Showing posts with label metabolism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label metabolism. Show all posts

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Model Detox Diet

Who are the best people to ask for ideas if you want to lose weight and improve your complexion? Fashion models! Models learn to manage their weight in a healthy way, and eat just the right combination of foods that leave their skin looking better and better with each passing year.

Its a very easy plan to follow that can still get fantastic results. Unlike some of the other cleanses on this site, the Model Detox Plan can provide a healthy basis for long term changes to your lifestyle. You don't need to follow it strictly, take the elements you like and add them to your diet!

Foods to Eat

Use organic fruits and vegetables as they have less pollutants and chemicals. Organic food also has a higher nutritional content than non-organic commercialized produce.

Basically your diet should mostly consist of juiced, raw, frozen, or lightly steamed fruits and veggies. Corn should be avoided, white potatoes can be eaten only in moderation. Eating a variation each day will ensure you are getting enough vitamins and keep this diet as interesting as possible.

Foods to Avoid

Here is a brief list of foods to avoid while on this plan. To get the full detoxing effects, stick to the diet and be sure that you don't cheat!

Dairy and animal products
Bread, pasta, grains, cereal
Chocolate
Nuts
Sauces
Pickled vegetables or canned fruit
Alcohol and cigarettes
Coffee and tea (except green and herbal)
Meal Plans
Breakfast

Variations of fruit or fruit puree are great for breakfast. They are nutritious, filling and the natural sugars will give you energy to get through the morning.

To make a fruit puree, cut up your fruit and place in a pot on the stove with a small amount of water. Cover and leave it on a low heat until the fruit is soft. Now just throw it in the blender and add a squeeze of fresh lemon to taste. add a little cinnamon.

Blends can contain apples, plums, nectarines, pears and berries, but really anything goes. You can also mix it up a bit by using your blender to achieve different consistencies.

Lunch & Dinner

For your main two meals its important to keep calories low but nutrition high. A vegetable puree soup is the answer. This will give you energy to get through the day and all the nutrients you need.

Cut up your vegetables, add approximately one cup of vegetable stock, and cover on a low heat until the vegetables are soft. Now throw it in the blender and spice it up with a raw clove of garlic or jalapeño pepper. add cilantro and a little olive oil.

experiment with different vegetables for this soup. Great ideas are spinach and broccoli, collard greens, zucchini, onion, carrots and sweet potatoes. Beans also make a great addition. use chickpeas but be sure they are organic.

Desserts & Snacks

This diet can sometimes leave you feeling hungry (it wouldn't be a diet if it didn't!), so its important to have some filling snacks around for when you need a boost.

Fruit smoothies are a great options for dessert or a snack between meals. You need to buy packs of frozen organic fruits from your supermarket. These lock all the goodness into the fruit and are very convenient. frozen bananas taste much better in a smoothie than fresh ones so peel ripe bananas and put them in a ziplock bag in the freezer.

Just add ice and a little water, then blend away! You might like blends of blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and banana. Its really up to you to find a few combinations that you love. Be creative!
Drinks

Freshly squeezed juices are very detoxing and a great way to get some condensed nutrition into your body. Fresh juice is also packed full of enzymes which are fundamental in maintaining good health and preventing disease.

Some ideas for recipes - try playing around with these super-healthy ingredients. Cucumbers, apples, carrot, ginger, garlic, beet and broccoli. See more ideas on our Juice Cleanses page.

Don't forget to drink Green Tea. This is so effective as a diet aid because it increases your metabolism and reduces your appetite. Its great for your health too - it has been used for more than 4000 years in Chinese medicine, to cure anything from headaches to depression.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Apple Cider Vinegar Detox

Apple Cider Vinegar is a naturally detoxifying product that gently removes toxins from the body, purifies your blood and builds your immune system. From being almost unknown a few years ago, it has gained in popularity to the point that it now forms the basis of many diets and detox plans.

ACV is great for your health - it has antibacterial properties to fight germs, and also balances vitamin deficiencies caused by poor nutrition - but it has wonderful cleansing properties too.

Apple Cider Vinegar is full of antioxidants that neutralize free radicals and help slow down the aging process. It is also great for breaking down mucus in the body and encouraging the lymphatic system to eliminate wastes.

Other Benefits

Here are a few of the other benefits you can expect from Apple Cider Vinegar. Scroll down the page for more details on how to take it.
  • Increase your energy levels
Apple Cider Vinegar is also excellent to give you a little pep for your exercise regime. Many find increased energy levels and better stamina in the gym.. which means burning more calories of course.
  • Increase your metabolism
Apple Cider Vinegar also has been shown to increase your metabolism. It is thought that this is something to do with its potent combination of vitamins, minerals and trace minerals. Apple Cider Vinegar is especially high in potassium.
  • Suppress your appetite
Apple Cider Vinegar is a great fat reducing tool. It can be helpful in getting rid of those last few stubborn pounds that a healthy diet and adequate exercise program can’t seem to shift. It suppresses your appetite if you get hungry between meals, and discourages you from attacking that second helping.
  • Reduce bloating
ACV is a powerful diuretic, so it will also ensure you aren’t carrying around any unnecessary water weight. Megan Fox spoke recently about her ACV cleanse, "It's just water and raw apple cider vinegar, and it just cleans out your system entirely. It will get rid of, for women who retain water weight, from your menstrual cycle and all that, it gets rid of it really fast."
  • Stabilize your sugar levels
Apple Cider Vinegar has been shown to stabilize blood sugar levels and reduce insulin spikes after eating. These insulin spikes signal the body to store fat, so you're much better off without them! This is one reason why Apple Cider Vinegar has been touted as a natural supplement for Diabetes sufferers.

How do you take Apple Cider Vinegar?

You have three options for taking ACV as part of your detox. Take it before you eat in water or a fruit juice, add it to your meal as a dressing, or take a bath in it!

Before your meal

Try adding 2-3 teaspoons of ACV in a large glass of water or your favorite juice. It works well with tomato juice.

Be sure to dilute Apple Cider Vinegar as it is highly acidic. Don’t drink it straight or you could damage your tooth enamel. Ideally, drink the diluted ACV with a straw to protect your teeth.

If you can’t bear the taste or if it feels uncomfortable to drink alternately you can buy capsules from your local health food store.

During your meal


Apple Cider Vinegar can also be used to dress a whole array of foods. Here are a couple of really easy recipes for dressings.

ACV & Olive Oil Dressing
3 Tbsp ACV
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt, pepper to taste

ACV, Garlic & Canola Oil Dressing
3 Tbsp ACV
3 Tbsp canola oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
Salt, pepper to taste

ACV, Honey & Yogurt Dressing
3 Tbsp. ACV
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 Tbsp. organic yogurt
1/4 Tsp. honey
Salt, pepper to taste

Mix ingredients well, ideally in something you can really shake up. Add to salads, grilled veggies, fish and chicken, then enjoy!

In your bath

A hot baths with ACV is also a great detoxification method. It is great for flushing out toxins through your skin, and any excess uric acid from the body. Just add 2-4 cups of ACV to a hot bath, lie back and soak for 20 minutes!