Week Two of the Detox Plan

If you've made it through the first week of the detox diet, congratulations! You've probably lost a pound or two (and maybe an inch or two also!) and feel healthier. At the same time, you're probably also starting to miss the variety of foods you're used to. Despite best efforts in cooking techniques and flavor-boosting strategies, we've definitely been working with a restrictive list of ingredients. Get ready though. Your horizons are about to drastically expand. Here are the more generous guidelines for this week two:

Add fish to your diet.
Fish is a great healthy source of protein and is packed with fatty acids that are good for you. So, as long as you prepare it healthily, have as much of it as you want. If you want boiled shrimp for breakfast, go for it. We're kicking off fish week tonight with a great piece of albacore tuna that I'll sear rare and drizzle with a little wasabi dressing. I'll blog that recipe for you tomorrow. And other fish recipes later in the week.

Add grains.
You'll keep with the high-fiber trend established last week by adding healthy whole-grains to your meal plans. (Still no bread, even whole-grain, this week though if you can avoid it.) Things like couscous, quinoa, and barley. These may sound exotic, but are easily found in bulk sections of gourmet grocery stores. And delicious, easy-to-prepare couscous mixes can be found in boxes in the rice section of your grocery store. (Far East brand is a favorite of mine.) Other options for you include brown rice and wild rice. Just don't go crazy; don't have platefuls at every meal and do use common sense in your preparation methods. The grains should be steamed or boiled simply, with little to no extra fat (olive oil) added. For my part, I'm going to try spelt (a kind of barley) for the first time this week. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Try beans.
If you have a favorite bean soup, fix it. Have a can of black beans over brown rice for dinner. Whir together white beans or garbanzo beans with herbs and roasted red peppers for a great dip for fresh veggies. Just don't go crazy with processed soups and beans. You still obviously want to avoid ingredients like bacon and beef. (I try and keep things pure and use vegetable stock only. Will be looking forward to adding chicken back in next week...)

Go nuts.
Not just with almonds, pecans and walnuts, but "unusual" nuts and seeds as well. Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and soy nuts are just two of the things I'll have on hand this week to snack on or add crunch to salads or vegetables. Don't go overboard though. You want dry-roasted nuts without sugary coatings. And, yes, nuts are high in "good" fats, but they are also full of calories too, so a handful should be your portion size.

Keep snacking.
Keep your metabolism up by continuing to eat every three or four hours. That's a pattern you'll want to keep even after the three weeks are over. Just alter the ratio a little. My five snacks this week will break down into two fruits, two vegetables, and one snack of nuts a day. Next week, I'll establish my "maintenance" snack plan--proteins paired with fruits and vegetables for as many of my daily snacks as possible.

And keep abstaining.
I'm still a teetotaler this week. No alcohol and definitely no sugar. We'll have wine again next week, and my new healthier taste buds will be able to appreciate its beauty more than ever before. (I try and avoid potatoes and corn this week still too.)

Keep it up. By the time we finish our three weeks, you'll be a new food furnace, hungry for healthy foods that keep your metabolism revving. And keep moving. Every bit of exercise is another calorie burned.