Detox Week: Day Four- Add Cooked Vegetables and Brown Rice

     I woke up with a slight headache. My face has a clear complexion, which is nice. I went about my morning duties, and while standing in the kitchen making my kid's lunch and getting their breakfast, I realized how much I'm over this detox. Smelling my husband's coffee did not help. I want to eat some cereal, a nutrigrain bar, have some coffee with cream, drink some milk, eat some cheese. Oh, how I miss dairy! And cokes, I don't even care about the caffeine, but I want a tasty coke on ice. And butter, how I wouldlove to add some butter and salt to my cooked vegetables. I refuse to cave, but this is starting to get hard. I want something to drink besides water or a smoothie.

     The book recommends you cook the vegetables with as little water and for as short as possible so the vegetables retain their maximum nutritious value. Steaming and stir-fry are the best methods. Cruciferous vegetables (leafy green vegetables) are particularly good for an overtaxed liver. The rice should always be brown short-grain as this is by far the most absorbent type. It soaks up toxins from the gut, is the most easily digested, and contains the most fiber. Among recommended spices are cayenne pepper and ginger because they both stimulate digestion and encourage the elimination of toxins through the skin. Other vegetables that have detox properties include, leeks, onions, garlic, globe artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes, and beetroot. (pg. 27)

     For breakfast I ate watermelon. For lunch I ate ginger carrot soup and brown rice. I made the ginger carrot soup from scratch. I simmered some ginger, onions, and garlic in a sauce pan with small amount of extra virgin olive oil, then I added chopped carrots, and organic vegetable stock. I let the carrots cook in the stock until they were soft, then I took the mixture and put it in my blender and blended it until it was in a soup-like consistency. My lunch was delicious. As much as I would love to eat some potato chips or pita chips right now, I just keep telling myself, just three more days.

     For dinner I fixed myself the ginger carrot soup again with some brown rice, but after a few bites, I just was over it. So, I ate half of an avocado instead. I also worked out again. Same basic workout with 15 minutes of stretching and warming up, 15 minutes of cardio, and then a cool down. Lastly, I bought some organic banana chips to snack on throughout the day when I get hungry and am craving something crunchy and chip-like.