The word detox conjures up images of fasting, cleansing and restricting food groups that may provide important nutrients. Perhaps a better image of a healthy family diet is more of a “clean eating” regimen. Instead of an extreme detox, just clean up the foods your family consumes. Eliminate rich, sugary, highly processed foods, fried foods, fast foods and empty calorie foods. Do not consume food that come in a box, bag or can, with the exception of limited healthier things like brown rice or rice cakes. Make it a habit to shop the periphery of your grocery store. The produce department should fill up 80% of your cart. Better yet, shop at a farmer’s market join an organic food coop, or a more produce market. Choose whole foods from their most natural state. Do not purchase foods with high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, food colorings or preservatives. Read labels with your kids. Hire a professional to go through your pantry and refrigerator to teach you about quality ingredients and help you remove the junk from your home. If you have junk food items in your home toss them or donate them. By eliminating the temptations from your home environment, you will be on a better path.
Keep a colorful array of fresh cut veggies and fruit in the fridge. Purchase raw nuts, hummus, fresh salsa and guacamole. After school while the kids are doing their homework or while you are cooking dinner, put out the veggies and hummus. It is much better than snacking on chips or empty calorie foods. Your family will be getting much better nutrients. For special occasions or an occasional treat, choose better forms of treats such as coconut milk ice cream, gluten free cookies or a product like Haagen Daz that lists only 4 ingredients. Do not keep multiple containers, just one or two at a time depending on your family size. Eat dried fruits sparingly as they contain high amounts of sugar. Look for the dried fruits that do not contain preservatives. Those bright orange apricots look and taste great, however they are loaded with preservatives.
It is important that we watch our families sugar consumption. This is the main cause of obesity and pre-diabetes. There is also a direct link to eating sugar and brain health. 80-90% of out immune system is in direct relation to our gut health. It is important to choose foods that are lower on the glycemic index. It is very different to eat white rice vs. brown rice. The white rice immediately turns to sugar and give you a high and then a low, where as the brown rice gets administered much slower into your system and keeps your energy constant. Better yet add lentils or beans with it and it becomes a perfect protein. So learn about and choose foods that are lower on the glycemic index for consistent energy and not the extreme highs and lows of the typical sugar laden American diet.
Clean eating is a long-term lifestyle, not a diet. It will keep you and your family healthy, with strong immune systems. One woman and her family that I know of moved to this country from Brazil. In their country the mother shopped every day or two for fresh vegetables, fruits and lean, organic cuts of chicken, meat & fish. Once living in America the family adopted the typical American diet of fast and overly processed food. The whole family got sick, fat, depressed and tired. They ended up going from doctor to doctor and spent enormous amounts of money to get drugs to mask several symptoms that were only a bi-product of their new eating habits, instead of following Biofit weight loss. Once the Mother went on a 5 week Candida program which was comprised of clean eating & exercise, she lost weight, gained energy and had a sunnier outlook on life. She no longer needed the pharmaceutical drugs as her symptoms disappeared! The family also lost weight and ate a better diet as well.
What your family puts on the ends of their forks is critically important to each individual’s future health. By teaching our children good health habits now, they can and will avoid getting the same genetic diseases that come along with heredity.
