Well, it's that sad time of year when the parties are over, the gifts have been opened, the hangover nachos have been eaten, and all we are left with is a layer of bloat and blubber. I always feel the urge to do something drastic to get me back to normal, or a good start in that direction anyway. However, the master cleanse and juicing diets only last a day or so for me before I binge and ruin the whole thing. I think a realistic alternative is what the health gurus are now calling "souping". You make a few batches of different soups and live off those for about 5 days. This is a much more savory and filling way to "cleanse." There's several reasons why this is easier and better than the typical cleanse in my opinion
1. FIBER- instead of just sucking the juice out of the veggies/fruit, the entire veggie is used so the fiber is there. This keeps you fuller longer, makes you feel like you're actually eating, and will aid in digestion.
2. LESS SUGAR- all of those juices you buy at the juice shop have fruit in them...which means there's a lot of sugar in the very small amount of calories you are consuming in a day. We all know the trouble with sugar health wise, plus it causes you to crave more goodies.
3. LESS EXPENSIVE- some of these juice cleanses cost an arm and a leg!!! One trip to your grocery store and about $50 of veggies will get you thru the week. That's pretty cheap. Some of the juicing programs are $50+ A DAY!!!!!!
4. SOCIALLY FRIENDLY- you can meet friends for lunch or dinner and order a veggie soup off the menu if you're in a pinch...however if you're only doing a few days, stick to your own soups so you can control the salt, oil, and other added ingredients in soups at restaurants (creams, cheeses, meats, legumes). Also you can modify soups afterwards for husbands, bfs, or roomies. You can also serve as a side dish to meat entree so you can eat along with your loved ones and not feel left out.
OK now that we established how great and easy this will be, here's a few soup recipes to keep things from getting boring during your cleanse.
BROCCOLI SOUP: 4 cups chicken/veggie broth, 1 head of broccoli, 1 quartered red onion, 3 garlic cloves, salt and pepper to taste. Boil all ingredients until veggies are soft. ALLOW TO COOL then blend. VIOLA!!!! Freeze the soup after 2 days in the fridge, otherwise it gets acidic.
CABBAGE SOUP: 4 cups chicken/veggie broth, 1/2 head cabbage chopped, 1 cup celery diced, 1 cup chopped carrots, 1 yellow onion, 2 garlic cloves minced, 14oz canned stewed tomatoes (look for no sugar/salt added), 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper to taste. Saute onion and garlic in a tad of olive oil, add in celery and carrots until tender. Add all other ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat and continue to cook until cabbage is tender. Add seasoning last to taste.
GREEN CLEANSING SOUP: 4 cups chicken/veggie stock, 1 leek, 2 cloves garlic, 1 head of broccoli, 6 kale leaves, 2 zuchinni, 2 sticks of celery chopped, parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Boil all ingredients and reduce until soft. ALLOW TO COOL then blend. Store excess in freezer after a few days. (After it's done I add a tad of cream, , chopped chicken, croutons and parmesan for my fiancee so we can eat together at dinner)
Green cleansing soup
These 3 will keep life a little more interesting. Have about 5 servings a day. Be sure to drink plenty of water (at least 10 glasses a day or 80oz). Also feel free to concoct your own soups, just steer clear of CORN and POTATOES- too much sugar and carbohydrate. If you don't have the time/desire to make your own soups, you can have them delivered (for a hefty cost) from www.soupelina.com and www.soupure.com in the LA area. GOOD LUCK!!!!!