Importance of Detoxification

Many people today are not aware of the detox diet and its significant contribution to one's health. The reason to this is that numerous people everywhere in the world, particularly in the U.S. are more so concerned with what they eat. However, it is equally important to have a detox diet as well as a healthy diet.

There are so many man-made chemicals in our food, water, soil, and air, which serve as the primary cause for the alarming rise in cancer since the last 75 years. It is common knowledge that we ingest an array of toxic substances daily. Those who take prescription and over-the-counter drugs have accumulated residues in their bodies from such substances.

Detoxification can clean out the liver, digestive system, kidneys, lymph, and the bloodstream. A variety of detoxification approaches are used, including colon cleansing, fasting, chelation, water therapy, heat therapy, nutritional, herbal, and homeopathic methods. In the early 1900s, Max Gerson introduced coffee into the enema procedure, which causes the liver to release stored up toxins into the digestive system to be eliminated.

Chelation can clear toxins, particularly highly toxic metals like mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and lead from the bloodstream, tissues, and organs. It has proven to be extremely effective in fighting various diseases and even prevent cancer.

Kidneys are flushed by drinking large amounts of water containing special herbal preparations. The liver is cleansed using various means. The coffee used in enemas, stimulates the liver to purge itself. Colonic irrigations help remove built-up waste products in the colon, some of which may have been there for years.

This therapeutic approach goes back literally thousands of years to the ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks. Although a normal procedure in Europe for generations, Americans are still getting used to this idea.

Detox diets can come in numerous ways and to find the best way possible for detoxification, one should consult his or her doctor. Nevertheless, here is one way to go about one’s detox diet for dinner.

Dinner
· curried lentils on quinoa
· salad with mixed greens, red peppers, artichokes and sprouts drizzled with salad dressing of garlic, lemon juice and olive oil
· vegetable broth

Before bed
· 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds in a glass of water

Michelle Kim

The Detox Diet: Lunch Menu

Most detox diets just involve cleansing the entire body. Below, there is a sample of a detox diet made for the lunch menu. First of all, it is important that you have regular bowel movements during a detox as this will lessen the likelihood of toxins being reabsorbed by the body. A good way to make sure you will eliminate regularly includes the following:

LUNCH

1. Chunky vegetable soup made with vegatable stock and your choice of vegetables
2. Steamed broccoli with sesame seeds and beets sprinkled with lemon juice on brown rice
3. Apple sauce
4. Supplements: Multivitamin

SNACKS

1. Dandelion root tea
2. Carrot sticks with hummus dip
3. Water
4. Supplements: Milk thistle

Michelle Kim

The Detox Diet

Detox, short for detoxification, is the removal of potentially toxic substances from the body. Detox is primarily used as a treatment for alcohol or drug dependence, but it also can refer to diets, herbs, and other methods of removing environmental and dietary toxins from the body for general health.

The following is a detox diet plan for breakfast, which will support detoxification by increasing elimination from the body, enhancing circulation to clear toxic substances, eliminating foods from the diet that require detoxification or are allergenic, and providing nutrients to support and protect the liver - the main organ involved in detoxification.

For starters, a detox diet sample menu for breakfast can include a 1/2 lemon squeezed into a glass of warm water and 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds in a glass of water. Then the actual meal can include a smoothie made with pear, rice milk, and rice protein powder and supplements that consist of vitamin C.

Detoxification comes in many forms and refers to many different programs that cleanse the body of toxins. Today, our environment is toxic and the foods we eat, even the air we breathe and the water we drink is laden with chemicals foreign to our system. Many different approaches to detoxificaiton and wellness will work, even though they attack the problem at different levels. Furthermore, other factors must be considered in detoxification such as nutrition, water, exercise, rest, sunshine, and fresh air. Ultimately, any program that augments detoxification will improve health.

Michelle Kim

A Well Balanced Diet

A well balanced diet would lead to well rounded nutrition intake for the body. It is known that sufficient nutrition can help body to work more efficiently and build a strong immune system. Thus it is crucial to know what you should eat to gather the nutrition that your body need to maintain the healthy level.

