Gilmore - Everyday detox : 100 easy recipes to remove toxins, promote gut health, and lose weight naturally

The information contained in this book is based on the experience and research of the author. It is not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician or other health-care provider. Any attempt to diagnose and treat an illness should be done under the direction of a health-care professional. The publisher and author are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of any of the suggestions, preparations, or procedures discussed in this book.

Copyright 2015 by Megan Gilmore

Photographs copyright 2015 by Nicole Franzen

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York.

www.crownpublishing.com

www.tenspeed.com

Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC.

All photographs are by Nicole Franzen with the exception of those noted here: by Megan Gilmore.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Gilmore, Megan, 1983

Everyday detox : 100 easy recipes to remove toxins, promote gut health, and lose weight naturally / Megan Gilmore.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Detoxification (Health)Recipes. 2. Self-care, HealthPopular works.

3. Weight lossPopular works. I. Title.

RA784.5.G55 2015

613.2dc23

2014027121

Trade Paperback ISBN9781607747222

eBook ISBN9781607747239

Design by Hope Meng

Photography assistance by Vanessa Latin

Food styling by Lillian Kang

Food styling assistance by Alicia Deal

Prop styling by Christine Wolheim

Author photo by Josh Solar

v3.1_r2
a

The nutrition world can be daunting . With all of the hype surrounding the latest celebrity diets and weight-loss products, we are bombarded daily with conflicting health newsleaving us generally baffled about what to eat.

Instead of looking to the next diet trend for the answer to effortless weight loss and lasting health, lets focus on what we know really works: eating whole foods. Consistently eating real, unprocessed foods is the key to naturally detoxifying and uncovering the body youve always desired. The recipes in this book will help you do just that, as they have been strategically developed with whole foods to help you reach your health goals. Youll be eating well year-round, without giving up any of the favorite dishes that you love.

Thats whats special about this everyday approach to detoxinstead of taking drastic measures, youll be enjoying delicious meals made from whole foods on a regular basis. The following recipes will help optimize your digestion, gently remove toxins from your body, and soon have you looking and feeling better than ever before. Youll have no problem dropping those few extra pounds, because youll be eating clean and healthy meals every daywith room for treats. Best of all, youll achieve the results you want by simply making a few swaps in your pantry and using better ingredients to make your favorite dishes. No calorie counting or juice fasting required.

It might surprise you to hear that I wasnt raised as a healthy eater. Quite the contrary, in fact! Growing up in a military family, we moved often and relied heavily on packaged convenience foods and drive-through windows. I was accustomed to having many of my meals super-sized and thought that a glass of skim milk mixed with a package of chocolate breakfast powder was a complete and healthy breakfast.

Despite my typical diet of highly processed meals, my interest in preparing food started at a young age. One of my earliest creations in the kitchen was my own take on cheesecake, which featured a slice of Wonder Bread topped with a thick layer of margarine, processed cheese, white sugar, and a dash of colored sprinkles for good measure. Sounds appealing, right? I was so proud that I couldnt wait to share it with my family. My parents, supportive as always, were brave enough to take a bite but they never bought sprinkles again.

I still enjoy sharing my kitchen creations with my friends and family, but luckily for all of us, my ingredients and taste buds have improved over the years. Ive traded in refined sugars and processed dairy substitutes for their all-natural counterparts, without giving up any of my favorite dishes. Not only do these higher quality ingredients make my meals healthier, but they tend to make them taste better, too.

Of course, this change didnt happen overnight. My steady diet of refined sugar and greasy meals continued well into my college yearswhere I finally got my wake-up call. I suddenly found myself feeling bloated, sluggish, and stuck with a closet full of clothes that no longer fit. My poor eating habits, paired with a hefty class load and reduced activity level, had finally caught up with me. This is when my interest in health and nutrition began. It was inadvertently sparked by a vain desire to get my closet back.

Influenced by fitness magazines and college friends, I embarked on a calorie-counting regimen that would soon leave me feeling famished and frazzled. While I did lose some weight, I also found myself becoming obsessed with thoughts of food and calories all day long. Eating was no longer a pleasure, but an exhausting exercise in willpower and number crunching. Despite my best efforts, I could never stick to a strict calorie limit for long before giving in to the urge to binge. This led to feelings of failure and a resolve to make up for my transgressions the next day with an even stricter diet. Thus began my pattern of yo-yo dietingsomething Id struggle with through the rest of college and beyond.

Over the next few years, I ate my way through a series of diets, including low-carb, low-fat, raw food, and vegan, hoping Id eventually find the magic solution to my weight problems. However, no matter which approach I tried, none of them gave me the lasting results I was looking for.

What I realized after all of these failed diet attempts was that they didnt work for me because I was approaching them with an all-or-nothing mentality. I was either on a diet, or I wasntand when I fell off the wagon, I fell off big time. (Usually into a large pile of potato chips and chocolate chip cookies.) This cycle of bingeing and restriction took quite a toll on my body, leaving me with more wrinkles and cellulite than anyone my age should have accumulated. What had started as a vain attempt to lose weight had actually left me looking and feeling worse than ever.