Good Morning Delightful One's!
Today we are having a blog post about transitioning foods and why it is important to take a slow but steady approach to dietary/health changes.
Transitioning foods are exactly what they sound like. They are foods that you normally eat which you steadily decrease and change, while making adjustments; which allow one to introduce new foods to assist in paving the way for a complete overhaul.
I chose to write-up this cleanse after Easter as I knew that people would be feasting with family and eating some celebratory meals which are normally higher in fats, sugars, and calories.
Confession time, I am actually a bit ahead of those of you following this cleanse prep, meaning that I started a bit before you did and am doing an extra week. I had to make recipes, take pictures, do posts in advance, make menus, and I was itching to start. I also had a touch of food poisoning recently and ended up eating less than the menus I will provide, required. As well as imbibing loads of broth, and easy on the stomach foods, some days I could not have smoothies but I could have gentle juices and fruits like bananas, and apples cooked down to apple sauce. I obviously had not planned on getting sick but I had planned on doing this cleanse/detox for some time, and I did not want to skip out.
So I started early, ate carefully while sick and have almost caught up-some days food is still a bit too heavy.
This was a perfect time to do these detox adjustments, as it was the 1st transition weeks, where we get all the NO foods out. I could not eat them anyways, and juicing has been a great immune booster. That coupled with loads of probiotics has cut my sickie suffering by half and I have recovered much more quickly. I write this because I want you to feel more at ease with being flexible when the need arises. Work with what you have going on and promise yourself to stick to healthy stuff.
Anywhoodles, I took pictures of my previous week of transitioning meals, you can see how I was very careful with portions. My last cheat type meals were yummy holiday celebration foods, which we ate before Easter. I decided to juice fast for a few days this Easter, so I enjoyed my gravy with potatoes two times and in two different styles. One was poutine-a Québec fav, and the second was turkey with gravy, smashed oven baked potatoes, and veg. Now I have switched my white, starchy, carb-tastic potatoes, for some delectable organic, sweet potatoes.
I think you will notice that regular potatoes are pretty much absent or are in very miniscule amounts on this detox. That's because they are a very high carb starch food; this can cause spikes in glucose, bloating, and lethargy; not to mention stronger cravings for sweets. I allow them here and there but in very small amounts and I prefer them at lunch, steamed or baked. I also choose yellow fleshed potatoes over white one's. The flavour and texture are so much better, especially when steamed. If you have never sliced potatoes and steamed them until fork tender in a bamboo steamer, you don't know what you have been missing. I took a pic that is down below with chard, steamed pots and fish-all was fantastic & will be posted for the coming menu. I was playing with my food on the plate to see if chard could look leggoish.
YES! My inner child lives!
For now, you can scroll through and see the types of food I have been eating and if you see bread of any kind, it is always gluten-free with whole-grain flour, as I have a serious allergy.
Big holiday bang that was still quite healthy. We had herb slathered roast turkey, smashed potatoes, plain sweetpea's, and carrots. I added Irish soda bread and slathered my turkey and pots with homemade turkey gravy-too good!
This was my naughty poutine, with gf gravy.
The first week is really getting red meat and all the no no foods out, see this post if you missed anything:
Transitioning meals can still include your favourite items with a healthy spin. I use hummus in place of butter or margarine, all natural gluten-free roast chicken cold cuts, and veg to top it off.
Breakfast can be a savoury & sweet affair, this was after my workout.
Meals that have loads of flavour like this Vegan Macrobiotic Soup are perfect for getting your taste buds used to clean and simplified flavours.
The recipe link is here, in case you have not already scoped it out:
We will eventually be switching to a vegan and raw vegan way of eating, the recipe for these filled Nori rolls will make you very happy and leave your tummy full/satisfied. That recipe will be up and coming soon.
There's this wonderful curried vegan channa & aloo dish that is authentic, such a blissful comfort, with a delightful side of snap peas. I like it so much and it is a fabulous intro to sustaining and filling vegetarian meals which put a smile on your face. Recipe for this to come as well so keep checking in.
And the next pic is the fish with veg. Both cooked in the steamer drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and some Herbamare. I served it with a side of pickled onions, this will be posted soon as well. I just like your eyes to get excited and your mouth to drool a bit before you learn how to make these things. I have changed some serious die hard junk food lover's into people who were excited healthy food. I don't want to deprive people, I want to improve their methods of cooking and help them make good choices. Food is such a blessing, make it a gift to your health by choosing wisely.
Pickled onions to go with your meals are something you might like to make now, so they are ready for when you want to eat them. I switch any sweetener in the recipe for honey or maple syrup when I am eating the detox/cleanse way. The recipe link can be found here:
I find they taste great in sandwiches with cold cuts, with turkey or with cheese-that is, when I am allowed to eat cheese. No touchie for now, but it still looks good with all the different colours on a plate.
Don't forget to add Fat flush waters when you are detoxing, they really do make a difference!
And healthy snacks like these rawfood apple pie crackers.
Smoothies, for me, are an important part of transitioning. Especially when we go to vegan and rawfood week, as they help give energy, cut hunger, and have a richness which cuts cravings for fatty bad foods. I make an effort to have at least 1 per day when all poultry and fish are out, they make a big difference in my day; especially when I am training. I found some recipes on Pinterest and decided to post them lower down, this next pic is a coconut pineapple smoothie that will be going up soon.
Easy recipes I found:
Healthy snack ideas abound:
I want to briefly talk about dairy and why I allow it as a transition food the first week. Dairy has some seriously strong weight gaining properties, i.e: F-A-T! It also causes more mucus formation, allergic reactions, and many of us are intolerant as the human digestive system has not had time to adjust to our intake of so many dairy products.
Historically, we have not always eaten so much dairy. Cow's milk is for baby cows and human milk is for humans, as we discovered other uses for cow's milk our intake steadily increased along with our waistlines. We in North America have a serious problem with moderation and an absolute love affair with dairy.
What is pizza without ooey gooey melted mozzarella? Or a frosty without the milk?
In Japan dairy is consumed sparingly, it is considered a specialty item and much of their super markets have very few options when it comes to cheese and dairy. The reason I mention Japan is because they have the oldest living and healthiest elderly population of anywhere in the world. North Americans who move there report having lost anywhere from 25-65 pounds from eating a healthier diet that steers clear of dairy. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule but overall Japan has kept sustained longevity with a high quality of life for many centuries. We could learn a lot from their eating habits.
I allow small portions of dairy in the form of lactose-free probiotic yogurt in the first week, as a transition food that helps with digestion and waste disposal. (Yes, I am talking about your poop shoot and dupesing.) I also find that people really enjoy their dairy, as meat, along with a whole host of other foods have been removed in the first week, the yogurt is a comfort with a tasty treat quality.
Just be ready because next week, it is a goner from the menu along with poultry-with the exception of small amounts of eggs.
I leave you with some infographics about metabolism booster's to consider after your cleanse is done along with some good bacteria food choices that you may not be aware of.
Don't forget to subscribe & leave any questions or comments down below.
I love to hear from yah!
