You Are What You Eat Detox

Based on a book with the same title, the You are What You Eat detox diet is basically a combination of healthy eating habits and lifestyle. Gillian McKeith, a Scottish nutritionist and TV host, wrote the book in her attempt to extend to the readers how they can significantly improve their lives by having the correct information, such as pursuing a healthier eating habit instead of trying to attain a slim figure.

The You are What You Eat detox diet is basically a typical vegetarian diet, except for a few added recommendations, as you will learn later on in this article. While this diet promotes detoxification of the body and shedding off excess pounds, it is on the whole about presenting an improved way of living, specifically by consuming the right kinds of food and getting regular exercise.

Diet Essentials

If you don’t mind eating mainly fruits and vegetables for an extended period of time, then you will have no problem sticking to the requirements of the You are What You Eat detox diet. However, Gillian McKeith has added some more things that one should follow when undergoing this diet, including:

* Go through a series of colon cleansing in the beginning of the program, to facilitate detoxification and prepare the digestive system for the subsequent major diet changes.
* Follow a jumpstart plan that lasts for 7 days.
* Adhere to a strict vegetarian diet for 8 weeks, after which one may finally include small amounts of fish and chicken into the allowable list of foods.
* As much as possible, consume fruits and vegetables raw so as to benefit from their nutrients and enzymes to the fullest, which may be damaged by cooking.
* Consume supplements like digestive enzymes and blue green algae each time you cook your food to replace the damaged ones in the process.
* Follow proper food combination in order to promote better digestion, which means eating fruits alone and on an empty stomach, while eating starches and protein together.

Recommended Foods

The good thing about the You are What You Eat detox diet is it’s very non-restrictive to the amount of calories you consume per day – that is, because you are mainly relying on fruits and vegetables for sustenance. During the strict vegetarian diet for 8 weeks, aside from fruits and vegetables, you may also include whole grain food products, herbal teas, cold-pressed oils for adding flavor to your salads, and moderate servings of honey and maple syrup.

Again, as much as possible, you have to consume your meals raw. For the fruits, you may eat them as they are, or have them juiced, so you might have to purchase a blender or juicer when trying to go on the You are What You Eat detox diet. After you are past the first 8 weeks, you may begin to as well enjoy low- or non-fat dairy food products, chicken and fish

And now for the no-no’s: red meat, refined grains, and greasy and spicy foods are not allowable. As with your fruit juices, hold that tablespoon of sugar for sweetening them, as sugar is not allowed. As mentioned earlier, you may use honey and maple syrup for sweetening your fruit juices or herbal teas, but only in moderation. You must also steer clear of drinking alcohol, as its consumption crushes the detoxification you are after. In addition, caffeine is not allowed, so if you are used to having coffee in the morning or during work breaks, you might start looking for an alternative beverage before going on the You are What You Eat detox diet.

Meals and Exercise

The book You are What You Eat provides many different vegetarian recipes, so as not to bore the dieter with the same meals daily. One needs to eat 6 times a day – breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and evening snack. However, during snacks, you must always remember to grab something raw, such as a fruit, glass of fruit juice, or vegetable sticks.

As with the exercise, to promote weight loss and speed up the detoxification process, Gillian McKeith recommends 20-60 minutes of working out daily. It could be as simple as walking, but you may also do ballroom dancing, rebounding and others. You may also divide the length of your exercise into two, such as 30 minutes in the morning, and another 30 minutes in the afternoon. Exercise is a recommended part of the You are What You Eat detox diet for achieving long-term weight loss.