Sugar Detox

• By popular demand—everyone is asking about this sugar detox I tried after the holidays! If you want the full run down, check out this cook book: The Eat-Clean Diet, Stripped. I came across this cook book in the Woman’s World Magazine at the beginning of January. In the magazine, the writer gave a few meal plan options that one could go by if they didn’t have the book. From memory, here they are:

• Breakfast options:
• 3 egg whites, plain oatmeal, 1 small apple, almonds
• 3 egg whites, ½ cup of black beans, salsa
• Chocolate-banana shake (homemade recipe is in the magazine, but I use the packet from HEB near the veggie section) It makes 3 servings.

• Lunch options:
• 1- 4 oz Salmon, mixed veggies
• 2- 4 oz Chicken, mixed veggies
• 3- 4 oz Lean turkey patty, mixed veggies

• Dinner options:
• 1-Chicken breast, sweet potato, green veggie
• 2- Shrimp and whole grain pasta tossed with EVOO and zucchini
• 3- Turkey (you could make turkey spaghetti with whole grain pasta, turkey chili, or even taco soup) with any green veggie. No carby veggies like potatoes with the dinner option that has whole grain..
• Snacks (3 per day)
• 1- 1 apple and 12 plain almonds ( 1 get the 100 cal packs from emerald)
• 2- Cucumber and guacamole (some days I would substitute cucumbers for 12 whole grain tortilla chips)
• 3- Mixed fruit salad (sometimes I would substitute for ½ a naked fruit drink)
• 4- Celery and hummus

• Drinks :
• 6 to 8 glasses of water/day
• Unsweetened tea

• I suggest if you want to see more food options either get the book, or go to the store and get the Womans World Magazine from January 2012. You really could do any variation of a protein and vegetable for lunch and any variation of a protein, whole grain carb and vegetable for dinner. Sometimes, instead of a cucumber, I would add a serving of whole grain chips with my afternoon guacamole (just because I needed that extra crunch, and even though it was healthy, it made me feel like I was cheating a bit).
• The main goal is to abstain from all processed foods and sugars, especially aspartame! Aspartame (in diet coke and artificially sweetened items…EVEN LIGHT YOGURT) processes in your body as real sugar does. It starts to store as real sugar does and it is not good for you. You begin to crave more aspartame, more real sugar, and more carby foods when on it. Women with PCOS should steer clear of aspartame (as well as the white- carby food) and should have protein with every meal. I have decided that I would eat this way during the work week, and twice of on the weekends I could go out for a treat meal no holding back, and even have a diet coke. 2 diet cokes a week is NOTHING compared to the 5-6 I would have a day—sans water! Limit dairy to no more than 2 servings a day.
• You might think you could NEVER eat plain oatmeal; yes you can if you are hungry. You might think salad and chicken would never fill you up at lunch—on this plan, it does. You have to be willing to sacrifice something to get what you want. In the magazine, the writer calls this a 7 day detox. If you would like, you could do it for 28 days. After that, your body needs a fat day—to reset your metabolism. I have decided for me 80/20 works best --and that even comes from my RE. 80 percent of the time, I will eat this way, and 20 percent of the time I will have what I love! Best of luck to you!