Livin' Lean Topic Tuesday: Why Detox?

I recently was asked to participate in a 3-day detox diet with a colleague of mine. He was looking for a little support and figured it wouldn't be so bad if someone else was doing it too. Makes sense. So, I agreed to the diet.

Sunday morning he sent me all of the instructions for the detox, which I needed to make my trip to the grocery store. I was pumped about it! The pumped feeling was short-lived. I then opened up the attachment he sent....

Not happening! Beet shakes, tea with stuff I would spend all day looking for around the stores in our town. A little too much for me. The word "extreme" comes to mind. I am all about a healthy detox. It sounds good, but before I get to the extreme mapped out in this plan, I need to start small. Baby steps. This seemed more like a plan for people that already eat just fruits and vegetables. As ya'll know...that isn't me!!

So in talking with friends about "The Detox" that never happened, the question everyone asked me was, "Why detox?" Good question. Why put yourself through such torture? There needs to be a reason for it, right? Here is what I have found that seems to sum it up well...

Detoxing can help reset your digestive track and change bad habits so that you no longer crave certain unhealthy foods. A cleanse can also help to improve your energy levels and digestion, promote weight loss, enhance mental clarity, balance your mood and promote long-term dietary changes. ~ livestrong.com


What did I get from that? Basically, detox diets allow you to start with a clean slate. It's a fresh start! As you eat healthier foods and cut out the junk, you crave the junk less. A detox diet isn't going to help you lose 10 pounds AND keep it off. What it WILL do is get your body into the "eating well" mode...in most cases. However there is an opposite effect, which is to crave a Big Mac like my colleague who hasn't had McDonald's is probably 20 years! Not good.
I never called it a detox, but know that I think about it, I will sometimes do a form of my own detox diet. No beet shakes or herbal supplements, just fruits, vegetables, water and lean proteins. When I have wandered far from the "Livin' Lean Path" (typically over certain weekends and holidays), I commit to eating extremely clean for 3-5 days. After that, my energy is up, I am feeling better and I don't feel the cravings for those foods which got me into that mess in the first place.

I like the idea behind the detox. It's good to restart every now and then. Just be careful with the plan you choose and make sure it is best for you. Watch out for the extremes and try just eating clean.

Happy Tuesday!

Cooking Light with Giada De Laurentiis: Bruschetta with Gorgonzola & Honey

This is an appetizer that I picked to do mainly because it allowed me to showcase a wonderful product; Summer Wildflower Honey from The Mohawk Valley Trading Company (MVTC) in Utica, NY.
A few weeks ago, Betty from MVTC contacted me and offered to send some honey to test out in my cookin'. Naturally, I said YES!!

MVTC offers the highest quality organic and unprocessed natural products we can produce. Their raw honey and maple syrup is used and endorsed by two of the world's most recognized chefs: Bobby Flay recommends their maple syrup and Tom Colicchio recommends their honey. Not only does Tom say their honey is on the his "Personal Pantry Essentials" and "Favorite Gifts", but he also keeps "a jar of the stuff on his desk at all times."


To try out the honey for myself, I chose a very simple recipe that would allow me to really taste the flavor of the honey. I tested it using inspiration from Giada's Bruschetta with Gorgonzola and Honey. I LOVE it! I also love the feeling of knowing that I am feeding my family a little something sweet that is all natural and organic. I can't wait to use this honey in more food and drink recipes as a way to sweeten naturally. Thanks, MVTC!

BRUSCHETTA with GORGONZOLA CREAM CHEESE and HONEY
Serves 5 (2 pieces each)

INGREDIENTS

• 10  1/2" slices (about 1/4 loaf or 5 oz.) Parisian bread
• 2 ounces FAT FREE or 1/3 REDUCED FAT Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• 2 ounces Gorgonzola Cheese
• 1 teaspoon honey

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place bread slices on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes. (Optional~Spray the bread lightly with "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" before toasting).

