DeVito - Healthy detox slow cooking : over 120 easy recipes to cleanse your body

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This recipe was developed by the founder of Prevention magazine, Cynthia Sass, as part of the Flat Belly Diet. Not only is the flavor combination really tasty but the ingredients help with digestion and to prevent bloating.

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

1 medium cucumber, peeled and sliced thin

1 medium lemon, sliced thin

12 mint leaves

81/2 cups water

In a pitcher, combine the ginger, cucumber, lemon, and mint. Add the water.

Allow to sit for several hours. Strain as you drink the water.

While youre on the detox diet, drink lots of water. Carry a bottle of water around with youkeep it filled, and then, of course, drink it! While detoxing, you can drink lemon water, herbal teas (unsweetened and with no artificial flavors), and green tea (unsweetened). Avoid seltzers.

C ongratulations on your resolve to begin a short-term detox dietand make lasting changes in your eating habits. The objective here is not to go cold-turkey and stop eating. The objective is to eliminate foods that are known to stress your system (processed foods and sugars, for example) and focus on foods that are gentle on and good for your system (whole foods, particularly vegetables and fruits).

While the recipes in this book are designed for being on a detox diet, you can pick and choose among them. Theyre not laid out for you to follow day by day. Some detox diets are strict with how you start. This book is more about getting through a week or two and sticking with it rather than hitting the diet hard (and possibly giving up after a couple of days).

When you want to make a change in what youre eatingespecially if youll be eliminating things you eat regularlyits helpful to minimize temptation. This means you need to get rid of foods you wont be eating while youre on the diet and make sure youre well stocked with the foods you can and will be eating. Dont wait until the day youre starting the diet to get ready. Plan ahead. For most people, Monday is a good day to make a change in their diets, as weekends are usually spent leisurely with family and friends, and this usually involves eating and even special food treats. Come Monday, when its back to work and the focus is not entirely on food, its easier to incorporate change.

Regardless of when you want to start, give yourself the time you need to transition your food supplies. Give some serious thought to how youre going to navigate your way through the first few days (or even first full week) of your detox diet.

Browse through the book and put sticky notes on the recipes that look most appealing to you. If you know you wont be able to start your day with a smoothie that has greens in it, identify the ones that have more fruits or other kinds of veggies. Think about what might satisfy you in the middle of the day if you usually get lunch at the local deli or have been having a sandwich with chips every day for the last decade. What might be a suitable substitute for you? With the slow cooker, you can make these delicious recipes in advance and then store them in the fridge, ready to grab and go for lunch.

Make a goal of choosing recipes for the first three days for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and at least one snackand by snack we mean simply another approved recipe from the book, or something like a serving of fruit or raw vegetables. Make a list of all the ingredients youll need to get through the first three days. When you go to purchase them, buy double what you think youll need. You want to surround yourself with only the foods youll be eating. Nothing else.

If youre like me, you need to take your list to the place where youll be purchasing your food, or youll either forget important things, or youll get distracted and purchase the wrong thing by accident. Heres a helpful list of whats okay to eat while youre doing the detox diet. Find the ingredients youll need and want, and make your list. Dont forget it!

Vegetables:

Alfalfa (sprouts, seeds)

Asparagus

Beansprouts

Beets

Broccoli

Cabbage

Carrot

Cauliflower

Celery

Collard greens

Cucumber

Edible flowers

Eggplant

Fennel

Garlic

Green beans

Green peas

Kale

Lettuce

Mushrooms

Onions (all types)

Parsnips (high glycemic)

Peas

Peppers (all colors)

Pumpkin

Radishes