MY Plan - Part 2 - Raw Structure

There was a lot of information to sort through and distill down for the purposes of clarifying it for my own good, and to share with others here.  As I mentioned earlier, one of the biggest discoveries I made through all this research was the surprising amount of overlap among the diet philosophies.  Sure, there are plenty of differences, but the things that most of these diets have in common are: 

• The list of the 10 habits to break
• The list of the 5 habits to form
• The focus on seasonal, local foods
• The importance on balancing the 5 elements
• The benefits of sprouted foods

These are all important things to consider, not only during a detox, but as a permanent life change towards a healthier YOU.  

I've actually been working through my 4 week detox and am now nearing the end.  This is MY Plan - tried and tested with great results (as I'll soon share).  I'm not a nutritionist, so please consult a doctor first if this diet veers dramatically from your current diet.

Part 2: 2 weeks, detox diet with raw principles

A reminder that there are some gadgets used in the create preparation of raw foods.  I've attempted to select dishes that are simpler.  Also include seasonings specific to your dosha (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) into your Lunch and Dinner.  Try to include some raw garlic or onion in your daily meals.

Upon waking:  Start your day with a large glass of hot water with a thick slice of organic lemon

Breakfast:  Smoothie (only raw fruits + veggies) blended with water almond milk  or pumpkin seed milk (it's best to make your own) + 1 Tablespoon Maca powder.  Top with raw oats + 1 Tbsp. Essential Seed Mix (Grind together 3 parts flax seeds, to part each pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds.  All seeds should be raw, organic). 

Morning Snack:  10 raw, sprouted almonds (soaked overnight + drained), Handful fresh pomegranate seeds (when in season) or goji berries (you can top your smoothie with this if you want to skip the snack)

Lunch:  

• Soup or Salad (includes protein)
• Dessert (optional) - Mandarin or 1/2 granny smith apple with raw almond butter

Afternoon Snack:   Supergreens Mix with raw crackers, and a shot of wheatgrass, a glass of  rejuvelac (Note: I love the traditional version sprouted with wheat berries, but be sure to use gluten-free grains like brown rice, amaranth, millet, rye berries or quinoa for the cleanse.  I also like to add a slice of raw beet to each jar for sweetness.), kombucha, or 1/4 cup aloe vera juice.

 

Dinner:  

• Raw entree (recipes included in next post)
• Dessert (optional)

Drinks:  Herbal teas (dandellion is especially good for liver detox), green tea, brown rice tea, hot ginger water, water with cucumber, Pau d'arco tea, dosha-specific herbal tea.  You can also make wonderful teas out of fresh herbs - rosemary, mint, parsley - or crushed, dried herbs - dill seed, celery seed, coriander seed - all of which have specific, medicinal properties.  It's important to remember not to drink much during or for 1 hour after your meals to aid digestion.
 
Before Bed:  Take Glutamine supplement (help maintain the integrity of your gut wall, your first line of defense from toxins)


Remember, it's never to late to make a resolution. If you're feeling the signs of toxicity and want to be healthier, clean up your act and start NOW.
 

Cleansing Smoothie Recipes

I've provided links to many of the savory dishes right in the meal plan on the previous post.   There are scores of macrobiotic recipes online, and in books.  Doing your own research to appeal to personal tastes, and checking out what's fresh at your local farmer's market, is a great way to get inspired to detox and not feel like you'll be deprived.  Here I've included some good options for the breakfast smoothie or afternoon snack.  For a juice fast you can follow any of these recipes, excluding the Strength + Chai Smoothies.  Substitute any soy milk with water, and juice or strain all.  Note that if you're using a juicer you can skip all the chopping and grating.  All quantities listed are 1 serving.

Detox Smoothie

1 Tbsp. ginger, peeled + chopped
1 medium beet, scrubbed + grated
2 medium carrots, scrubbed + grated
1 granny smith apple, cored + chopped
1 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Or better yet, stick it all in your food processor first, before placing in the blender. Or use a juicer. Strain if desired (but the pulp does give you fiber and helps fill you up).

Berry Power Blast Smoothie

1 cup frozen berries (boysenberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)
1 medium oranges, peeled + chopped
1/2 cup chopped spinach (optional)
1 cup soy milk, raw almond milk, or water
1 Tablespoon Maca powder

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.

