21 Pounds in 21 Days (23 page)
Read 21 Pounds in 21 Days Online
Authors: Roni DeLuz
Make Salad Dressings
As you incorporate more salads and fresh vegetables into your diet, there's no need to weigh them down with toxin-laden toppings. Why not use your blender and food processor to create wonderful homemade salad dressings instead? For instance, try mixing Bragg's amino acids with ginger; or cucumbers, celery, tomatoes, yogurt, parsley, and herbal seasoning; or creole seasoning and balsamic vinaigrette. If you want a thicker dressing, put the ingredients in the blender. If you want a more fluid dressing, juice the vegetable ingredients. The combinations are as limitless as your imaginationâor you can read the natural ingredients on the back of your favorite commercial salad dressing and improvise from there, without preservatives, of course. Each dressing takes only five to ten minutes to make and you have enough for a few days. And once you taste how wonderful freshly made dressings taste, you may never go back to the store-bought brands.
Healthy homemade salad-dressing ingredients:
- Bragg's amino acids
- Balsamic vinegar
- Rice vinegar
- Ginger
- Onion
- Lemon
- Lime
- Garlic
- Hot sauce
- Fresh herbs, spices, and/or salt-free seasonings
Add to Your Diet:
- Nonmeat protein.
To avoid consuming excessive amounts of saturated fat, I suggest eating animal products, particularly chicken and fish but no red meat, no more than two times per week; eat rice and beans once or twice weekly; and one protein shake three to four times weekly. - Probiotics.
By adding good or “friendly” bacteria to the intestinal tract we can help our body digest food more effectively, strengthen our immune system to resist diseases, and regulate and maintain our health and vitality. One way to do this is by eating yogurt that contains at least 10 billion
cultures of probiotics. I recommend adding essential fats, or organic flavorings like vanilla extract. I do not like yogurt with added fruit since fruit digests best when eaten alone (see food-combining concepts below). You can have one serving of yogurt per day, preferably after dinner. If you don't like yogurt, take probiotic supplements. But I'll be perfectly honest with you: all the probiotics in the world can't help you if your eating habits are awful and/or your colon health is bad. If you go back to the standard American diet, the benefits of probiotics will be short lived. - Fiber.
Also known as roughage or bulk, fiber is best known for its ability to increase the weight and size of your stool
while softening it, thus preventing and easing constipation. It lowers the risk of diabetes and heart disease, but it may also aid weight loss and weight management, since high-fiber foods take longer to chew, giving the body more time to figure out that you're full, and thus making it less likely that you'll overeat. Fiber is classified into two categoriesâsoluble and insolubleâbased on whether it does (soluble) or does not (insoluble) dissolve in water. The body needs both. So eat a wide variety of high-fiber foods, such as whole wheat, wheat germ, nuts, oats, peas, beans, apples, citrus fruits, carrots, barley, and psyllium. - Essential fatty acid (EFA) liquid or flaxseed oils.
These are fats that the body cannot make on its own so we must obtain them from our diet. EFA deficiency is common in the United Statesâparticularly omega-3 deficiencyâcontributing to many serious health conditions, including obesity, heart attacks, stroke, cancer, insulin resistance, diabetes, depression, asthma, lupus, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Add it to your diet by eating salmon (omega-3), whole grains, nuts, and seeds (omega-6), olive oil (omega-9), or a salad oil containing the three in combination, such as omega 3-6-9.
Six Rules for Food Combining
You can avoid common digestive problems like gas, bloating, and acid indigestion, by following these guidelines for combing your food:
- Eat protein with vegetables only. Protein digests easier when you consume it with veggies.
- Eat starches
like
rice, grains, bread, potatoes, pasta, flour
with
vegetables only. Starches digest easier with veggies. So when you eat a sandwich, in addition to using whole-grain bread, add foods like lettuce, tomato, or avocado. - Eat fruit by itself, two hours before or after meals. The enzymes in fruit digest better if you eat them alone, which makes fruit the perfect food to snack on.
- Eat rice and beans together. Almost anywhere you travel in the world, you will find some indigenous meal comprised of rice and beans. Together, they form a complete protein, containing all of the essential amino acids. You can substitute this for animal protein.
- Eat omega-3 and omega-6 oils with protein. It is hard for the body to digest protein alone; the body digests it better in combination with omega oils. You can eat fish like salmon, sardines, or mackerel, which are high in these oils. Or you can purchase liquid essential fatty acids, 3-6-9 oil, or flaxseed oil from the health-food store, then combine one teaspoon into a protein shake.
