Detox Diet// Review

I promised this post quite a while back and didn't quite meet the completion deadline for it, which was supposed to be the middle of last month (May)! I really need to get my life together.

 So, just as a brief introduction, for the end of April and most of May I was undergoing a small detox diet. It was supposed to only be for about two weeks but I dragged it on for a bit longer. The aim of this detox diet was to prepare my body for Malia this summer, as I didn't want to look like a massive potato walking along the beach and strip. It was completely free (well, the food I ate obviously wasn't), so I didn't have to sign up on any websites to receive beneficial supplements or anything, and all the food I ate was completely organic. Here is a little menu that I Googled for each meal of the day and how I coped sticking to it...

Breakfast

                Porridge and mixed berries or fruit, Greek yoghurt and fruit, fruit smoothie, fresh fruit salad with yoghurt and oats or fresh gluten free muesli

(for some reason I had to erase wheat from the diet)

Drink: Cup of fruit juice or a fruit smoothie

Greek yoghurt with mixed berries

Lunch

Fresh vegetable soup and oatcakes/rice cakes, avocado and prawn salad, rice cakes or gluten free pittas with tzatziki, tuna and sweetcorn jacket potato and salad.

Drink: Cup of fruit juice or water

Dinner

White fish and vegetables with fresh tomato purée, Chinese stir fried vegetables with prawns, sweet and sour stir fry with rice, prawns and noodles or  jacket potato and white fish.

Drinks: Water or cup of fresh fruit juice

Apologies for awful phone camera and filter which makes it look very unappetising: grilled cod, brown rice, asparagus and tomato purèe

Snacks

Fresh fruit salad, Greek yoghurt blended with honey, unflavored popcorn or a handful of unsalted nuts or seeds.

I had to avoid a lot of different foods during this diet which was particularly hard, especially when it came to red, and even lean, meats. I did enjoy trying new things, however. Such as having fish that's not covered in breadcrumbs or batter. I have also always loved rice cakes, so this didn't come across as a challenge to me at all.

What did come across as a challenge is the fact that there is a vending machine in every green room at work. Watching people dig into chocolate bars and not being able to buy myself a can of Dr Pepper was absolute agony! 

Saying that, I felt extremely fresh after the first week. I noticed an immediate difference in not only my body shape (my work trousers suddenly got very loose!) but also my skin and energy. When I didn't take notice of what I put in my body over the Christmas period I always felt quite sluggish and very tired, as well as getting spotty and greasy skin. This diet helped clear away blemishes and give me a nice, rosy and even complexion. 

There is a lot of common misconceptions behind detox dieting. Theories like 'they don't exist' or 'they're expensive and a waste of time'. Detox diets do exist and are very helpful. They were designed to help flush out the toxins of our bodies and help increase the health of our inner bodies, as well as immunity. Also, you don't have to subscribe to any program and pay to under-go a detox diet. It just takes will power and putting the right foods in your trolley when shopping. They are hard at first because you're cutting so many different types of food out of your diet, and as I said, in some ways that presented a challenge for me. But, after you've completed the first hurdle you can start adding more to the diet, as long as you are still eating sensibly and exercising regularly. 

Week 3- Introducing chicken to the detox

On the exercise note, the only exercise I really got was from work, one x-bike class and a Zumba class. Make sure you make time for these things, something which I forgot to do! But recently, I have ordered Charlotte Crosby's 3 Minute Belly Blitz which I have every faith in, as looking at her transformation it worked incredibly for her, and she was constantly dropping dress sizes. I'm using this more for dropping down a dress size and getting more toned. I've not started it yet but plan on it soon. I will be sharing my transformation and journey with you guys, so keep your eyes peeled!

 Summer is the best time to try out these diets, as there's more variations of fruits and lovely fresh foods in super markets, the weather is better and you may generally have a better mindset to start (everyone seems pretty happy in Summer!). I'm also going to try and intensify mine a little more now so my body is up to scratch, because as I said I don't want to look like a potato in all my lovely new Summer clothes.

 There's also lots of fun different types of exercise you can do this Summer. This can include cycling, Zumba, going on dog walks, going on runs, going to the gym...even dancing around the kitchen to your favorite playlist!

Important word of advice!- If you are planning on going on a holiday with your friends, family partner and are going to be drinking a lot, try and draw your detox to a close at least a week before you go away. If you don't this could make you very ill as your body isn't used to taking in so many toxins and doesn't have the system to retain it anymore. This doesn't stop you from dieting, just make sure you're eating reasonable portions. 

I hope this post has given you an insight as to what detox diets are like, and maybe even a little bit of motivation to start your own. Note, this is not me endorsing people to starve themselves and aspire to have a different body shape. I personally like to keep myself 'in shape', so this isn't me trying to get people to achieve a certain body shape just because it's worked for me. There is nothing wrong with fulfilling a healthy lifestyle, this is what I have been doing over the past few weeks.

Don't forget to keep your eyes peeled for my hopeful transformation over the next few weeks, I will post photos in two weeks time, and then just before I go on holiday! 

Lots of love xo