Strength Smoothie

1 medium oranges, peeled + chopped
10 whole, sprouted almonds
1/2 small sweet potato, baked + coarsely chopped
1 medium apple, cored + chopped
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon Maca powder

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.

Mighty Green Smoothie

1/2 cucumber, peeled + chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium apple, cored + chopped
3 kale leaves, chopped
1/2 cup sunflower sprouts or handful broccoli
Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.

 Liver Cleanse Smoothie

1 grapefruit, peeled + chopped
1 granny smith apple, cored + chopped
1 Tbsp. flax oil
Pinch Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
Pinch cayenne
1/2 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.

DandeLion Smoothie

1/2 cup frozen cranberries
1 medium oranges, peeled + chopped
2 cups chopped dandelion greens
1Tbsp. ginger, peeled + chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime, or to taste
1 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.

Avojito Smoothie

1 avocado
1 medium oranges, peeled + chopped
1 cucumber, peeled + chopped
12 mint leaves
Juice of 1/2 lime, or to taste
1 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.

Rising Tiger Smoothie

2 cups bok choy, chopped
1 medium carrot, scrubbed + grated
4" length of daikon, peeled + chopped
1Tbsp. ginger, peeled + chopped
Pinch Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
1 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.

Butternut Squash Chai Smoothie

1 cup butternut squash purée (or pumpkin)
4 dates, pitted (soaked if they are very dry)
1 cup soy milk, raw almond milk, or water
1 Tbsp. ground flaxseed
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger, peeled + chopped
Pinch ground cloves
Pinch of ground pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Serve topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon and/or nutmeg, and enjoy! 

Cha-Cha Chia Shot
Will give you a jolt of omega-3, protein, antioxidants and fiber.  Great for curbing hunger. 

 2 tsp. chia seeds (soaked overnight in refrigerator)
1/4 cup coconut water

Mix, pour into a shot glass, and enjoy.

MY Plan - Part 1 - Macro Meal Plan

This is a 2 week meal plan.  Refer to my macrobiotic structure in the prior post for breakfast, snacks and drinks.  Even if you already eat a healthy diet, one of the biggest differences will likely be the incorporation of pickled + fermented foods, and the intentional balance of Yin/Yang.  I've included links to recipes here, some of which I've modified to incorporate the macrobiotic + ayurvedic principles.  I've made my menu pretty diverse because I love to cook (and because I'm trying to keep my boyfriend satisfied and show him how delicious this is).  Note: If you're allergic to soy, or just want to cut it out for the cleanse, substitute with beans.  But you can make it even simpler by cooking less and eating more leftovers.  I'll include smoothie recipes in my next post.

Day 1
Lunch - Butternut squash soup, barley + walnut salad, broccoli with lemon + garlic
Dinner - Korean-spiced brown rice bowl with kale, kimchee, pickled daikon, sprouts, tamari sprouted almonds, tofu-ginger-tahini sauce (aka "I am Whole")

Day 2
Lunch - Tomatillo-radish-quinoa salad, hot corn chowder
Dinner - Fried tempeh with dandellion greens + sage vinaigrette, polenta, baked yam

Day 3
Lunch - Super sprout salad with roasted sweet potatoes + creamy sesame dressing, adzuki beans 
Dinner - Collard green dolmas stuffed with kitchari (add dill, oregano, lemon + garlic) + crumbled tempeh, roasted beets
Dessert - Carob almond milk

Day 4 
Lunch - Leftover butternut squash soup, barley + walnut salad, broccoli with lemon + garlic
Dinner - Indian-spiced dal with ginger + tumeric, cauliflower with mustard seed, cilantro, daikon pickle, tamarind chutney, besam chapati, decaf chai

Day 5
Lunch - Mixed greens salad with roasted beets, walnuts, cider vinaigrette, leftover kitchari, chinese fermented tofu (similar to blue cheese)
Dinner - Japanese sushi bowl with brown rice, edamame, carrot, shitake, avocado, cumber, green onions, shredded seaweed salad, wasabi-tamari dip
Dessert - Sesame-oat-cranberry cookies