- Eat animal sources of protein no more than three times per week. Animal protein is full of artery-clogging saturated fat. Instead, eat more protein from vegetable sources, rice, beans, and nuts, which are lighter, and contain good essential fatty acid liquid or flaxseed oils and don't clog your veins.
Eat Fewer
- Foods containing artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics.
- Unnatural sugars like sucrose, fructose, maltodextrine, and the sugar substitutes in the yellow, pink, and blue packages.
- Do not add salt to your food. Eat only foods that contain natural sources of sodium, such as celery and kelp. Try getting your calcium from fruit, vegetables, and fish, instead. You may also use a calcium supplement. The American Dietary Association recommends that women get at least 1,200â1,500 mg of calcium a day and men should get about 1,000â1,200 mg.
Shop Smarter
- Shop the perimeter of the store, where the fresh foods are sold and there are fewer processed items
- Avoid the prepared foods department, where fried foods like chicken abound and ingredients like butter, whole milk, trans fats, salt, sugar, and artificial flavors are often used to make foods look, smell, and taste better.
- Read the labels of any prepared or processed foods you buy, minimizing the number of ingredients whose names you can't pronounce, look like chemicals, or you don't recognize as a food.
SOUPS
Many people on the Diet Detox take comfort in making their favorite soup; others prefer to be creative and concoct their own healthy vegetable blend. It doesn't matter which approach you takeâas long as you exclude salt, sugar, milk/cream, eggs, butter, and alcohol (that includes wine). Below, you'll find recipes for some of my favorite blends. Their flavors come from around the world, so your taste buds won't get bored.
Asian Spinach Soup
Makes 2 servings
1 quart distilled water
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 tablespoon Bragg's liquid amino acids
¼ inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 cup any other greens
½ cup green beans, chopped
1 teaspoon Asian chili sauce
Combine water, garlic, Bragg's, and fresh ginger in a large saucepan. Add cut-up vegetables. Boil over high heat until tender. Pour roughly ¼ cup of broth into a blender (add more for thicker soup), along with all of the vegetables and chili sauce. Puree and eat the soup. Drink the remaining broth.
Southern Collard Greens
Makes 2 servings
1 quart distilled water
3 cups fresh collards, chopped
½ cup green beans, chopped
½ cup carrots, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon no-salt seasoning
2 pinches cayenne pepper
1 pinch paprika 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Add cut-up vegetables and spices to the water in a large saucepan. Boil over high heat until tender enough to blend. Puree and eat the soup. Drink the remaining broth.
Curried Vegetables
Makes 2 servings
1 quart water
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup mixed greens, chopped
1 cup yellow zucchini, chopped
1 cup green beans, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon mixture of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cayenne powder
Pour water into saucepan. Add all other ingredients, including spices, and boil until vegetables are tender over high heat. Taste the broth. If you find it too spicy, add more water. Next, pour approximately ¼ cup of broth into a blender, along with all of the vegetables. Puree and eat the soup. Drink the remaining broth.
Creamy Broccoli
Makes 2 servings
1 quart distilled water
Oregano, to taste
1 cup cauliflower, chopped
Flat-leaf parsley, to taste
Garlic, to taste
2 cups broccoli, chopped
1 cup green beans, chopped
1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
Boil cauliflower, oregano, parsley, and garlic in 2 cups of water over high heat until completely soft. Blend until creamy, then set aside. In 4 cups of water, boil broccoli, green beans, and carrots, along with a dash of your favorite spice or no-salt seasoning, until all vegetables are soft enough to blend. Pour
1
?8 cup of broth into blender and add softened vegetables. Blend to a thick consistency. Add the cauliflower cream on top.
Ginger Carrots
Makes 2 servings
1 quart distilled water
1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup mixed greens
½ cup sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
¼ inch piece ginger root, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon mixture ground cinnamon, gloves, nutmeg, and stevia, to taste
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
Boil all vegetables with spices over high heat and blend. Next, pour ¼ cup of broth into a blender, along with all of the vegetables. Add vanilla extract at the end for taste. Puree and eat the soup. Drink the remaining broth.
