an australian detox for us

Detox or cleanse – two words that you may have heard more frequently the last 5+ years. Seems like everyone has tried one or is thinking about trying one and I can’t say I blame them, they really can make you feel good and boost your drive to be healthy. The first time I did mine I clearly was determined because I chose to do it during a trip to Grand Caymans (I know, what in the world was I thinking?!). Needless to say I survived without cheating and became a total believer in the detox method.

Shan and I started the same detox last Tuesday. She was looking for something to kick start a healthy lifestyle and I was in the mood for a tune up. We are following the shopping list for Detox Australia – an all natural approach that eliminates all wheat products, processed foods, meat (except organic fish), dairy, caffeine, sugars and alcohol from your diet. Basically all the fun stuff (well except the meat for me). I like this detox because it requires no supplements, powders or any other specialty products – it’s just a smart trip to the market with your shopping list in hand. If you are looking for something where you can decide the length of time, is low maintenance and effective this is the detox for you.

A few tips:

Be Prepared – Stock your house with foods from the shopping list the day before your detox begins. Make sure you have variety. Shan had a Guinness pretzel truffle slip due to lack of food and variety in her first day of detox. She started over after a good trip to the grocery.
Mind must be focused and determined. Detox does not work if you sneak a bite or a sip of something. You will not feel all the benefits which includes the sense of accomplishment from completing a cleanse.
It gets worse before it gets better. You may experience exhaustion or migraines from the lack of caffeine/sugar the first few days. This is short term and once it passes is when you really start to feel the good from the detox.
Keep food with you at all times. You never know when you will be next to a box of donuts or beside someone eating fries. If you at least have some almonds or dried fruit to snack on you can keep your hands and mouth busy and resist the temptation.

Another tip for detoxing is having an arsenal of recipes on hand to keep things interesting so that you are not just eating fruits and nuts everyday. Here are a few I like:

Toasted Oats with Fruit

1/2 cup of whole oats
handful of nuts (optional)
1 teaspoon of raw honey
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
fresh fruit (such as strawberries of blueberries)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix whole oats, nuts, honey and coconut oil and spread on a cookie sheet. Place in oven for around 10 minutes until it is golden and smells nutty (stir with a spatula every 2 minutes to avoid burning). Place cooled oats in bowl and pour milk over. Top with fruit and enjoy a satisfying breakfast.

Green Smoothie

1 to 1 1/2 cups of unsweetened liquid (almond, rice or coconut milk)
an extra large handful of greens (spinach, kale, beet greens, swiss chard, collards)
1 to 2 cups of fresh or frozen fruit (apples, blueberries, strawberries, melon, raspberries, mango, blackberries)
optional supercharge ingredient (chia seeds, ground flax seeds, avocado, coconut oil, cinnamon – as many as you would like and adjust the amount to taste)

Blend your concoction and serve over ice if making a thinner smoothie (depends on the amount of liquid you use). This is meant to be a mix and match recipe allowing you to use what you have on hand and change up the taste from day to day.

Black Bean Salad over Avocado

1 can of rinsed black beans
1 jalapeno seeded and minced
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 of small red onion minced
tablespoon of cumin
tablespoon of olive oil
juice of 1 lime
handful of cilantro chopped
1/2 avocado

Mix all ingredients excluding the avocado in a bowl. Spoon over avocado and enjoy. Also good topped with pico de gallo or homemade salsa. Chop the entire avocado and mix with beans if you want to serve entire dish as a salad.

Our detox is coming to a close in just a few days. There are certain things I extremely miss and will eagerly consume after this is over (like COFFEE). Breads, pastas or anything processed – not even craving one bit. This is why detoxing is such a great kick start to living healthy. If you want to feel good or are about to begin a regimen of eating better and exercising I highly suggest finding a detox that works for you. You’ll thank Shan and I later (or curse us during your caffeine withdrawal migraine).