I am sharing this story hopefully to inspire those who have adopted bad habits to quit them, and adopt new healthy habits...
There will be cooking involved lol
I have quit smoking 6 months ago! After many years of this terrible habit, quitting was not easy at all, in fact it could be just about the hardest thing I have ever done. The cravings, the mood swings, and also the emotional stress were tremendous! But hey I survived it, and feel better than I ever did since I started this terrible habit. All it took was 2 weeks! Then it was FREEDOM!
I feel young again, and reay to take on the world... I am sure you all know the PROs and CONs so I will not go there... But I will tell you: I have heard it before and it did not register. Now I am living it: I feel better than I did in years, I can't believe I was doing the very thing that made me feel worse! So for those of you stuck with this habit, do challenge yourself and quit, no one says it is easy, but if I could do it, so can anyone, those who know me know this much.
Allen Carr's EASY WAY, really helped me put things in perspective, but then I had to do the work. A few weeks of hard work are nothing cmpared to the rewards. Buy that book and take the first step into a new life where you are FREE! And I mean: really FREE.
With that said, it seems that since I quit smoking, I took up eating lol. I mean I am always surrounded by all this great food, the varieties, the smell, the yumminess... pople's celebration foods, dinners, lunches, cocktail bites, sweets, chocolates, cakes, cookies and the courses and their creations.... it is really hard to resist, so i did not! I have gained so much weight, and kept telling myself it is ok. At the end of the day, what is a weight problem compared to a smoking problem? Well no, I do not want to be overweight! So I decided to take matters into my own hands, and get back on the track of healthy livng. Afterall, that is why I quit smoking. To be healthy, and live a healthy life... 
This detox plan is here to show you the types of food that help your body detox, and help you eat healthy, in order for you to use them in your daily cooking. Use it as a guideline to incorporate with your daily food, instead of following the plan to the dot. Unless you consult with your doctors and they recommend you follow it. **
To kick start my diet, and to get rid of all those toxins that have been building up for so long in my body, I am starting with a DETOX DIET followed by healthy eating and the good old excercise regime, and I shall be back in no time.
For those who wish to know: Detox, short for detoxification, is the body's natural, ongoing process of neutralizing or eliminating toxins that are built through the invironment or the food we eat. A detox diet is minimizing the amount of chemicals ingested, by the use of organic food and eating foods that are full of antioxidants, also foods that provide the vitamins, nutrients that the body needs. As well as detoxification foods, such as high fiber foods and water, that draw out and eliminate toxins by increasing the frequency of bowel movements and urination.
For the detox, I have been advisd to use the 7 - Day Detox Plan, which is basically a diet that I follow srictly for 7 days. It is made in way that helps the body detox as well as get you ready to start with your diet. I thought that a 7 day of strict dieting should set the mood and the pace for this effort and decided to go for it.
So here is how it goes:
Instructions and General Rules:
- I must drink a minimum of 2 ltrs of water a day (the more the better).
- I must eat no later than 7:00 pm
- No Caffeine, Necotine, Alcohol or any other toxins (we are trying to ge rid of those)
- Herbal teas are good for detox and can help quiet down the hunger, so use them when necessary
- Use all Organic Foods
- No fruits week because we don't want any sugars at all (fructose)
- No meat week because of the ammonia produced during the breakdown of protein
- Plan Meals ahead. Pack meals and snaks ready to go if need to be out of the house all day
- Do shopping for ingredients at the beginning of the week, so that you have everything ready when cooking *Shopping List Below
- Stick to the diet plan, do not improvise or substitute. Do not over eat.
- When hungry, remmber it is only 7 days, and drink herbal teas :)
This must be done exactly as shown, with exact method, ingredients and quantities mentioned.
 |
| Oats with Yoghurt & Cinnamon |
Breakfast
-
- Warm water with juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tbsp porridge oats with 2 tbsp natural yoghurt a pinch of cinnamon
- 200 ml Clear Soup **Recipe in Soups
- 2 strips of red & orange pepper
- 1 stick celery
- Munch on 1 tbps Pumpkin Seeds
 |
| Rye crips |
-
- Broccoli &Tomato Salad **Recipe in Salads
Mid Afternoon Snack
-
- 200ml clear soup
- cottage cheese on 1 rye crispbread
- 350ml Tomato Rosemary Soup with 2 tbsp mixed beans or 1 egg **Recipe in Soups
 |
| Pumpkin Seeds |
- Hot water with juice of 1/2 lemon
- 3 tbsp natural yoghurt with 1 tsp each:
pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, with a pinch of cinnamonMid Morning Snack
- 200 ml clear soup
- Hommus Spread on 1 rice cake
- Vegetable Omlette ** Recipe in Detox
- 200ml clear soup
- 10 cashew nuts. 2 thick slices cucumber, 2 strips of pepper
- 350ml Tomato Rosemary Soup OR
- 100g white Fish Fillet cut into bite-size cubes
 |
| Rice Cakes |
Breakfast
-
- 1 boiled egg
- 2 rice cakes
- 200ml clear soup
- Cucumber mint yoghurt with 2 oatcakes
- 350ml Tomato & Rosemary Soup
- 200ml clear soup
- 1 small slice omlette with 2 chrry tomatoes
- Quinoa with home-made Pesto ** Recipe in Italian & Rost Tomatoes
Day 4:
 |
| Pak Choi |
- Hot water with juice of 1/2 lemon
- Nutmeg Porridge
- 200 ml clear soup
- Home-made Pesto spread on 1 rice cake
- Pepper & Pak Choi Salad with 50g tuna ** Recipein Salads
Mid afternoon Snack
- 200 ml clear soup
- 10 cashew nuts, 5 small florets of broccoli & 2 cherry tomatoes
- 350 ml Tomato Rosemery soup
Day 5:
 |
| Linseeds |
- Hot water with juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbsp soaked linseeds with 3 tbsp natural yoghurt
- 200 ml clear soup
- Avocado Spread on 1 ryevita cracker with chopped tomato
- 2 tbsp chickpea stew with a small salad ** Click here for Recipe
Mid Afternoon Snack
- 200 ml clear soup
- 1 can of Tuna mixed with 2 tbsp yoghurt and celery or carrot sticks
- 300g salmon fillet with Spinach
Day 6:
Breakfast
- Hot water with juice of 1/2 lemon
- Cinnamon Porridge
 |
| watercress |
- 200ml clear soup
- Spinach&Yoghrt on 1 Oatcake
- Avocado or cold Salmon with watercrss Salad
- Chunky Vegetable Soup with Chickpeas or Prawns ** Recipe in Soups
Day 7:
Breakfst
- Hot water with juice of 1/2 lemon
- Scrambled Egg on 1 oatcake
- 200ml Clear Soup
- 1 tbsp Hommus with raw vegetables
 |
| Tofu |
- Chunky vegetable soup with Tofu
-
- 200 ml Clear Soup
- Cottage cheese on 1 rye crsipbread
- Stir fried vegetables with Marinated Tofu or Pumpkin seeds
Now I should continue my diet by eating healthy foods and should be back ontrack in no time :) will keep you posted with the results ;)
Hope this inspires you to the kind of food that you should regularly consume. These ingredients are good for you, make sure to incorporate them in your daily intake. I really hope that you stop those bad habits, and take on a healthy lifestyle, you are better off and much happier this way :) Let me hear your thoughts, leave me some words of encouragement :))