Day 6  (weekend)
Lunch - Raw sprouted rye bread sandwich with dijon marinated tempeh, sauerkraut, salad with beets
Dinner - Millet crepes with lentil-chard ragu (modified from the Millennium cookbook), cauliflower with tahini, olive tapenade

Day 7  (weekend)
Breakfast - Buckwheat pancakes with grated apple, cinnamon + walnuts, brown rice syrup, date-orange compote
Lunch - Vietnamese Pho soup with buckwheat noodles, bok choy, tofu, ginger + lime
Dinner - Polenta with roasted turnips, broccoli, onions + marinated tofu, sage-basil-walnut pesto

Day 8
Lunch - Salad with blanched broccoli + carrot, arugula, walnut + cider vinaigrette dressing, essene bread
Dinner - Butternut squash stuffed with quinoa-barley pilaf, roasted brussel sprouts with lemon, chinese fermented tofu (similar to blue cheese)

Day 9 
Lunch - Carrot-tahini soup, brown rice, olive tapenade, cucumber-mint chutney
Dinner - Collard greens, jerk-spiced chickpeas, carrots with dill, quinoa
Dessert - Sesame-oat-cranberry cookies

Day 10
Lunch - Spinach salad with crisped tempeh, leftover butternut squash stuffed with pilaf
Dinner - Indian-spiced dal with ginger + turmeric, cauliflower with mustard seed, cilantro, daikon pickle, tamarind chutney, besam chapati, decaf chai

Day 11
Lunch - Leftover polenta with roasted turnips, broccoli, onions + marinated tofu, walnut pesto
Dinner - Mustard-crusted tofu with kale + sweet potatoes, lime, brown rice, cucumber-mint chutney

Day 12 
Lunch - Hot + sour thai soup with tofu, bok choy, carrot, mushrooms + bean sprouts, leftover brown rice (another version)
Dinner - Amaranth cakes with mushrooms, roasted yams with arugula + hazelnuts

Day 13  (weekend)
Breakfast - Mediterranean-spiced tofu scramble with kale, cauliflower, onion, walnuts + tahini, besam chapati
Lunch - Supergreens Mix with rice crackers, leftover carrot-tahini soup 
Dinner - Black bean cakes with carrot-coriander jus, hot corn chowder, cilantro 
Dessert - Kiwi sorbet 

Day 14  (weekend)
Breakfast - Buckwheat pancakes with grated apple, cinnamon + walnuts, brown rice syrup, date-orange compote
Lunch - Supergreens Mix with rice crackers, miso soup
Dinner - Leftover roasted yams with arugula + hazelnuts


Optional Juice Fast  (recipes will be in my next post + read these helpful tips)

2-3 Days (can go longer with doctor's approval)

Breakfast - Liver Cleanse or Berry Power Blast smoothie
Lunch - Green smoothie - Detox, Mighty Green, DandeLion or Rising Tiger
Snack - Avojito smoothie
Dinner - Green smoothie - Detox, Mighty Green, DandeLion or Rising Tiger

Note: You should still start your day with the hot lemon water, then follow with a glass of water with 1 Tbsp. psyllium husk. You can have any of the smoothies listed, but no yam or soy milk. Ideally, it's best to use a juicer, or strain out the fiber from your smoothie. It isn’t that the fiber isn’t good for you, but by chewing the pulp you’re not allowing your digestive system to take the rest it should get to expedite detoxification. During this time, it's also great to do oil pulling to help expedite detoxification.  Also drink several cups of herbal + detox teas throughout the day. Eat a raw diet for a couple days after the fast before going to reintroduction, or continue on with the 2-week raw diet.

MY Plan - Part 1 - Macro Structure

There was a lot of information to sort through and distill down for the purposes of clarifying it for my own good, and to share with others here.  As I mentioned, one of the biggest discoveries I made through all this research was the surprising amount of overlap among the diet philosophies.  Sure, there are plenty of differences, but the things that most of these diets have in common are 

• The list of the 10 habits to break
• The list of the 5 habits to form
• The focus on seasonal, local foods
• The importance on balancing the 5 elements
• The benefits of sprouted foods

These are all important things to consider, not only during a detox, but as a permanent life change towards a healthier YOU.  