Thanks to The New Zealand Nutrition Foundation for providing a chart to the right. It shows what and how much we should eat to be healthy. Majority of our daily diet should include mostly fruits, vegetables, and grains. We should only eat moderate amount of meat, milk, cheese, nuts...etc. People who are unhealthy or overweight should consider cutting down the consumption of sugar, butter, margarine, and oil from their daily diet.

Thus, we should keep the food pyramid in our mind at all time to remind us what we should consume to maintain a healthy diet.

Wei Chen

Careful with How Much Calorie You Take.

Last week, I posted a Calorie counter which will tract your daily calorie intake. It is very user friendly and neat. You can also add it in your iGoogle page .

(Link: http://www.labpixies.com/gadget_page.php?id=31)

To maintain a healthy diet, we need to put more attention to the calorie we take in a daily basis. Too much calorie leads to many health issue and disease. A healthy male adult should take approximately 2000 calories a day and a healthy female adult should take about 1200 calories. These numbers are only suggested figures because many other factors like age, height, body weight, and daily activities should also be taken into consideration. All the factors will affect the calorie intake. For example, younger teenagers usually need more calories because their metabolism is much faster than adult.

If you would like to know more about the food you eat, you can also use another calorie counter from the following website.

Link: http://www.acaloriecounter.com/search/burger

It is very simple to use and it provide all the nutrition information of the food.

Wei Chen

Count Your Calorie

Five Healthy Foods

Now, after you have asked the question whether you are really hungry or not, it is time to figure out what healthy foods to eat. There are many great natural foods that are also delicious to eat at the same time such as organic food. However, there are five surprisingly healthy foods - some of which you would not be able to guess.

We all know that vegetables are good for our health, but would you believe that tea, coffee, chocolate, avocados, and fatty fish also can prevent diseases and improve your health? Some of these foods contain antioxidants, which fight disease-causing molecules that damage cells. Others have omega-3 fatty acids, which significantly promote heart health.

Teas including black, green, white, and oolong can reduce the risk of heart disease. To get the best effects, one should drink tea that is both hot and decaffeinated. Some studies have shown that drinking tea three times a day can reduce the risk of heart disease.

On the contrary, dark chocolate can reduce the risk of diabetes, which also improves blood sugar. This means that the antioxidants in dark chocolate help reduce high blood pressure. Small portions of dark chocolate can be a great part of a healthy diet.

Some would not believe that any fatty food could possibly be good for your health; however, when it comes to seafood, the fattier the fish, the better. Coldwater fatty fish such as salmon, trout, and tuna to name a few, are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which promotes health in many ways. They lower blood cholestoral and prevent blood clots and heart attacks. The results in eating fatty fish are so effective that the American Heart Association recommends eating two servings of fatty every week.

Avocados are rich in vitamin E and potassium. They can reduce cholestoral levels and contain antioxidants that contribute to good health. Avocados should be served in small portions because they contain many calories.

Many people enjoy drinking coffee, especially in the morning and it may actually have health benefits. The caffeine in coffee stimulates the brain and nervous system, and may even lower your risk of diabetes, Parkinson's disease, mood problems, headaches, and even cavities.

These are some of the few foods that can greatly contribute to a healthy diet. These five foods may prevent disease and promote health, but regular exercise and healthy eating patterns that include a variety of nutritious foods are also very important. In addition, portion sizes do matter even with healthful foods. If one gains weight because of eating too many portions, the health benefits will deteriorate because of the health risks of being overweight.

Michelle Kim

Am I Really Hungry?

It is a concern that many people that we don’t know how much should we eat, simply because the feeling of hunger is instinctual. If we get into the habit of searching for food while we feel hungry, we will probably end up eating too often.

Experts suggest that we should always ask ourselves that “Am I really hungry” when we feel hungry. If the answer is uncertain, then we should wait. We should also ask ourselves that “When was the last time I ate?” and “What did I eat?”

Others suggest that people should just eat until they no longer feel hungry and keep a close track of their eating habit. A careful study of our own eating habit can help us achieve a more healthy diet.

Wei Chen