What do I eat during the 14 Day GSY Challenge?

QUESTION about the 14-Day GSY Challenge: “I wanted to ask your nutrition advice… besides the green smoothies what do you suggest to eat for the 14 days detox? I am vegetarian.”

ANSWER:
14 Days of Green Smoothie Yoga can be a good opportunity for you to “detox” if you so choose! Every day I will give you a helpful nutrition hint but to make it a gentle revamp of your diet I’ve provided a few pointers here.

For the challenge I would try to get as much fresh fruit and veg as you can! Being vegetarian is a great start as your body will already be lighter from not consuming animal products. I would suggest four main things:

1.

Eat “light to heavy” over the day.

That means starting with fruit and juices in the morning -> raw vegetables -> nuts, seeds, dried fruit -> heavier cooked foods (dairy and/or eggs if you eat them) or cooked vegetables and wholegrains for dinner. This way you save most of your energy during the day for work and other tasks instead of feeling tired from having to expend alot of energy digesting heavy meals! I know this flies in the face of the “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” school of thought. But try this for a few days and you will feel the difference in your energy levels and ease of digestion!

2.

Eat only fruit, green smoothies or fresh vegetable juices until midday or lunchtime.

Since fruit only takes 15-30 minutes to be digested in the stomach eating this way is like being on a very light “fast” as you will be giving your digestive system even more time to recover and digest the previous day’s meals. There is nothing worse for the intestines to have to deal with than heavy oatmeal or cereal and milk or cooked breakfast first thing in the morning! These things take hours to be digested in the stomach alone, and sap energy that would otherwise be used for cleansing and re-energising your body.

3.

Just for the 14 days, try to avoid wheat, dairy, soy, refined sugar and refined grains.

Again, these things are not only normally empty in nutritive value but are very difficult for the body to break down, making you feel tired and sluggish. Instead of wheat try quinoa, millet or buckwheat (all gluten free).

4.

Remember that just because you’re on a “detox” doesn’t mean you should forgo the pleasures of life, like hearty baked potatoes and pumpkin, avocados, and of course dessert!

Replace dairy things like icecream with homemade coconut icecream – see my recipes here! Replace refined sugars with natural fruit sugars e.g. raw honey, dried dates and figs.. these are much higher in minerals and delicious! And a bit of dark chocolate (if you like it) as long as it’s 70% cocoa or higher is fine and will help you stick to this diet lifestyle, hopefully for more than 14 days!

Good luck with the challenge and have fun!