I've actually been working through my 4 week detox and am over halfway through.  This is MY Plan - tried and tested with great results (as I'll soon share).  I'm not a nutritionist, so please consult a doctor first if this diet veers dramatically from your current diet.

Part 1: 2 weeks, detox diet with macrobiotic principles

Remember  to incorporate all 7 Essential Components (carbs, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins, enzymes and water), 5 Elements/Tastes (sweet, sour, bitter, salty and sharp), the 3 Textures (creamy, crunchy and chewy), and seasonings specific to your dosha (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) into your Lunch and Dinner.  Also try to include some raw garlic or onion into your daily meals.

Upon waking:  Start your day with a large glass of hot water with a thick slice of organic lemon. 

Breakfast:  Smoothie blended with water, non-GMO soy milk, almond milk,  or pumpkin seed milk + 1 Tablespoon Maca powder.  Top with raw oats or a gluten-free cereal (like Nutty Rice or Mesa Sunrise flakes) + 1 Tbsp. Essential Seed Mix (Grind together 3 parts flax seeds, to part each pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds.  All seeds should be raw, organic.)  

Morning Snack:  10 raw, sprouted almonds (soaked overnight + drained), Handful fresh pomegranate seeds (when in season) or goji berries (you can top your smoothie with this if you want to skip the snack)

Lunch:  

• Soup or Salad
• Grain (typically use leftover from dinners for ease)
• Protein (soy-based or cooked beans)
• Dessert (optional) - Mandarin or 1/2 granny smith apple with raw almond butter

Afternoon Snack:  Supergreens Mix with raw crackers, and a shot of wheatgrass, a glass of  rejuvelac (Note: I love the traditional version sprouted with wheat berries, but be sure to use gluten-free grains like brown rice, amaranth, millet, rye berries or quinoa for the cleanse.  I also like to add a slice of raw beet to each jar for sweetness.), kombucha, or 1/4 cup aloe vera juice.

 

Dinner:  

• Vegetable (2 servings - both cooked and raw - cruciferous or dark, leafy greens are best)
• Sea Vegetable (this is often the salty component)
• Grain (cooked amaranth, buckwheat cakes or noodles, polenta or corn cakes, besan/chickpea flour chapatis, cooked millet, quinoa, barley with husk, brown rice)
• Protein (soy-based or cooked beans)
• Pickle, Chutney or Tapenade (this is often the sour component)
• Dessert (optional, 2-3x a week)

Drinks:  Herbal teas (dandellion is especially good for liver detox), green tea, brown rice tea, hot ginger water, water with cucumber, Pau d'arco tea, dosha-specific herbal tea.  You can also make wonderful teas out of fresh herbs - rosemary, mint, parsley - or crushed, dried herbs - dill seed, celery seed, coriander seed - all of which have specific, medicinal properties.  It's important to remember not to drink much during or for 1 hour after your meals to aid digestion.

Before Bed:  Take Glutamine supplement (help maintain the integrity of your gut wall, your first line of defense from toxins)


Remember, it's never too late to make a resolution.  If you're feelings the signs of toxicity and want to be healthier, clean up your act and start NOW.

Sprouting + Fermenting Made Easy

By now, you've seen me repeatedly mention the benefits of both sprouted and fermented foods.  You may be thinking that this sounds like a lot of extra work.  Why bother?  Nutrition grows ever more confusing the more we know, and the more we have to separate what’s good for us and what we need to avoid.  What's inspiring to me about sprouted and fermented foods is that they're foods you eat all the time which have latent 'super powers'.  