In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese and Gorgonzola. Spread cheese mixture evenly on toasted pieces.

Return to the oven and bake an additional 3 minutes.

Place pieces on a serving platter and drizzle with honey.

RESULTS

This recipe makeover is more of a lesson in moderation. My only trick to cutting calories and fat was to mix the Gorgonzola with the fat free or light cream cheese. This is something I have found works well. You still get the strong flavors of the Gorgonzola, but the cream cheese allows for a right texture and spreads the flavor without all the fat.

This is meant to be an appetizer. Should a meal begin with 6 pieces of bread covered with cheese and honey? How about we just stick with 2 or 3! That is all you need and all this recipe calls for. Two good size Parisian bread slices topped with Gorgonzola cream cheese and drizzled with honey is just the right amount of savory and sweet to get you going. Stick to a serving size and you will be happy; at the moment and later on.

The star of this recipe is the honey from MVTC. It is amazing! You really can taste the difference between this honey and other store bought brands. The natural sweetness is perfect, plus a little goes a LONG way! Only a teaspoon of honey takes this appetizer to the next level.

The facts below show how a tiny change and an exercise in moderation can be the secret to livin' lean. I have said it before and I will say it again, "Cookin' lean does not mean giving up the foods you love!" Sometimes is simply means eating a little less.

ENJOY!

NUTRITION FACTS (Per Serving using Fat Free Cream Cheese):

BEFORE:383.8 calories / 21.4g fat / 35.8g carbohydrate / 12.6g protein / 1.5g fiber
AFTER: 134.4 calories / 4.3g fat / 17.3g carbohydrate / 6.6g protein / .86g fiber

SAVES: 249.4 calories / 17.1g fat / 18.5g carbohydrate

*PRINT~FRIENDLY*

Livin' Lean Topic Tuesday: Anti-Aging Cures

At some point in her life, every woman looks in the mirror and asks, "Am I starting to look old?" The time for this is different for women.

There are women starting to use anti-aging creams before they even decide on a major in college. We will call them "proactive". Then there are those who don't seem to notice until someone guesses there age is much older than it is, they take a look in the mirror and think, "Shoot! What happened?" This is the "reactive" type.

Then there are those gals like myself that tend to start thinkin' about it more once they move from 3-0 to 3-1...then we are in the thirties and now this stuff is serious. We think about it more and more. We are looking for answers more and more. Thinking and acting on those ideas. We call these women just "active".

There is no doubt that what we do and eat has a large impact on the way we look, as well as the way we feel. So it should be no surprise that the answers to aging well are found in these very two things. But if we can get a little more technical, the real secret behind youth, good health and vitality lies within our body's human growth hormone (HGH).

Rejuvenating our HGH can not only help the way we look, but most importantly...the way we feel! It helps us to live a life of optimal health.

Want to know how to stimulate this master hormone gland? Of course you do! So did I.

Dr. Forsythe, who actually wrote the official United States government protocol from administering HGH safely, describes how to use it to combat aging in his book, Anti-Aging Cures: Life Changing Secrets to Reverse the Effects of Aging.

I have not been all the way through this book yet, but I am likin' what I am reading. The science behind what our HGH does makes sense. Get that HGH workin' well again and reverse the signs of aging. Dr. Forsythe discusses two ways to increase HGH levels in your body; natural biostimulators (such as certain foods) and the injectable form. Injectable form is probably the easiest way, but I prefer to go the food route.

Overall, this book is very interesting and one that I plan to use on my quest for feeling and looking my age (or younger). My next challenge is to track down all of the "super foods" he suggests using to jump start my HGH. Most are common foods (broccoli, kale, flax), but others are new to me.

Maybe I will come up with a few "anti-aging" recipes to make eating for youth a little easier. I'll be back on that!

Hope you are having a terrific Tuesday!

For more on anti-aging by Dr. Forsythe, visit www.drforsythe.com and www.antiagingcures.com.