Energy boost diet

Discover the power of food to recharge your energy levels.

Tired of being tired? The 4 Week Energy Diet will give you an injection of all the ingredients required to recharge energy. You may also lose weight.

* Get the full 4 Week Energy Diet recipes here.

How the diet works

Clean fuel for your body: Fuel is the right foods we need to get the body's energy-generation cycle turning efficiently to ensure we are digesting and using fuel well and eliminating waste.

Four weeks, two phases: The Energy Diet is broken into two phases, with each phase lasting two weeks. The first phase focuses on giving the body a spring clean and the second phase focuses on rebuilding energy stores. Each phase has meal plans and daily routines to help you stay on track.

Phase 1:

Remove all stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol, sugar, processed food and red meat and replace with fresh juices, herbal teas and whole foods.

On Sundays, plan your meals for the week and cook a soup and stew to have in the fridge or freezer for quick dinners during the week.

Drink a glass of warm water with lemon juice or a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar on rising, a fruit and vegetable juice before breakfast, and two litres of water or herbal tea during the day. Eat a small pre-dinner salad every night. Do not eat red meat, wheat and dairy.

Phase 2:

Reintroduce wholewheat, red meat and non-cow's milk dairy. You will be eating more carbohydrates, too.

Take your time with your meals. Chew slowly and donít dilute your digestive juices with drinks.

Other lifestyle changes: Along with rethinking your approach to food, you also need to give your body enough time and space to de-stress. Consider your exercise, stress management, sleep and routines, and see if you can increase activities such as stretching, hobbies and meditation.

Recommended foods

Fruit and vegetables: Go crazy! The star foods include lettuce, rocket, radicchio, watercress, endive, globe artichokes, carrots, celery, beetroot, green peas and beans, alfalfa sprouts, leeks, shallots, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and brussels sprouts, plus grapefruit, apples and pears.

Legumes: Eat beans, peas and lentils regularly.

Nuts and seeds: Eat a variety of raw nuts and seeds (especially linseed, sunflower seeds and pepitas).

Wholegrains and healthy carbohydrates: Good wholegrain choices include whole oats, buckwheat, barley and brown rice. Avoid carbohydrates with dinner unless you exercise a lot or have a very active job.

Drinks: Go for water, herbal tea and wheatgrass juice.

Protein: Good choices include free-range eggs, tofu, seafood (fresh and frozen) such as sardines, salmon, tuna, calamari and blue mussels, and lean meats such as free-range skinless chicken breast fillets and organic low-fat mince.

Foods to limit

Dairy: Avoid cow's milk and cow's milk cheese. In weeks 3 and 4, good choices include goat's and sheep's milk and cheese and low-fat natural yoghurt. Alternatives include calcium-enriched soy milk, oat milk and rice milk.

Wheat: Avoid wheat in Phase 1. Try alternatives spelt, rice, kamut and buckwheat. In Phase 2, good bread options include wholemeal soy and linseed and rye.

Foods to avoid

Butter, margarine with trans fats and cheap oils: Instead, choose seed-based spreads with no trans fats such as tahini and avocado and cold-pressed, good-quality oils such as extra-virgin olive oil and nut oils.

Sugar: Stay away from sugar, chocolate, lollies, soft drinks and artificial sweeteners. Instead, try barley malt syrup, agave nectar and pure maple syrup.

Tea, coffee and alcohol: Alternatives include dandelion and cereal-based coffee substitutes, water, herbal teas and fruit and vegetable juices.

Artificial colourings, flavourings and preservatives

Secrets of success

• Spend 10 minutes on a Sunday planning your week's meals and writing a shopping list. Not having to think about meals every day will make the diet easier and free up time.
• You may crave some of the foods you are excluding while on the diet. Try to resist. Keep them out of the house and look for some healthy alternatives to have on hand.
• Remember, this is not a test. It is something wonderful you are doing for yourself. Just do the best you can.

Energy meal ideas

Breakfast

• Two scrambled eggs with parsley, basil, baby spinach and diced capsicum.
• Wholegrain rye or spelt bread with date jam (1 cup pitted dates soaked overnight in 1/2 cup filtered water, then blended).
• Warm Fruity Quinoa*.

Lunch

• Corn tortilla (wholewheat wrap in Phase 2) with poached or steamed chicken, alfalfa sprouts, beetroot and lettuce.
• Baked sweet potato with kidney beans, salsa, tomato and mixed green leaves.
• Chicken or Tofu Nori Rolls* with wasabi and tamari.

Dinner

• Grilled calamari with brown rice and Asian greens.
• Grilled chicken with carrot, cucumber, capsicum, mixed leaves, spring onion, tomato, parsley and a mustard and white wine vinegar dressing.
• Vegetable Lasagne* with garden salad.

Snacks

• Strawberry slushy (blend 250g hulled strawberries with º cup unsweetened apple juice and 6 ice cubes).
• Homemade popcorn.
• Speedy Snack Balls*.

Comment below what you think. Did you find this article helpful? Are you going to apply these tips into your daily routine? Let me know! I love reading your comments!




Source
http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/weight+loss/diets/energy+boost+diet,19423