SUE WHITE

Week Three already! keep up the changes you have made and this week consider the amount of wheat and dairy food you are consuming.  Why?  because we have come to rely on these in the diet and they are often over-consumed.  Many people who suffer with digestive complaints and bloating find relief from taking these foods out of the diet for a while.  One theory relates to the gluten content of wheat - you will know if you have mixed wheat flour with a liquid that it becomes sticky; in the body it can coat the villi which are little finger-like projections that increase the surface area of the intestines and are concerned with absorption of nutrients.  Other theories relate to  intolerance to wheat which seems to be widespread.  Wheat is one of the oldest cultivated grains and a good quality wheat is a well-balanced food but modern farming practices can deplete the soil and subsequent crops of essential nutrients.  Intolerance to cow dairy is also common - some have a deficiency of the enzyme lactase in the digestive tract which splits the sugar lactose and this is present in significant quantities in cow milk.  In Ayurvedic medicine, cows' milk is thought to produce mucus and catarrh.  So, eliminating these foods temporarily, and giving the body a rest from handling them, is often part of a detox programme.  What to eat then?  Unless you know that you have a specific problem with wheat, an older type of wheat grain called  Spelt is often better tolerated by the body so that's one to try, also use other grains (rye, oats and barley do also contain gluten).  Goat and sheep dairy products are often better tolerated and are widely available so swapping to these short-term can be helpful.
One other tip for this week! - if you are adding sugar at any stage to food or in drinks, cut it down with a view to eliminating it.  Don't be tempted to use sweetners - just keep reducing the sugar until your taste buds have adapted...

Week two of the Spring detox!!  This week, build on the good work you have done during the past week - keep up the changes you have already made, and this week focus on snacks.  It's often the snacks eaten in addition to main meals that contribute nothing more than empty calories, fat, sugar and salt.  The idea is not to cut out snacks altogether but to make more healthy choices.  The worst culprits are packaged and refined goods such as confectionary, biscuits and cakes along with salty snacks such as crisps.    Good alternatives to packaged snacks include nuts (not salted and roasted), seeds (mix a few different varieties together), fresh fruit, vegetables, dips such as salsa and guacamole.  Seek out some recipes for home made biscuits and cakes that use wholemeal flour, oil and very little sugar.

Deep down you know, don't you, that when the sun starts shining and you rummage through your wardrobe for your shorts, you'll be wishing you started a healthy eating regime back in March.......  So here start my weekly tips for positive but gentle detoxing for the lead up to 'find your shorts' day.
Please remember that detoxing is not always relevant for all - for example if you are pregnant, so do check with your practitioner if you are in any doubt.
Firstly, don't worry about what you eat (yes, you read that correctly).  You will be amazed at the difference you could feel just by spending a week making some changes to what you drink; and the stress you save by not overhauling your whole diet in one go is considerable.
Drink more water - try a glass of warm water with the juice of half a lemon on rising and drink 6 - 8 further glasses/cups of room temperature or warm water throughout the day.
Drink herbal tea - use your drinks as a mini treatment - chamomile tea when you feel stressed, peppermint tea to aid digestion.
Coffee substitutes like NoCaf or Chicory instead of regular coffee.  If you drink a lot of coffee you might want to take it weaker, or cut down on the number of cups by half each day before moving over to the substitutes.
Redbush tea (which is caffeine free and contains half the tannin of regular tea)
If you drink fruit juices, choose freshly squeezed rather than one from concentrate and add water to dilute it.
Try some vegetable juice.
That should give you plenty of choice for more healthy drinks.
Alcohol - well, ideally avoid it, but if that thought fills you with horror, decide what your weekly intake is and resolve to half it, then when you feel ready half it again - and keep going.
Avoid squash, flavoured waters, soft drinks and start reducing any sugar added to hot drinks.
There you have it, that's week one.
Whilst doing all this good work, start detoxing your mind too - think of yourself in your shorts.  Now choose to think of yourself looking absolutely amazingly splendid in your shorts and, whenever you think of yourself and your shorts, always, always, always make that choice!