The following post was originally featured on Inspired By This and written by blogger Leila Lewis, who is a part of POPSUGAR Select.
When it comes to your wedding, you want to look and feel your best so we sought the expert in bridal nutrition, Kara Stout, to give you the low-down on how to detox before the big day. There's a lot of regimens out there for detoxing, but Kara promises this one won't result in "hangry" moments. Instead, it feeds your body the things it needs and restricts what it doesn't. She's guiding us through the before + after and even sharing her go to recipes with a sample 3 day menu!
Often, when you think of cleanses or detoxes, you think misery and starvation. Well, not this simple and gentle detox, my healthy bride-to-be. This plan is all about clean, whole foods that will give you energy, decrease toxins, provide lots of nutrients, promote clear, pretty skin, and give you the perfect jumpstart to a healthier lifestyle overall.
Prepping for your detox:
Begin to decrease your caffeine, sugar, alcohol, dairy, and gluten a week or two prior so it's not such a shock to the body. Also, begin to include more green leafy veggies, vegetables and water. You also want to mentally prepare to help you stay motivated, encouraged and feeling positive.
Before you begin, I recommend writing down why you are doing this detox and your top 3 detox goals. It's also important to enlist an accountability partner or, better yet, a partner to do this detox with you . . . ahem . . . your fiancé (I mean you're in it together for all things right?) or your MOH could also be a great partner.
What to add in:
- Warm water with lemon + cayenne pepper
- Green leafy veggies
- Abundance + variety of veggies
- Clean protein
- Healthy fats
- Gluten-free whole grains
- Fruit
- Water, water, water (drink 1/2 your body weight in oz/day)
- Apple cider vinegar
- Dandelion Tea
What to Cut Out:
- Alcohol
- Added refined sugar
- Artificial Sweeteners
- Caffeine/Coffee
- Dairy
- Fried Foods
- Gluten
- Refined Carbs
Try not to focus on what you can't eat or drink, but rather all the variety of foods you can eat. You want to focus on fresh whole foods that are clean. The word clean eating gets thrown around a lot especially in marketing, but what it means is free of artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, refined sugar, trans fat, pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, GMOs, etc. It means eating real, whole foods that are unprocessed or minimally processed and that are as close to how they come in nature as possible.
Some detoxes don't allow meat, however this one does. If you enjoy meat, then you can consume on this detox, just make sure it's clean protein (organic, pasture-raised, grass-fed, fresh-caught). You want to eat a small portion, no bigger than the size of your palm, and enjoy veggies in abundance with any animal protein you consume.
I know fruit has gotten a bit of a bad name lately, but I'm all for fruit! It's a whole food that's an excellent source of vitamins and antioxidants and has many benefits. During this detox, you want to choose mostly low-glycemic fruit like strawberries, blueberries, grapefruit, watermelon, oranges, and plums to name a few. Or halve the fruit that is a little higher in sugar such as bananas or apples.
Snacking: Ideally, try not to snack in between meals during this detox. However, if you find yourself really hungry, you can snack on options such as sliced cucumbers + 1/2 avocado, fresh vegetable juice, gluten-free toast with almond butter and strawberries, or homemade hummus + veggies.
Here are some example days + recipes to get you started:
from POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/1okwlkZ
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