detoxing?

I'm not so sure this would count as a full detox to be honest.. it's more of a mild one. But the fact of the matter is I am a very unhealthy person. hmm.. or maybe just unhealthy. I feel my body suffering when I eat or drink certain things and this has resulted in a fair amount of trips to the doctors because of low iron, acid build up, high iron and so on..

Another reason for doing this is to help my skin, the only way I really look after my skin is through using products, and don't get me wrong they're great but should I really be relying on them? I want not only my diet to be healthier, but also the way I look and my lifestyle. For me this is a big big change and because of this i'm going to do it in stages..

My aim is basically to cut the crap.. Which I know i'll find hard as my willpower isn't that great at the best of times. Over the next 4 weeks i'm going to cut things out and make new rules for myself. As i remove something from my diet it will be replaced by something good for me and my skin.


Targets over the next 4 weeks

week 1: cut out doughnuts, cookies, biscuits, cakes .. pretty much everything i can buy in warrens! replace with boxes from the graze - Already started! If i want a snack drink a glass of water, have only 1 snack a day from the graze or a small portion of fruit, nuts or organic chocolate as a treat :P

week 2: cut out tea, coffee and fizzy drinks (not that I ever drink fizzy anyway!) and replace with green tea, water or cranberry juice.

week 3: stop eating chips, pizza, takeaways etc. only allowed once a fortnight.. if that! ncorporate more avacado, blueberries and sammon into my diet. try to eat all 3 atleast once a week. also don't have such huge meals! i over eat and i shouldn't. i will not be eating the same size meal as shaun, i will not tower up my plate (especially for sunday roast) and i will not cook a massive amount and feel it's a waste if i don't eat it all.

week 4: have breakfast every morning around 9. this should be either an item from the graze box, a fruit yogurt or a bowl of porridge, with no extra sugar


I noticed an article pop up on the msn homepage called 'the ugly truth about bad nutrition' and pulled a few things from it about how eating certain things can effect your skin and weight for a bit of inspiration..

alcohol - Binge drinking causes havoc inside your body. Alcohol is a toxin and your body does not want it. It has a knock-on effect on your looks. Booze can burst the blood vessels close to your skin, leaving broken veins visible on your face. It is also extremely calorific - leading to weight gain - and severely dehydrates the skin, causing wrinkles. Finally, it also inflames the blood vessels on your eyes, leaving them looking bloodshot. And the more you drink and the older you get – the harder all of these symptoms are to cover up with beauty creams and make-up.

sugar - Too much sugar in your diet will make you fat; it is as simple as that. But did you know that too much sugar also gives you wrinkles? Gorging on the sweet stuff leads to the sugar in your bloodstream attaching itself to and altering the proteins collagen and elastin, the fibres which normally keep your skin looking silky and smooth. The proteins then become saggy and aged – as does your skin.

trans fats -  a very bad type of fat found in unwholesome snacks such as chips, biscuits, crisps and junk food. First and foremost, they will make you gain weight – and any pounds you add to the pile will be hard to burn off. Research has shown that trans fats add more weight than other foods with the same level of calories.

salt - Salt is good for your appearance if you rub it into your skin. High salt intake has been linked to increased levels of obesity because it leads to fluid retention and consumption of high calorie soft drinks and alcohol to quench one’s thirst.

additives - Added extras such as tartrazine (found in sweets and biscuits) and carmoisine (ready meals) have been linked with allergies, asthma and gastric problems. Mmm, nice rash.

carbohydrates - Carbohydrates are an essential part of your diet, but they do make you put on weight (especially if you do little exercise) so do not overdo it and always go for natural rather than processed sources, which contain more sugar. Too many carbs also make you feel – and appear – drowsy: never a good look.

fizzy drinks - You should not be drinking them anyway due to their high sugar content (even the diet versions contain incredibly nasty sugar substitutes like aspartame – but don’t even get us started on that) but fizzy drinks do not do your looks any favours.

The high acidity attacks your teeth, diminishing your once-glorious smile, while new research has found that soft drinks can cause serious cell damage.

A team found that a common preservative, sodium benzoate, found in many leading brands switches off vital parts of our DNA, leading to accelerated ageing. There is also evidence that fizzy drinks actually increase the amount of bacteria in your mouth, leading to bad breath.


Some of the critiques on certain foods can be a bit extreme but there is a lot of truth in this. Oh and i'm now even happier that i don't drink fizzy drinks :P

Have you thought of detoxing at all? either fully or even more mild than mine.. tell me about your experiences :)

It's my first time doing something like this.. so if you have any suggestions of foods or things to cut out then please let me know!

♥ abby

Comments

  1. As I started reading this I thought 'oooh I'm going to use this plan and do the same thing' but I'd NEVER be able to cut out tea and coffee... I love it too much especially in winter! I'm definitely going to try out some of your ideas though and I'm definitely signing up to Graze!

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  2. @Alison I love it in the colder months too :( which is why it's going to be hard. But I have found some yummy alternatives so hopefully I'll be okay majority of the time once I'm used to not having it every day :) x

    &I completely forgot to add a graze code for a free box! This is it.. DPWDYKCB

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  3. Really liked this post Abby! I think I'm going to join you on this detox, I'm so unhealthy at the moment and I'm really feeling it ): xxx

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  4. You post has inspired me to try and detox my diet a little bit too! I'm always toying with the idea of making a plan to cut out the crap, but never end up bothering. However, I think I will start mildly and see where it goes from there! Thanks for the idea, and good luck! :) xxx

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  5. Great post. I'm on a bit of a health kick at the moment and trying to have lots of fruit and veg. Crips are my weakness though, I'm rubbish at resisting them.

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  6. Great post im trying to eat a lot healthier aswell, i realised i eat too much junk food, thanks for the ideas on what to cut out etc :) x

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  7. interesting post! good luck with it(:<3

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  8. great post, good luck i hope you feel better :) x

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  9. thanks for the goodluck wishes :) i'm glad i've inspired a few people too!

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  10. good luck with this! it has definitely inspired me to go on a bit of health kick x

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  11. Good Luck:)
    I Am Going To Start Eating More Healthy Too:), I Love Green Tea!
    It Does Amazing Things For Your Health&Your Skin:)<3

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