Organic Detox Diet

Many of the foods we eat today have been processed in chemicals and pesticides. It has become popular of late to try to detoxify our bodies of the chemicals we have taken in from foods and from our environment. By eating only 100-percent organic foods (most of them raw) for a month, you can start to rid your body of its harmful toxins. Consult a doctor before changing your diet drastically.

What to Remove

It is a good idea to start your organic detoxification diet by slowly but surely removing some of the more harmful and toxic foods from your deit. (If you wish to jump right in, skip to section two.) Begin by cutting out foods like red meat, fried foods, soda, fats and pasta. If you eat these up right until the first day of your detox you may experience some major bowel movements, so it's best to clear these out of your system a week or two ahead of time. Also helpful to relieve some of the side effects of detoxification is to cut out alcohol, caffeine and refined sugar. By removing these foods and drinks early, you can avoid some of the tiredness, body odor, multiple bowel movements and headaches that accompany an organic detox diet. It may also be helpful to start the detox during a long weekend or a vacation.

What to Eat

Become familiar with your nearest local organic food store, as these are the products you will be mostly purchasing. This diet is about you and what you are most likely to stay on for 30 or more days. Purchase your favorite fruits and vegetables in abundance. For example, you might stock up on organic Gala apples, organic raw almonds and organic carrots. Have your favorite fruits, vegetables and nuts as either snacks or main meals to keep yourself from straying off the diet. Pack up a few Ziploc bags that combine small portions of these foods and keep them handy in case you feel the need to snack.

Salads can be the most filling meals on this plan, so buy lots of salad materials like organic lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, garlic, onions and beets. Instead of buying salad dressing, use organic lemon juice, sea salt or apple cider vinegar for seasonings. You can eat as many fruits and vegetables as you want, so stock your refrigerator to the brim with organic pineapples, pears, Brussels sprouts or any other fruits or vegetables that you like. You may lightly supplement your diet with some organic cheeses, meats and legumes, though you should keep 80 percent of your intake as raw, unprocessed vegetables, fruits and nuts.

A Recipe

Here is a recipe for Winter Organic Salad with Pears, Pine Nuts and Ricotta Salata. All ingredients for this salad should be organic. For the dressing you will need 1 tbsp. of Champagne vinegar, 1 minced shallot, 1 tbsp. of mustard, 1 tbsp. of lemon juice, 3 tbsps. of olive oil, and salt and pepper. For the salad you'll need 4 cups of washed and dried mesclun greens, 2 firmly ripe pears, 1 cup of toasted pine nuts, and 3 to 4 oz. ricotta salata. Whisk all the dressing ingredients until emulsified, except for the oil, salt and pepper, and then slowly add those ingredients. Cut the pears into thin slices, shave the ricotta salata into the salad, add the nuts and lightly coat the salad in the dressing. This is a great lunch or dinner for your new organic detox diet.