The Delicious Detox
05 October 2007
Vicky Warr, fitness, nutrition and wellness expert at The Beez Kneez shares her top tips for detoxing to leave you glowing and full of energy.
For vibrant health, a flatter stomach, glowing skin, shiny hair and sparkling eyes you need a combination of the best vitamins and nutrients found in most fruit and vegetables. But how do you incorporate them into your daily diet and make them interesting to eat?
Most people get into a stalemate with their nutrition, relying on sandwiches for lunch and serving up the same old veg - carrots and peas. Variety and creativity are the two key elements to Superfooding. Include a range of vitamins and nutrients, found in fruit and vegetables, in your meals. The way you feel, your energy levels, skin and whole well being will improve dramatically. Feeding your body from the outside in means you give it the optimal chance for feeling and looking your best. So how and with what?
1. Be Smooth
Blend 2-3 different fruits, add some nuts (6), organic natural yoghurt (2 tbsps), water (150ml) and ice cubes (3) and you'll have a very easy breakfast boosting with vitamins to give you an energy boost any time of day.
2. Be Fresh
Salad can be one of the most boring meals if it's lacking in imagination. Get inspired with the following delicious concoctions.
- Use green beans, mange tout, baby sweet-corn, beetroot, small segments of broccoli, spinach leaves, asparagus, avocado (1/2, sliced)
- Slice some green, red, orange, yellow peppers, drizzle with olive oil and grill for 10 minutes. Then add to salad leaves and spinach, and rocket.
- Shredded red cabbage and grated carrot (great combo for clear skin and sparkling eyes)
- Pear with walnuts and cheese, apples with raisins and chicken pieces
- Creamy root salad – new potatoes, celeriac, swede, sweet potatoes, mustard, low-fat natural yoghurt – a bit of mayo (if you must!)
3. Soup-up
One of the best tastiest ways to incorporate veggies into your daily nutrition is to knock up a soup. Try this one, which is really easy and requires little preparation as you just throw in all the veggies and leave to simmer.
1. Choose any 3-4 veggies plus 1 large onion and chop up.
2. Peel and Chop up 1 x sweet potato (extra energy)
3. Add ¼ pack of red or orange lentils (boosts metabolism)
4. Add 1 kettle full of boiled water and 2 organic vegetable stock cubes
5. Put everything into a wide pan. Simmer for 1 hr and stir occasionally (stops lentils sticking). Now, go put you feet up or do a power stretch!
7. Remove from heat, cool, and blend to desired consistency.
4. Dip and dabble
Dipping veggies increases your intake of vitamins. Add dips to muffins and bagels for variety. Try dips such as tomato salsa, hummus, roasted vegetables.
5. Speed up
Fast food but not as we know it!
- Stir fry peppers, sprouts, onions, mushrooms, baby sweet corn and spring onions.
- Make a vitalizing mash - Mash up Sweet Potatoes and Parsnips or Carrots or butternut squash. Add a chicken breast and steamed broccoli with garlic.
- Take a large red cabbage and stuff the larger leaves with cooked lean mince, courgettes and onions.
6. Go the whole hog
If you're making a main meal, try adding veggies to the main ingredients. It gives the meal has variety, more flavour and more interest.
Try vegetable lasagna, adding carrots (sliced), sweet corn, red onions, peppers to a meat chilli con carne, and vegetable curries with chickpeas to boost lean muscle and metabolism.
7. Get Juicy
Think Juicing for boosting vitality and getting rid of lethargy. Buy a juice extractor and try out different combinations to really feed your body. Your skin will glow. Add a few ice cubes to dilute strong flavours.
8.Be Sweet
Forget just a fruit salad! Desserts with fruit become delectable with ideas such as roasted figs drizzled in honey, baked Bramley apples, or strawberries dipped in melted dark chocolate.
See Vicky's website.