DeVito Dominique - Healthy Detox Slow Cooking: Over 120 Easy Recipes to Cleanse Your Body

Healthy Detox Slow Cooking

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13-Digit ISBN: 978-1604335057

10-Digit ISBN: 160433505X

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T he word diet implies that weight loss is a goalafter all, that is often the first step in a plan to improve ones health. Excess weight contributes to a variety of problems, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, gout, and excess pressure on the joints.

The word detox (detoxification) implies that there is something toxic that needs to or will be removed. Medically, detoxification is a process by which certain toxins in ones system are identified and purposefully addressed so that they can be removed. The liver is the organ most responsible for keeping our bodies clean, and so it is typically the target of a medical detox diet. The thing is, since detox diets have sprung up and more research is being conducted on them, its become increasingly difficult to ignore claims like that of Frank M. Sacks, MD. Dr. Sacks, Professor of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at Harvard School of Public HealthDepartment of Nutrition, has said that the idea of the body needing to help to get rid of toxins has no basis in human biology.

With all this in mind, we want to state right in the beginning of this book that the recipes included are not formulated with a medical detox in mind. Rather, they are intended as a dietary detox.

The objective of a detox diet is to minimize what you eat so that you help your body cleanse itself of built-up toxins. The idea is that by limiting the foods you ingest, your body gets a boost in shedding the detritus of your usual diet, such as fats, salts, sugars, and byproducts of processed foods.

A diet that restricts processed foods and focuses on fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, and other clean foods is keeping the ingredients that contribute to unhealthy weight gain out of your bodyand thats a good thing! Going on a detox diet is really about going cold turkey on ingredients that dont support good health and going gung-ho on those that do. Its not a long-term solution, but its a clean way to make a fresh start, shed some pounds, and learn to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your regular diet in ways that you can enjoy.

Detox diets limit the amount of time you stay on them for anywhere from 48 hours to 7 days, and we agree. Tap into it, then incorporate things you like about it into your regular eating habits (which hopefully includes kicking a junk food habit!), and eat healthier overall. The slow cooker is a helpful tool as it will reduce ingredients and flavors to easily consumed meal substitutes that pack a nutritional punch without requiring a lot of fuss.

While on a detox diet, try to spend less time in the kitchen and more time in the great outdoors, or doing projects around the house, or taking up a new hobby. You might find that in addition to shedding some unwanted pounds, your body and spirit will be reawakened by the time you spend pursuing something you didnt feel you had time for when you were busy with meal preparations. Like yoga. Or knitting. Or woodworking. Or gardening. Or poetry. The juices and soups included in this book are easy to enjoy while working at your desk. Find ways to get out of the kitchen! The slow cooker is definitely helpful with this, as is a good blender.

Like weaning yourself off of anything youve enjoyed for a long timeno matter how serious your intentioneliminating many of the foods you enjoy regularly and eating only select vegetables and fruits is going to be hard. Youll be tempted to cheat a lot. Give yourself the best possible chance to succeed by setting up a support system around you.

Do some meal planning. Look through this book and figure out what sounds good. Target those recipes, and make a plan for when you are going to eat over the first few days. The juices are great for the morning, as theyre fresh and flavorful. While youre enjoying a juice, prep something in the slow cooker so youll have it for later for when your stomach starts rumbling. Keep reminding yourself that its only for a few days. You can do it!

Consider taking some time off from work, especially at the start of the detox diet. With minimal protein and carbs, you will start to feel weak, even lightheaded. Take it easy the first couple of days, be sure you can rest, and be sure you drink a lot of fresh water. Youll probably need to use the bathroom more often, too, which is another reason to lay low for a few days.

If you can keep yourself on a limited diet of vegetables, fruits, and other specific ingredients, you will begin to lose weight. Dont skip any meals while detoxing, as you want to keep a steady flow of nutrients through your system. Be forewarned that when the body senses its being starved, it starts to store fat. This is why dieters have such trouble dropping the final pounds in their weight-loss goals; the body wants to hang on for self-sustenance. The other side of this coin is that when you do begin reintroducing normal foods, you will start to gain weight back rapidly. Reintroduce foods slowly, and while youre feeling good about your weight loss, check in with your doctor so you can be monitored and start an exercise program.

This book will provide you with a variety of recipes that feature the limited selection of foods that are recommended for detox diets. Those foods are outlined in Chapter 2. Follow the advice given in this chapter and go easy on yourself as you venture into this diet. Anticipate feeling weak, and dont skip meals. Drink lots of water. Remember why youre doing this and what your ultimate goal is. Its not to drop a size to get into a bikini for the weekend. Its not to prove to your friends at the gym that youre healthier than they are. A primary reason to go on a detox diet is to simply cleanse your body. Let your system run clean, eliminating junk food and giving it food that is easy to digest. Discover a great new world of flavorsand some favorites youll want to make again and again even once youre no longer on a detox diet.