7 healthy detox diet tips

It's the start of 2014 so make your body feel better by following simple diet changes. From detaching yourself from tea or coffee to drinking plenty of water one can try a few things to achieve that glow on your face.

According to nutritionist Ilona Wesle, detoxing has many benefits. It can enhance your energy levels, aid weight loss, clear the skin and improve digestion.

Here are tips to make you healthy:

* Avoid black tea, coffee and alcohol. Instead drink herbal tea, for example nettle is great at supporting the kidneys.

* Drink at least 1 liter of water per day. Keep a bottle by your desk and sip regularly.

* Drink fresh juices, for instance carrot, beetroot, apple and cucumber as they are fantastically nourishing and cleansing.

* Avoid processed foods for instance ready meals, savoury snacks and biscuits. Instead eat food in its natural state. Cook it by steaming, lightly boiling or poaching - this way you will keep most of the goodness in the food (and retain the full flavour).

* Choose organic food in order to minimise your intake of toxic pesticides. Even if you can't make every item organic, do the best you can - it will make a difference.

* Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. At lunchtime and for dinner, aim to cover at least 60 percent of your plate with vegetables and eat as much variety as possible.

* Reduce your consumption of animal products. Avoid dairy and replace milk with soya or nut milks. Lentils, beans, quinoa, seeds and nuts are good protein alternatives. 

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

ps- those interested in recipes are free to view my blog-

http://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/

for info about knee replacement, you can view my blog-

http://Knee replacement-stick club.blogspot.com/

for crochet designs

http://My Crochet Creations.blogspot.com

List of Zero Calories Foods

Here’s a list of foods that can be considered calorie free

Did you know there are foods that do not contribute any calories to your diet? Is there something one can eat or drink without feeling guilty about failing the diet chart while losing weight? This is a common query that someone venturing to lose weight asks the dietician. Well, although water and soda may be the only ones with zero calories, there is a decent list of food items that maybe considered calorie free. Using them to good effect in a diet will add palatability, variety and compliance. Some of them like herbs and greens give you a bushel of antioxidants at no extra caloric cost. Nutritionally, a food has to be less than 20 kcal and less than 5 grams carbohydrate per serving to be labelled a ‘free food’. (That is how the American Dietetic Association defines a free food).The logic is that one never eats or drinks several servings of these anyway and even if one did, they add nil or negligible numbers to the caloric constraints of diet.

Some more foods deserve being mentioned here because they are very low calorie. They are Kimchi and sauerkraut (in less than 100gm quantity), Wheat bran (one tablespoon) and Kerala’s very own summer drink the sambaram when made thinly.

All vegetables (except starchy ones like potato) are very low calorie foods giving just 25 kcal per half cup cooked portions. They add bulk and nutrition to the diet and should be fully exploited during meals in order to keep hunger at bay. Here’s a list of ‘free foods’.

Some ‘Free foods’:

• Water – bottled, fresh, aerated
• Vegetable clear soups, consommé, broth (like Maggi bouillon)
• Coconut water, sugar free sports drinks
• Vinegar
• Black coffee and tea, herbal teas, green teas (no sugar or milk)
• Flavouring extracts, sugar free jelly, cocoa powder
• Spices, condiments, herbs fresh or dried, garlic, ginger, green chillies, curry leaves
• Sauces - Soy, Worcestershire, Tabasco
• Juices – lemon, cucumber, lauki/ bottle gourd, bitter gourd, fresh cranberry/amla/ Indian gooseberry 
• Salad greens – celery, lettuce, watercress, etc
• Vegetables pickled in vinegar

(The writer is a nutritionist)

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

ps- those interested in recipes are free to view my blog-

http://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/

for info about knee replacement, you can view my blog-

http://Knee replacement-stick club.blogspot.com/

for crochet designs

http://My Crochet Creations.blogspot.com