detox

#DrinkWater. You hear it all the time. After all, it does compose a larger part of your body. It helps #detox, improves #digestion, staves off #dehydration, increases #energy, decreases #headaches, clears #skin, ETC ETC ETC. You get the point. Yet, …

#DrinkWater. You hear it all the time. After all, it does compose a larger part of your body. It helps #detox, improves #digestion, staves off #dehydration, increases #energy, decreases #headaches, clears #skin, ETC ETC ETC. You get the point. Yet, water can be a little blah. One of my favorite ways to replenish is enjoying #seltzer #water. My current favorite is #RubyRedGrapefruit from @polarseltzer. Yummy. Having seltzer, #herbalteas, or making #flavoredwater yourself with a slice of orange or mint leaves can help increase your water intake. #DrinkOn! #H2O #bushwick #bushwicknutrition #lazynutrition #lazynutritionist

Lentil Soup with Cleansing Greens

At the beginning of the New Year, our nutritional goals become clearer and we feel the need to “reboot.” Cleansing is nutrient-dependent. So, therefore, some of the juice cleanses that seem so alluring are not necessarily addressing your cleansing goals, because they don’t include the necessary nutrients.

In addition to a proper diet, a gentle cleansing routine includes staying well hydrated, keeping your bowels functioning properly and moving (even better, sweating!). Learn more by reading Bushwick Nutrition’s take on Detoxification.

The recipe includes nutrient-dense vegetables (high in selenium, sulfur, antioxidants, fiber) and lean protein (packed with detoxifying amino acids such as glutathione). It’s also hydrating and includes nutrient-packed herbs and spices. This recipe will give your body a chance to REBOOT in 2015! 

Recipe originally posted on NYHRC Blog. 

Detoxification: The Cold Pressed Truth

What do you think of when you hear the words detox and cleanse? Extreme Diet? Starvation? That really testy person at the office drinking something green? A healthy break from your favorite “bad” foods? The words detox and cleanse hold very different meanings depending on whom you ask. Today, they are typically associated with fads touted by those who are not qualified nutrition professionals, often celebrities. The popular notions tend to go hand in hand with extreme diets (remember The Master Cleanse?), the elimination of whole food groups (most juicing regimes), or significant and unhealthy calorie reduction, which is why most dietitians try to steer their clients away from “detoxing.” This isn’t because detoxification isn’t real—get this, it’s actually one of the processes our body does best! How else would we be able to handle the margaritas, hamburgers, and questionable dietary decisions after a long weekend?! Give a round of applause for your liver and kidneys!

While our bodies are performing detoxification functions on a daily basis, there is a lot we can do to support these processes, such as eating the right foods, proper portion control, hydrating, improving digestion and making better lifestyle choices (being active, practicing stress management). In some cases, aiding our bodies in detoxing can indicate dietary supplements but the theme here is balance, not extremes.

Detox In A Nutshell

This process depends on two main organs: your liver and the kidneys, but it’s really your liver that deserves most of the glory. Without going into too much detail, Phase 1 basically involves a family of enzymes breaking down and releasing toxins from your fat stores and metabolizing them further to water soluble molecules so that, in Phase 2 (also known as the “natural healing phase”) they can be excreted through urine, bile or stool. During detoxification, toxins are roaming in your blood stream, which can manifest as unpleasant symptoms like headaches, bad breath, skin outbreaks (acne, eczema, rashes), mucus buildup and changes in bowel movement or urinating patterns. All very attractive. But they proceed the “cleanse high”- when you actually feel the benefits of a good detox or cleanse program!

Detox vs. Cleanse

Although used interchangeably, they actually mean different things. Detoxification is the process of clearing toxins from the body or neutralizing them, i.e. ridding yourself of the excess “gunk.” Cleansing, on the other hand, involves eliminating culprits like trigger foods, additives and  processed foods, while also introducing new and rejuvenating items to your diet, like antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber. As a Registered Dietitian, I encourage my clients to embrace the Detox+, a combination of ridding toxic substances while replenishing with healthy foods. Think of it as a whole-food based cleanse without the pesky hunger pangs or calorie counting that can lead to throwing a green juice at your boss’s head.  

So Why Detox+?

Detoxing or cleansing allows us to look at old patterns with a new awareness. If you’ve been feeling groggy, fatigued, having digestive issues, restless sleep, problematic skin, food intolerances, uncontrollable cravings or feeling all around icky—a monitored, mindful and properly executed Detox+ can shed light on the root of these problems.

Detox+ Supportive Nutrients

To support the already efficient detoxification system your body has set up for you, consider trying the nutrients below.

  • Eat up glutathione-rich foods, one ofthe most prevalent antioxidant enzymes in the body.

Sources: fruits (avocados, tomatoes, grapefruit, apples, oranges, bananas, melon), vegetables (peppers, carrots, onions, broccoli, squash, spinach, garlic), herbs (milk thistle), spices (such as cumin), selenium-rich foods (cereals, oats, Brazil nuts, walnuts, legumes, tuna, beef, poultry, cheese, eggs) and whey protein. If you can tolerate it, raw is better than cooked.

