Clean Cuisine’s Natural Detox – Step 1

Step 1:  Eat a large serving of fruit with breakfast, a large salad with lunch and at least one large vegetable serving with dinner

We all know it is super easy to say you are going to eat more fruits and vegetables but saying you will do so and actually doing so are two totally different things! What we’ve found works best to boost fruit and veggie consumption in the “real world” is to make a concrete goal and commit to eating the following every day—not only as part of our natural detox program—but indefinitely:

 

• With your breakfast: Eat a large serving of fresh or frozen fruit. Fruit can be mixed into smoothies, eaten with chopped raw nuts or mixed in with hot whole grain cereal (please don’t buy those junky boxed cereals that are “made with whole grains”—but also often made with lots of sugar, unhealthy oils and additives too!)

 

• With your lunch:  Eat the biggest raw salad you can!! The darker the lettuce greens and the more vibrantly colored different veggies you can add the better! We especially like to eat chopped salads (we chop them with a mezzaluna)—something about finely chopping all the vegetables just makes the whole salad taste incredible.

 

• With your dinner: Eat at least 1 large vegetable serving (preferably two) —and ideally making one of the veggies a green one (such as sautéed spinach, broccoli, bok choy, collards, kale, etc.)

 

More Fruits & Veggies = More Phytonutrients = Healthy, Natural Detox

Although the Clean Cuisine diet we recommend is not vegan, it is ultra-rich in phytonutrients obtained from a wide variety of unrefined whole foods, including an abundance of fruits and vegetables. While all plant-foods contain a vast array of vitamins, minerals, essential fats and fiber, plant foods are the only source of phytonutrients and fruits and vegetables are particularly rich sources. Eating plenty of phytonutrient-rich fruits and vegetables should be the cornerstone to any healthy, natural detox program.

 

What are phytonutrients?

Phytonutrients are the substances that protect the plant and fortify them against illness, but they also offer invaluable disease protection benefits to YOU, the plant-eater. The power-packed phytonutrients that keep plants healthy and give fruits and vegetables their many vibrant colors happen to be one of Mother Nature’s very best detoxifying substances.

Not only do the phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables (as well as all other unrefined “whole” plant foods) stimulate detoxification enzymes and help to cleanse and naturally detoxify the body, they act in a myriad of overlapping, health-promoting ways.

For example, many phytonutrients are sources of natural anti-aging antioxidants. The antioxidants in phytonutrients help protect fruits and vegetables from free radical attack and they do the same thing our own bodies by protecting our cells from damage. Other phytonutrients act as anti-inflammatory substances and help reduce pain and decrease the chronic inflammation associated with many diseases. Some phytonutrients modulate and enhance immune function, maintaining the body’s healing system. Phytonutrients are also known to stimulate enzymes that detoxify cancer-causing carcinogens. Some phytonutrients lower cholesterol levels while others offer hormonal benefits easing menopausal symptoms and protecting against osteoporosis. The point is phytonutrients do a whole lot of good for your body.

Just remember, when it comes to phytonutrients, more is better!

 

Ready for Step Two of the Natural Detox?  [intlink id=”9747″ type=”post”]Click Here for Step 2[/intlink]

 

Missed the Introduction to the Natural Detox?  [intlink id=”9644″ type=”post”]Click Here![/intlink]