Sprouting
Sprouting raw nuts, seeds, beans and grains is one of the quickest, easiest ways to pack a group of nutrients into your body in just one handful.  Sprouted foods have been part of the diet of many ancient races for thousands of years.  As a ‘living’ food, sprouts continue to grow higher in nutritional value after being harvested. Sprouting is the process of germinating seeds to be eaten raw or cooked. When seeds are soaked, the dormant seeds turn into a nutritional powerhouse. For instance, when peas are dry they have no Vitamin C; however, when sprouted for 48 hours, they provide more Vitamin C than fresh oranges, while Broccoli sprouts help protect the body against cancer. As someone new to sprouting, I found it incredibly easy and inexpensive.  All you need is the food starter, a glass canning jar, some cheesecloth (available at most grocery stores), a rubber band...  and some water.  There's an amazing website www.sproutpeople.org that has a wealth of detailed information with photos, and even sells supplies.  Here's a list of foods that I'll be sprouting for my detox -

• Almonds (1-3 days)
• Barley (2-3 days)
• Lentils (2-3 days)
• Mung Beans (2-5 days)
• Rye Berries (2-3 days)
• Sunflower Seeds (1-2 days)
• Wheat Berries (2-3 days)
• Wild Rice (2-4 days)

Fermenting
Fermented vegetables are created with lactic acid bacteria.  This is an important method of processing food that humans have been using for thousands of years. Fermented vegetables are loaded with nutrients, fiber and digestion-enhancing enzymes. They also help the intestinal tract maintain a healthy balance of flora by increasing beneficial bacteria like lactobacillus acidophilous, i.e. 'probiotics'.  In general, by adding fermented foods into your diets you will likely experience better digestion, clearer skin, increased immunity, increased vitamin and mineral intake... and it's even possible to reverse chronic disease.  There's a good website www.whfoods.com that provides a great nutritional breakdown for each of these foods.  Here's a list of fermented foods that I'll be eating for my detox -

I'll be making these from scratch

• Kimchee
• Kombucha
• Sauerkraut

I'll be buying these

• Capers + Olives
• Chinese Fermented Tofu
• Miso
• Soy Sauce
• Tempeh
• Umeboshi

A Word about Special Ingredients

I personally like to get all my vitamins and nutrients from nature.  I believe in a balanced diet, not a lot of supplements.  I have friends who will argue with me on that point, but that's just my own belief.

A detox diet is different though, you're doing things out of the ordinary in order to achieve extraordinary results.  There are a few things I read about, in multiple sources, that promised health benefits that I felt were worth exploring.  I'll be using all these in the recommended amounts.


Maca
One of the new Superfoods, the maca root has been a staple in the towns and villages of Peru for thousands of years and has been used for food and  medicinal purposes.  It's an energy booster and good vegan source of vitamin B12 - so skip the coffee and add 1 Tablespoon of Maca to your morning smoothie.  It supports a healthy endocrine system, regulating hormones that are often out of whack due to environmental estrogens. It’s calcium and vitamin C help build muscle mass, while its alkaloids, which help the body metabolize, help the body transport all these nutrients just where they are needed.  And on top of all that, it's a great aphrodisiac.

Lecithin Granules
Lecithin is an essential nutrient that is required by your body, but not made in adequate amounts. It’s found naturally in foods like egg yolks and organ meats, which most people don’t often eat. Soy lecithin has many health benefits. It adds creaminess to recipes and is a source of choline, which helps dissolve body fat and cholesterol and can help regulate your kidney, liver and gallbladder function. It has also been shown to fight memory loss, and grow healthy hair and skin.  A main reason I picked this one up is because it also has a yummy, cheesy taste and is great to sprinkle on salads or other dishes.

Kelp Powder

Kelp is a type of seaweed that is used to flavor foods and also taken to add iodine to the body, which helps fight infection and disease. Of it's many benefits, it has been used as a blood purifier. It is said to cleanse the body of radiation, which is why there was a huge run on it after Fukoshima. Because of its detoxifying effects, it is also used to treat conditions of the bowel. Kelp is an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and iodine, the last of which is essential to normal thyroid function. You can use it to season food as mentioned above. It is great for a salt replacement on salads, as a seasoning, or in a "green smoothie". I must admit that I don't really like the taste of this - pretty fishy for a vegetarian - so I only take it in capsule form.  However you take it, do not consume more than 1-2 teaspoons a day, or for more than 2 weeks at a time without a 2 week break.