Italian Green Beans
Makes 2 servings
1 quart water
2 cups green beans, chopped
1 cup mixed greens, spinach, collards, or kale
½ cup carrots, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped 4 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon mixture chopped fresh oregano, basil, rosemary, and flat-leaf parsley
1 bay leaf
Boil all vegetables in a large saucepan over high heat, blend, and drink the broth. If broth is too spicy, add water. Next, pour approximately ¼ of broth into a blender, along with all of the vegetables. Puree and eat the soup. Drink the remaining broth.
Spicy Beans
Makes 2 servings
1 quart water
1½ cups black beans
3 pinches thyme 1 onion, diced
¼ clove of garlic
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon no-salt vegetable seasoning
Place all of the ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan. Cook on medium heat for approximately 45 minutes or until the beans are nice and tender.
DR. RONI'S FAVORITE SALAD DRESSINGS
Why buy healthy and perhaps even organic vegetables only to weigh them down with commercially prepared salad dressings that are laden with toxins? Healthy, homemade salad dressings taste fresh, are easy to make, and spare you the chemical chaser. You can also add these seasoning blends to vegetable soup for additional flavor.
Do not use these recipes while you're detoxing; they're for when you're on a maintenance plan.
Italian Naturally Dressing
1 pinch minced garlic
1 pinch basil
1 pinch oregano
1 pinch parsley
1 pinch cayenne
1 tablespoon no-salt vegetable seasoning
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon essential fatty acid
Puree all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Chill before serving.
Cucumber Onion Dressing
2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons cucumber, finely chopped
Pinch basil, chopped
¼ teaspoon vegetable seasoning
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch cayenne pepper
¼ cup of red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon of essential fatty acid
Puree all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Chill before serving.
Spicy Green Bean Vinaigrette Dressing
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 handful green beans
1 pinch garlic powder 1 pinch cayenne pepper
Puree all ingredients in a blender until smooth. For thicker or thinner dressing, increase or reduce amount of green beans. Chill before serving.
Spicy Mustard Dressing
½ teaspoon Bragg's liquid amino acid
2 tablespoons spicy rice vinegar
2 teaspoons organic mustard
Plain nonfat yogurt to taste
1 pinch stevia
To Bragg's, rice vinegar, and mustard, add yogurt until creamy to your likeness; add stevia to taste. Chill before serving.
Sweet & Sour Carrot Dressing
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup carrot juice
¼ cup tomatoes, mashed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 pinch paprika
2 packs stevia
Puree all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Chill before serving.
DAILY SALAD
Enjoy any variety of organic green salad with mixed vegetables daily. This is one of my favorites.
Vegetable Chunk Salad
Makes 2 servings
1 large red or green bell pepper, chopped into bite-size pieces
½ red onion, diced
½ cucumber, chopped into bite-size pieces
2 celery stalks, chopped into small pieces
10 to 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
½ yellow squash, chopped into bite-size pieces
3 to 4 tablespoons of your favorite essential fatty acid
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon powdered stevia
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons Braggs Amino Acid
Place all the chopped vegetables in a medium-sized bowl. Place the essential fatty acid, vinegar, stevia, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, and the Braggs Amino Acid in a small plastic container with a lid. Close lid and shake dressing vigorously for 1 minute. Pour dressing over salad and toss.
WEIGHT-MAINTENANCE SHAKES
Not everyone who wants to detox their body also wants to lose weight. If you're one of the lucky few folks who don't struggle with size, you'll have to take some extra steps to keep from shedding pounds. Martha's Vineyard Holistic Retreat naturopath Linda Hicks has plenty of experience caring for elderly patients whose appetites were poor yet needed to maintain their weight. She has developed these recipes for high-calorie shakes that contain no animal ingredients.
Orange-Cream Frappe
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1 scoop orange-flavored natural fiber
1 drop pure orange oil or orange flavor extract
2 ounces distilled water
6 ounces coconut milk, Rice Dream, soy milk, or almond milk
Mix all ingredients in blender and whip at maximum speed until ice-cream consistency. More liquid may be added to the recipe to improve its “drinkability,” but eating it with a spoon makes it seem like a thick dessert.
Yam Surprise
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1 small baking or sweet potato, peeled
1 packet stevia
½ teaspoon organic vanilla
3 ounces distilled water
5 ounces of organic coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, or rice milk
1 teaspoon essential fatty acid, only if you use soy milk, almond milk, or rice milk
6 ice cubes
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Mix all ingredients in blender and whip at maximum speed until ice-cream consistency. Pour into a glass and sprinkle nutmeg on top.