Gracious Detox & Slimdown

Enjoy
List of foods to include in your slimdown plan.

• Filtered water (six to eight glasses per day)
• Fish, especially small, nonpredatory species such as sardines, herring, wild salmon, black cod or sable fish,
  sole, and cod
• Lean white-meat chicken breasts (preferably organic)
• Fresh or frozen noncitrus fruits, ideally berries only (preferably organic)
• Fresh vegetables (preferably organic)
• Fresh vegetable broth (3 to 4 cups a day)
• Legumes (e.g., kidney beans, black beans, white beans, etc.)
• Brown rice
• Nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts and pumpkin seeds)
• Ground flaxseeds (preferably organic)
• Lemons (preferably organic)

Avoid
List of foods to avoid completely.

• Sugar (including honey, maple syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, etc.)
• Sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol and maltitol
• Artificial sweeteners like aspartame, etc.
• Natural sweeteners like stevia (although this might be fine in the long run, in the short run it stimulates sweet cravings and will sabotage your efforts)
• Alcohol
• Caffeine (sodas, coffee, tea — except for green tea)
• Citrus fruits and juices (except lemon juice)
• Yeast (baker’s and brewer’s, fermented foods like vinegar)
• Dairy products (milk, butter, yogurt, cheese)
• Eggs
• Gluten (see www.celiac.com for a comprehensive list of gluten-containing foods)
• Corn
• Beef, pork, lamb or any other meat (except organic poultry)
• Nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, bell peppers)
• Peanuts
• Refined oils and hydrogenated fats
• Stimulants (these include decongestants, diet pills, ephedra, ma huang and yerba mate)
• All flour products
• Processed foods or food additives (fast food; junk food; any foods that come in a box, package, can, or that are commercially prepared using chemicals, preservatives and other unnatural ingredients to make them shelf-stable)

Meal Plan Example:

Breakfast (7 a.m.–9 a.m.)

• Lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon) and hot water
• 1 cup of decaf or caffeinated green tea steeped in hot water for five minutes. (You may also have the green tea later in the day. Limit your intake to 2 cups a day.)
• Gracious Shake (recipe below)

If no bowel movement by 10 a.m., take two herbal laxative tablets (you can take two senna or cascara tablets to ensure you have a bowel movement).

Morning Snack (10 a.m.–11 a.m.)

• 1 cup Gracious Broth (recipe below)
• Another Gracious Shake (if you are hungry)

Lunch (12 p.m.–1 p.m.)

• 2 cups or more of steamed or lightly sautéed veggies (you should eat enough to feel gently satisfied)
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• 1/2 cup fruit or berries for dessert (either here or at dinner, not both, and only one or two times during the seven-day program)
• Gracious Shake (optional)

Afternoon Snack (2 p.m.–3 p.m.)

• 1 cup Gracious Broth
• Gracious Shake (if you are hungry)

Dinner (5 p.m.–7 p.m.)

• 4 to 6 ounces of fish or chicken breasts cooked with olive oil and lemon juice or 4 to 6 ounces of tofu or legumes (if using canned, rinse them well)
• 2 cups or more of steamed or lightly sautéed veggies (eat enough to feel gently satisfied)
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 cup Gracious Broth

How to Deal With Detox Downsides
You may experience some common symptoms during the first few days of the program: bad breath; achy, flulike feelings; fatigue; headaches; cravings; irritability; constipation. Don’t worry — it’s a good sign that your body is eliminating toxins. Constipation, however, should be addressed aggressively to ensure a successful program. 

Detoxify
The Gracious Broth Recipe
Our modern diet is an acid-producing diet — including sugar, excess animal protein and processed foods — that creates a toxic cellular environment that can contribute to many diseases. This broth, filled with many healing nutrients, is a simple way to detoxify and alkalinize your body. (For those who can’t make the broth, you can substitute low-sodium, organic vegetable broth from Pacific Foods or Imagine Foods, but making your own broth from fresh, organic ingredients is preferable.)

For every 3 quarts of water, add:

• 1 large chopped onion
• 2 sliced carrots
• 1 cup of daikon or white radish root and tops, cut into large cubes (ideal, but optional)
• 1 cup of winter squash, cut into large cubes
• 1 cup of root vegetables, cut into large cubes: turnips, parsnips and rutabagas for sweetness
• 2 cups of chopped greens: kale, parsley, beet greens, collard greens, chard, dandelion, cilantro or other greens
• 2 celery stalks, cut into large cubes
• 1/2 cup of seaweed: nori, dulse, wakame, kelp or kombu
• 1/2 cup of cabbage, cut into large cubes
• 4 1/2-inch knob of ginger, sliced
• 2 cloves of whole garlic
• Sea salt to taste
• If available, you can add 1 cup of fresh or dried shiitake or maitake mushrooms.

Add all the ingredients at once and place on a low boil for approximately one hour. Simply continue to simmer to taste.

Cool, strain out the cooked vegetables and discard them. Store resulting broth in a large, tightly sealed glass container in the fridge.

Before consuming, heat gently. Drink at least 3 to 4 cups a day.

Makes approximately 8 cups or 2 quarts.

Reduce Inflammation
The Gracious Shake Recipe
This shake provides essential protein for detoxification, omega-3 fatty acids from flax oil, fiber for healthy digestion, increased elimination from flaxseeds, and antioxidants and phytonutrients from the berries and fruit. Also, for alternative snack options, enjoy raw veggies and hummus (don’t forget to read the label if it’s store-bought), seeds and nuts, or steamed vegetables or chickpeas spiced up with a little extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt.

Blend together:

• 2 scoops of rice protein powder (the average is 2 scoops, but you should follow the directions for the serving sizes of the product you pick)
• 1 tablespoon organic combination flax and borage oil
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
• Ice (made from filtered water), if desired
• 6 to 8 ounces of filtered water to desired consistency
• 1/2 cup of frozen or fresh noncitrus organic fruit, such as cherries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, pears or bananas

Optional: Add 1 tablespoon of nut butter (almond, macadamia, pecan) or ¼ cup nuts, such as almonds, walnuts, pecans or any combination of these, soaked overnight.

Relax
The Gracious Detox Bath
The Gracious Bath is a key component of the program. It provides many powerful benefits in one easy, 20-minute solution every day. (Take a bath just before bed every night.)

• Add 2 cups of Epsom salts, 1 cup of baking soda and 10 drops of lavender oil to bathwater as hot as you can tolerate.

For extra-powerful detoxification, wrap yourself in towels immediately after the bath, get into bed under the covers and sweat more for 20 minutes, then remove the towels and go to sleep. You can go directly to sleep without rinsing off after the bath.