Psyllium Husk 
Psyllium husk come from the Plantago ovata plant which is grown mainly in India and are the coating found around the seed. They come in a dried or powdered form.  They are often used in the detox process and have been show to effectively cleanse the colon and help with blood circulation - especially good for "Vata" doshas.  The substance is a bulking agent (mucilage). It swells within the intestine to a gel, helping to absorb toxins and speed transit time of waste through the intestine. This reduces the toxic build-up that can occur, especially during juice fasting. Psyllium husk is highly effective when taken about 30 minutes before meals. This way, the husks will have time to expand in your stomach and give you a "full" feeling. This will help you eat smaller meals and thus lose unwanted pounds. Do this during a juice cleanse to help scrub out your colon. Add 1 teaspoon of psyllium seed to 1 cup (8 oz) of warm water. Mix well, and then drink immediately before it becomes too thick to swallow comfortably. On a detox cleanse, it's recommended to do this when you wake, before breakfast.  You can take it every day for up to 7 days, or as needed.
 

Glutamine 
Glutamine is an amino acid or protein building block produced by the body. It serves a variety of functions in supporting the immune, digestive and nervous system and helps remove excess ammonia from the body. Glutamine is also found in foods such as meats, poultry, cheese, spinach and cabbage. It helps regulate the body's pH, or the balance of acids and bases, required for the proper functioning of cells. It also helps regulate blood glucose levels and can be converted to glucose or energy for the body when needed. Glutamine also supports the HGH, or human growth hormone secretion. HGH plays a large role in fat metabolism and muscle growth.  Especially during a detox, it's recommended that you take 1 teaspoon of Glutamine powder the last thing before you go to bed to help maintain the integrity of your gut wall, your first line of defense from toxins.

 
Pau d'Arco
The Incas and native tribes of South America use pau d’arco bark externally as a poultice or decoction for treating skin diseases including eczema, psoriasis, fungal infections, hemorrhoids and skin cancers. Consumed as a tea, it restores the acid/alkaline balance of the colon, promotes healing, and has detoxifying properties.  It has also been used as a blood purifier, to treat ulcers and rheumatism and is said to cure leukemia. It also restores the acid/alkaline balance of the colon, promotes healing, and has detoxifying properties.  The recent popularity of pau d’arco in western herbology is attributed to its antifungal activity in treating inflammatory skin conditions, leukemia, dysentery, jaundice, ulcers, and rheumatism. It also contains bitter compounds that have anti-tumor activity especially in certain blood and skin cancers. Pau d'Arco tea has reportedly had beneficial effects for cancer patients, anywhere from alleviation of chemotherapy symptoms to complete remission of tumors. It is an excellent herbal source of calcium. Make tea of 1 heaping Tablespoon, steep for 5-20 minutes in 4-6 cups of water. Drink 3x daily. 

Raw Meal Plans

Preparing raw food, and making it interesting, takes some thought and planning.  You could just eat raw soups and salads for a few weeks.  This is an option as long as you maintain your intake of cruciferous vegetables, superfoods, protein, antioxidants and minerals from the foods that you choose.  If you want to get creative (and I did),  it's really helpful to get some recipe books because of the unique nature of the preparation.  I got a few from my local library and found them to be incredible guides.  Here are my top picks:

Rawsome!: Maximizing Health, Energy, and Culinary Delight With the Raw Foods Diet, by Brigitte Mar - This book is chock-full of information about the nutrients in foods and other raw products, many of which you may be unfamiliar with. It also has a good recipe section. 

The Art of Raw Food: Delicious, Simple Dishes for Healthy Living, by Jens Casupei - Beautiful photography, but more importantly, unique + tasty recipes 

Raw Living: Detox Your Life and Eat the High Energy Way, by Kate Wood - Helpful if you're trying to satisfy kids on a raw diet. The recipe section had a handful of winners. 

Super Cleanse: Detox Your Body for Long-Lasting Health and Beauty, by Adiana Niemerow - This book has a wonderful array of different detox diets ranging from 1 to 10 days. It lists the why's and how's of each, and provides a few recipes too. At also had a wonderful section on creating your own non-toxic household cleaners to further detox your life. 

The meal plan I'll be posting includes my top picks from these books, with tweeks that I found made the recipes less oily and better overall. If you're a picky eater or love to cook, do your own experimentation. The goal is to work with what's fresh and in season.  Once you understand the basic cooking principles it's easy to tailor recipes to suit you. Have fun with the process. 

"Sex is good, but not as good as fresh, sweet corn."  - Garrison Keillor