2011 Simple Detox and Weight Tips

A Gentle Detox Diet
10 tips for a fresh start and better health this year
by: Roberta Freeman | from: AARP | January 7, 2011

For many, the New Year begins with resolutions related to wellness — eating healthier, exercising more and losing weight. If too many cookies and cocktails have left you feeling sluggish and irritable, kick off a wellness action plan with a detoxification of your everyday diet.

Medical evidence indicates that our digestive health is connected to an array of chronic health issues. Taking a break from processed foods, sugar, salt and caffeine can go a long way toward a healthier body and a happier you. Be mindful that a sensible, food-based detox diet is not designed to lose weight, but rather to rid your body of toxins and common food allergens. Although, by eating a natural diet, you will likely lose weight anyway. People with serious medical conditions should see a doctor before making any changes to their normal diet or taking supplements.

To gain the most benefit from a detox diet, try to stick to the guidelines below for at least two weeks, gradually adding back in moderation some of your regular foods at the end.

* Drink at least eight to 10 glasses of filtered water every day. The kidneys rid waste products from our bodies and water plays a key supporting role.

* Eliminate white flour and white sugar.

* Eat six or eight little meals every day of whole unprocessed foods that include vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains.

* Each of those meals should include a serving of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, kale and Brussels sprouts. Garlic, onions and cilantro all contain properties that aid detoxification.

* Eat real fruit, rather than drinking fruit juice, which is often high in sugar.

* Unless you are a vegetarian, include small portions of lean animal proteins and fish. If possible, organic and pasture-raised meats and dairy products are recommended to avoid ingesting additional hormones or antibiotics.

* Avoid stimulants, such as caffeine. * No drugs or alcohol.

* If you suspect you might have food sensitivities, try eliminating wheat/gluten, eggs, dairy, yeast, soy and corn products, and see if you feel noticeably better after a few weeks.

* Take a daily, high quality multivitamin.

Beware of possible side effects, such as headaches, low energy and nausea caused by physical withdrawal from sugar and coffee. These symptoms will usually stop after a few days and indicate the cleansing is working. And of course, as you would with any wellness program, include some exercise. Whether you like to walk, bike and swim or do yoga, work up a sweat. Breathe deeply, eat mindfully and relax every day. With a little patience and effort, the reward will be how much better you look and feel, and the motivation to continue a healthy eating plan every day.

The Simplest, Cheapest Weight-Loss Trick Ever

by: Nissa Simon | from: AARP Bulletin | September 7, 2010
Losing weight could be as straightforward as turning on the filtered water kitchen tap.
A new study found that middle-age and older adults who drank a couple of glasses of water before each meal lost about 30 percent more weight than those who didn't.

Common wisdom has long held that drinking water before meals can promote weight loss, but there were no studies proving the point. To test it, researchers at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg assigned 48 overweight or obese men and women ages 55 to 75 to one of two groups. Both groups consumed low-fat, low-calorie diets for 12 weeks, but one group was told to drink two 8-ounce glasses of water before breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"We were concerned that they might have trouble drinking this much water before each meal but they had no problems," says Brenda Davy, associate professor of nutrition and senior author of the study.

At the end of the 12 weeks, the water drinkers shed about 15.5 pounds, while the other group dropped about 11 pounds.

Davy and her colleagues found that after a year both groups succeeded in keeping the pounds off, but those who continued to drink water before meals lost even a bit more, an average of 1.5 pounds. Why is water so effective? She says it may be because it fills the stomach with a zero-calorie fluid, so people eat less.

Drinking water before meals may work only if you've reached middle age. Researchers believe that in younger people, water begins to leave the stomach almost immediately. But in older people, it takes longer for the stomach to empty so they feel full for a longer time.

"This interesting study shows that drinking water before meals provides some benefit in terms of weight loss," says Lawrence Cheskin, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center. "Clearly, any tool we have to help people feel more full has value."

The research was presented in Boston on Aug. 23 at the 2010 annual meeting of the American Chemical Society. The study was funded by the Institute for Public Health and Water Research, a nonprofit, independent science organization that was launched by an unrestricted grant from the Brita Products Co.

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