  • Protein. Certain amino acids found in protein aid in the detoxification process. Many of these are found in animal products (meat, organ meat, fish, seafood, eggs, dairy). But remember to take into account your own individual relationship and tolerance with these foods, specifically dairy.

Alternate sources: Brazil nuts, sea algae (spirulina), beans, oats, and wheat germ.

  • Boost fiber and fluid intake. This will help reduce the absorption of toxins and facilitate elimination while nourishing gut flora.

Sources: Foods rich in fiber are vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes. Also promote foods that facilitate good bacteria growth, such as fermented and cultured foods like kombucha or yogurt. 

Other sources: kidney and black beans, prunes, pecan, red delicious and granny smith apples, cinnamon, and artichoke hearts.

  • Reduce/eliminate classic food allergens and intolerances. “The Big 8” encompasses 50-90% of all food allergies! These are casein (dairy), eggs, peanut, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish. Other intolerances include lactose (sugar in milk), sugar alcohols, fermentable fibers and other.These changes are best explored with the guidance of a dietitian.

Have you tried a detox or cleanse? What was your experience? Share with me @BushwickNutrition

Written by Alanna Cabrero, MS, RD, CDN 

Edited by Tamara Cabrero and NYHRC Team 

Originally posted on NYHRC Tumblr 

Go With Your Gut (Clean, Part I)

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I recently read a book called Clean, written by a cardiologist and functional medicine doctor, Alejandro Junger. The book is designed to help you detox and cleanse your body of the toxins we are exposed to in our food and our environment in a carefully crafted 21-day program. The book also incorporates emotional cleansing from our hectic 21st century lifestyle by way of meditation.

The program is based on a few basic principles:

  • Avoid the most common food triggers: wheat, eggs, dairy, peanuts, soy
  • Increase consumption of alkalizing, enzyme-rich foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and superfoods like spirulina, coconut, and flaxseed
  • Trade two daily meals for protein shakes and dietary supplements from The Clean Program (at a hefty price).

In case it hasn’t become apparent by now, I am not an extremist. If I can, I will avoid using the word exclude. That said, Clean brought up many great ideas. One which I found especially interesting was the attention paid to revitalizing our digestive system. Our gastrointestinal tract (GI) is comprised of a group of amazing organs. It not only helps us extract macronutrients from food to use as energy and absorb necessary micronutrients to help the body work efficiently, but it also serves as a physical and immunological barrier to microorganisms, foreign material, and potential antigens consumed in food.

Our digestive system starts with our mouth, which breaks down carbohydrates by mixing with saliva. When the food reaches the stomach, protein is broken down into smaller fragments (peptides) as well as some fat digestion. The small intestine is where most of our food is absorbed with the help of the pancreas and liver. The small intestine is made up of 7 meters, but has a surface area of approximately 200-300m2- about the size of a tennis court! The large intestine, about 1.5 meters long, is where most of our fluid and electrolytes are absorbed, but it’s also where our healthy bacteria resides and where elimination of undigested food occurs.

It takes about 6-8 hours for food to travel through the stomach and small intestine, and then it spends several more hours in the colon. According to the Mayo Clinic, the amount of time it takes for a healthy adult to completely move a meal out of their system (as stool or urine) is between 24 and 72 hours, longer if the meal was composed of high fat and less if it was mostly refined carbohydrates.

Many people in the clinical world believe there is no need to cleanse because our digestive system already does a fine job on its own. And to a certain extent, they’re right. If our liver or kidneys weren’t functioning we’d die from the buildup of ammonia, lactic acid, carbon dioxide, lead poisoning, and so on.

THAT SAID… our diets, our surroundings, and our stress levels have changed A LOT in the last 100 years. Most people today eat out of plastic containers rather than the earth. People may live longer, but they’re also sicker. And most complain of fatigue, bloating and constipation as if this were the “new normal”. Let me tell you, it is not!

Cleansing provides our bodies the opportunity to reduce the workload of digestion, rebuild our inner environment (help with cravings, food sensitivities, acidity of the body), and enhance elimination.

So, if you ask me, I think we could all benefit from a little cleansing!

I’ve written down my goals for next week. What are yours?

  • Avoid additional sugars and refined grains.
  • Follow the 12-hour rule. Do not eat or drink (except water) for 12 hours: from 8pm to 8am, giving my GI a prolonged break. 
  • Drink a shake a day- either for breakfast or dinner. See below for my own special recipe. 
  • Drink more water, especially on workdays.
  • Limit alcohol beverages. Goal= 3/ week.

Winter Smoothie Recipe. Blend until desired consistency. 

  • 2 oz of plain low-fat yogurt (4 TBS)
  • 1 cup of frozen fruit (half  mango, half raspberries)
  • 1 TBS hemp
  • 1 TBS flaxmeal
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
  • 1 cup liquid (half water, half unsweetened almond milk)
The following posts will be based on Clean and other detox programs. 



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