Body Detox Diet Plans

When you start a body detox diet, the first thing you need to be aware of is that you should be thinking of your body detox program as exactly that – a program and not a diet. You need to re-evaluate how you think about food and how it impacts your health. One of things that get talked about a lot on any kind of diet, not just a detox diet, is portion size.

Imagine a portion is the same as a heaped tablespoon. Each meal should include a combination of at least 3 portions of either rice, vegetables or miscellaneous foods (like fresh fish, lean chicken etc). Each meal should be a plateful or bowlful. If at any stage you get hungry, then you must eat something, especially in the first half of your body detox program as your body adjusts. You will probably think that you are eating more than you should – this is quite normal and correct.

Vegetables, fruit and rice provide great sources of carbohydrate and fiber, whilst fish, oil and nuts are good sources of protein and fats. You must make sure that at least two portions of foods such as olive oil, cashew nuts and oily fish are included every day, otherwise your detox program will lack the necessary balance. You are not eating any of your normal fats so adding these oily foods is crucial. If you just eat vegetables, rice and fruit you will become tired and your body detox process will slow down to a standstill!

The best detox diet is not calorie counted but calories are a good way of demonstrating how much you need to eat. Calories are the method we use to measure energy in our food. The average female should eat around 1,600 calories per day and never go below 1,000 calories even when dieting.

If the calorie intake is reduced below 1,000 calories we are not providing sufficient energy for our bodies to operate and we go into starvation mode – our bodies store fat for times when they need it, our metabolism slows down, and we become weak and lethargic. It is imperative that you do not let your intake go below the recommended 1,200 calories per day. A body detox diet will only work if you keep all your organs and systems functioning healthily.

Cooking techniques

Try to cook your food as little as possible. The less heat the food is subjected to, the more nutrients will remain – and nutrients are essential on a body detox program. Obviously all fish dishes need to be cooked thoroughly but vegetables should always be eaten slightly crisp or ed dente. Techniques such as lightly steaming, parboiling, stir-frying or (lash-frying and grilling are far preferable to boiling or slow cooking as these will reduce both flavor and nutrients.