the other hand, does not change with high heat and is completely digestible and recognized as food by the body. Of course it is not one of our desirable plant-based fats so should only be enjoyed occasionally and in small quantities.

Detox While Living a Real Life.

I have been doing my best to live a detox lifestyle for about 3 years now. I have progressed tremendously during that 3 years. I will get into my beginning two and a half years at a later time, but right now I want to focus on what I am doing now and what I have been doing for about 6 months. And let me say that I have experienced amazing transformations during that time. The key is to progress and transition SLOWLY!!

First, let me tell you that for the last year I have been not only doing occasional photo shoots, pursuing my hobbies, helping my daughter babysit her toddler, but I have also been working 2 regular jobs at 6-7 days per week. So when I tell you that this detox lifestyle and personal transformation can be done with a busy schedule, you know I am speaking the truth. 4-5 days per week i have been working at Trader Joes’, one of my favorite grocery stores for many years now. My typical day begins with a short session on the rebounder, some yoga, a dry brush massage a shower and if I am lucky a good bowel release. Then I make my green juice and a salad to take to work for lunch.

This was what I took to work with me yesterday. A Starbucks thermos of juice (6 months ago I was filling this with a venti coffe but one day I just didn’t need it anymore) and a big canister of salad. This one is baby lettuce, herb salad mix, butter lettuce, fresh raw corn from the cob, orange bell pepper, kalamata olives, heirloom cherry tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes. the dressing is lemon juice and a little “African smoke” seasoning.

Today I didn’t feel like making my juice or lunch so I stopped at my local health food store on the way to work. I drank a big green juice then and there (sorry, I was so anxious I forgot to take a picture) and I made this simple salad to take with me and just used lemon juice and sea salt with fresh ground pepper for dressing.

Baby greens, spinach, shredded beets, shredded carrots, grape tomatoes

For dinner the last 2 nights I have enjoyed a very satisfying dish:

Steamed broccoli, marinara, raw goat cheddar, kalamata olives

Complimented by a mellow Sonoma chardonnay

And a rich dark chocolate for dessert

Dining Out (oops, who said I was perfect anyway)

One of the great things about this lifestyle is the ease in which you can fit it into a normal day. You can still enjoy sumptuous meals out with your friends. The Outback has a seared ahi on a bed of greens and cucumber with a mixture of 2 dressings. I always order it without the crispy wontons (starch) and the dressing on the side. I usually just squeeze some lemon over the whole thing, but sometimes I eat a tiny bit of their dressing. Occasionally I will substitute the ahi with their grilled Norwegian salmon, like I did last night. Add a glass of wine and not only do you have a well-combined protein meal but a real treat as well

But, if the kitchen messes up your order and gives you a free dessert, like their Thunder from Down Under, you might not be strong enough to refuse. Oh well, who said I was perfect anyway. Thank goodness I had someone to share it with. If you were to eat just the ice cream, whipped cream, the chocolate shavings and sauce, you would still have a pretty good protein meal, but add the brownie and uh oh.

The really great thing about this lifestyle though, is that is isn’t just a temporary diet, it really is a lifestyle. One thing I have learned living like this is not to be so hard on myself. It isn’t about perfection. It is about progress and transitioning and learning not to be in a hurry. I do so well most of the time that an occasional boo boo isn’t a huge setback. It no longer sends me into a downward spiral of bingeing on anything in sight for days, into weeks and then you wake up and 3 years have gone by . I knew I would wake up this morning to my rebounding and yoga and drink my juice for lunch and not miss a beat.