Healthy Snacks and Drinks Too

So, we're a couple days into our detox plan. I'm already seeing...and feeling... the results. Losing a little weight and feeling a little leaner. More energy. And just in a better mood. It's amazing what health will do to you!

One of the main things to do on a plan like this is to eat more than you ever have before. Your body is like a furnace that needs its fuel. So you have to keep stoking it. Breakfast within thirty minutes of getting up. Snacks or smaller meals every three hours or so. Of course, you have to make healthy choices. And you don't have to stick to the same old baby carrots and celery sticks. (Although they're yummy too.) Here's a list of ideas that you might try. Pack them up the night before in snack-size plastic bags, and you'll have no excuses for not keeping that metabolism revved.

Vegetable Snacks
Avocado, carrot, celery, cherry tomatoes, cucumber (dress with a little vinegar, olive oil and dill if you'd like), jicama (a great Southwestern vegetable), radishes (I put them in a little water in the fridge so they're extra crisp and dip in a little salt when I snack), squash (yellow or zucchini). There are others out there too. Hit the produce section!

Another great find is dehydrated vegetable chips. You can find them in bulk at your gourmet grocery store. They're healthy, but crisp enough to make you think that you're eating fattening potato chips!

And in week three of the detox plan...when we can eat low-fat dairy...there are a couple of easy dips you can make to add even more variety to your vegetable snacks. I'll post them here.

Fruit Snacks
You know these the best....Apple, banana, cherries, grapes, melons, orange, peaches, pear, plums. Unusual ones you might try include kiwi fruit and papaya or mango.

And don't forget dried fruit too. Apricots, prunes, raisins and whatever else you can find. Just be careful to make sure there's no extra sugar added. And snack on these sparingly. They have LOTS of natural sugars to begin with.

Remember the ratio too. Three vegetables to every two fruit snacks.

Drinks
I'm used to a cocktail before dinner. Heck, you know that...I've posted my favorites. So, to keep with the tradition, I'm having fruit juice sparklers this week. Natural unsweetened juices with club soda. I even put it into a cocktail glass to "pretend." I especially like cranberry, pomegranate and red grape juices, but you can use whatever are your favorites.

Keep on keeping on! We're making progress.