Detox Diet - Good or Bad?

What is a Detox Diet?

I have seen tons of people of different social media sites trying out this so called "detox diet". Although this may seem tempting and "the only solution", make sure you know the side effects and what it truly is. Detox diet can be extremely harmful especially for teens. 

Although detox is primarily thought of as a treatment for alcohol or drug dependence, the term is also used to refer to a program of diet, herbs, and other methods of removing environmental and dietary toxins from the body ✖ . These diets encourage you to eat natural food and and involves drinking a lot of water and doing exercise - which we all know is good for you.

The basic idea of detox diet is to get rid of wastes and temporarily give up certain kinds of food that are thought to contain certain toxins. The idea is to purify or get rid of the bad stuff. But truth be told, the human body is designed to purify itself. 

There are different kinds of detox diet many include a version of fast, giving up food for a couple of food days and reintroducing certain foods to your diet. Others include tea or supplements to help the purification process. 

This may seem tempting, but take note that there are side effects to this which include dizziness, tiredness, and nausea. Many of these diets include a lot of exercise, but cannot really be able to because of the side effects. It is said to give you more energy and focus but it actually does the exact opposite. Detox diets don't help people lose fat, you may drop pounds, but what you are losing is water and muscle. You may lose weight but you are more likely to regain them soon after completing the diet. 

It is a good idea to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, get lots of fiber, and drink water. But you also need to make sure you are getting the right nutrients your body needs like protein and calcium. The human body is designed to purify itself. You can help yourself by eating lots of nutritious food and exercising regularly. If you have any more questions or concerned about your weight, ask your doctor or dietitian before hand.

*I am in no ways a professional or a dietitian. This is what I have learned from various research out of pure curiosity. Make sure to check the links down below to read more about this since what I have said isn't very informative. It is what went on in my mind at the time which wasn't very illustrated so I do apologize*

1. http://m.kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/dieting/detox_diets.html?m=y#cat20131

2. http://www.webmd.com/diet/detox-diets

3. http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/dietarytherapy/a/DetoxBasics.htm

Stay tuned for more.

Until next time,

Beatrix Lim

Healthy Breakfast Ideas

We all hurry in the morning not wanting to be late for school or work that we forget our most important meal of the day, which is breakfast. It is best for us to eat breakfast every morning because we haven't eaten for about 10 hours (last meal being dinner) and we need to fill our bellies with some food to give us energy throughout the day! 

The first thing I do every morning is drink water. This helps me stay awake and is proven to work better than coffee. Drink at least 2 cups of water (8oz.) and it is guaranteed to wake you up.

1. Banana Oat Pancakes

My favorite breakfast food ever is banana oat pancakes. This helps keep me full throughout the morning and is super easy to make.

What you need:

1/2 cup of oats

2 egg whites

1/2 a banana

cinnamon

1/2 t vanilla

non - stick pan

Directions:

Using a mixing bowl, add in your oats and egg white. Mash up your banana in a separate bowl and add to the oats and egg whites. Add in the cinnamon and vanilla and mix them all together. You can even blend this to give it a better consistency.

Heat your pan (if its not non - stick, melt some butter onto your pan) and pour in about 1/3 cup of your batter onto your pan forming a pancake shape (or even any shape you like!). Once you see the edges starting to dry up and bubbles starting to form, it is time to flip it. Cook it until it is all cooked. Transfer it onto a plate and serve it with some honey and choice of fruits. You can even serve it by itself which is perfect either way.

2. Egg in a Basket

This is also one of my favorites and it looks really delicious and professional when it is actually super easy to make.

What you need:

an egg

bread

salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Taking a slice of bread, cut a circle in the middle using a knife or a circle cutter. Crack your egg onto a bowl to make sure that there are no eggshells in your bread later on. Heat up your pan and grease it with a little vegetable oil or butter. Place bread onto pan and place the egg in the middle of the bread where we cut the circle. Add salt and pepper to season. Cook until the egg is cooked, flip so that both sides are cooked.

3. Ham and Egg Cups

You can make these ahead of time so that if you're running late in the morning, you can just heat it up and eat it on the go.

What you need:

6 slices of ham

4 eggs

1/4 cup low fat milk

1/2 bell peppers, chopped

1/4 cup yellow onions, chopped

salt & pepper (to taste)

vegetable oil to saute vegetables

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. In a saucepan, saute the chopped onions for 3 - 4 minutes. Add the chopped peppers and saute for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Whisk eggs and milk together and add salt and pepper to taste. Grease muffin tin wells with vegetable oil and line each with a slice of ham. Next add a spoonful of peppers and onions and top with the egg mixture.

Bake at 350-degrees for about 20 minutes.

4. Breakfast Burritos

This is also one of my favorites because you can just make it the weekend before and heat it up and take it with you if you're in a hurry. I also love this because you can customize it to however you want it to. You can add meat if you want or you can leave out the meat. Add the vegetables you like, it's all up to you!

What you need:

wheat tortillas

2 eggs

2 bell peppers, chopped

1/2 - 1 cup hash browns

1/2 cup lettuce or spinach

1/2 cup cooked bacon or chicken breast, chopped (optional)

Directions:

Cook your hash browns and crush it up while you cook so that they are not in their "hash brown form" until they are golden brown. Remove from heat. Scramble your eggs onto a pan and add in the peppers and lettuce or spinach and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the hash browns and bacon/chicken to the egg mixture, this is now your filling.

Take out your wheat tortillas and add the filling to the middle and shape as if you would shape a burrito. 

Wrap it in plastic wrap and keep in freezer. Heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds - 1 minute when you want to eat it.

These recipes are so good and a healthier option than having breakfast at McDonald's or grabbing a pop tart from your pantry. Stay tuned for more.

Until next time,

Beatrix Lim

*All pictures are not mine except for the first photo which I edited myself. Credits go to the owners*