Ready to learn how to detox and start eating an anti-inflammatory diet? I’ve got you covered with my ‘1 Month Detox Plan to Fight Inflammation & Aging’ to get your health in tiptop shape for Spring.
Can you imagine what it feels like to take years off your body and life? I regularly de-age and fight inflammation in my clients with lifestyle and food changes. What’s the first step? Removing toxic triggers that cause and flare inflammation as well as foods that are pro-aging.
I’ve seen it work in hundreds of patients; they look better, feel better and have SO much more energy. Why? Well, when you remove pro-inflammatory foods, you’re letting your body rest and repair because it doesn’t have to fight that toxic junky food that you’re putting into your mouth. Therefore, your body can focus on detoxing – making your skin glow, your energy soar and much, much more!
So, what are those toxic triggers making you age faster, gain weight and feel crappy? You’ve heard me talk about them before but here they are again. These are the foods that you’ll toss for an entire month — mostly because they’re toxic to your system, causing systemic (and hidden) inflammation, you’re probably addicted to them (yes, you know you are) and you’ve been eating them your entire life. They’re making you tired, overweight, sick and wiped out. Now here’s the sad part. You probably think the way you feel is just because you’re getting older, right? WRONG. My parents – both in their mid 60s – look and feel fabulous and they’ve been following my anti-inflammatory plan for the past two years.
This is NOT a diet. I repeat — this is NOT a diet. You should NEVER diet. Ever. Because dieting will just slow down your metabolism and halt your hormones. Trust me, it’s not fun and it’ll take you years to get them back functioning (if you can even get them back functioning- it ain’t easy). This is a new way of life for you. Your goal is to cut out these foods for 1 month and then after that month, see how you feel, and if you wanna, you could add them back in on very few occasions. Got it?
Good.
Here’s the list of foods you’ll be waving good-bye to for 1 month.
1. Gluten
When it comes to gluten – your bod pod doesn’t need it. It’s super inflammatory and isn’t helping you AT ALL. Get it the heck outaaaaa your kitchen. Gluten can trigger arthritis-like joint pain, digestive and gut issues, trigger autoimmune diseases and a handful of other issues that will keep you looking and feeling — OLD. Now, who wants to look old? All the recipes on my website are gluten-free so feel free to browse my recipes for healthy meal and snack ideas. Check out my gluten-free How To for more info.
2. Dairy
Again – you don’t need it. It’s creating mucus in your body and if you are lactose intolerant – dairy is toxic to you so toss it out of your fridge because you don’t need it. Again, all the recipes on my website are dairy-free so feel free to browse my recipes for healthy meal and snack ideas. Check out my dairy-free How To for more info.
3. Soy
Soy has caused way too many issues in myself and my clients as well as many of the MDs I work with who take their patients completely off of soy. Don’t eat it. It’s one of the top GMO foods – which will inflame your bod in no time! No need for edamame, soy milk, cheese, or anything else containing soy — including tamari, teas, and hidden forms of soy on food labels that you’ve gotta look at super close. Just leave it behind and out of your shopping cart; you don’t need it! Again, all the recipes on my website are soy-free so feel free to browse my recipes for healthy meal and snack ideas. Check out my soy-free How To for more info.
4. Canola Oil, Soybean Oil, Seed Oils
These oils have high ratios of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids. They’re SO processed — which means they’re refined, bleached, etc., before they make it onto your plate and into your body. Plus, these oils go rancid very quickly, which makes them much more toxic to your body. Yucky!
Since our Western diet is saturated with seed oils used in all restaurants, etc., we’re consuming 20x as much omega 6s as our ancestors. Yikes! Talk about inflammation. This is terrible for our health because the fatty acids that we NEED to fight our inflammation are found in omega 3s (these good fatty acids are found in wild salmon, flaxseeds, walnuts, hemp seeds, chia seeds). So, when you wonder why your friend is looking 10x older than she really is — guess what? She’s probably eating out a lot, not eating the right oils and fats – and that is triggering inflammation, weight gain and aging. Yuck. This is why our country is experiencing an aging epidemic that is linked to autoimmune disease, cancer, diabetes, inflammation, cardiovascular disease and MUCH more.
So, what SHOULD you eat?
Eat coconut oil, olive oil and avocado oil; their healthy fats that will nourish your body and keep you satisfied, full and will help you loose weight. Coconut oil will also help heal your gut and thyroid — it’s helped me tremendously! The nuts and seeds mentioned above are also great choices! Again, all the recipes on my website are refined seed oil-free so feel free to browse my recipes for healthy meal and snack ideas.
5. Table Salt
Swap out your refined white table salt for pint Himalayan salt or sea salt. Refined table salt is SOOOO inflammatory so you’ll want to toss the refined stuff and add in the good sea salt! Check out my article on salt for more info.
6. Alcohol
This is a super toxic and inflammatory substance that you don’t need. Toss the alcohol and add in sparkling water, tea, fresh green juices or kombucha.
7. Sugar
Ahhh, last but not least is sugar. We all grew up on it and even though you’re not eating a candy bar everyday – you’re still probably eating a TON of sugar that you have no idea about. It’s quite addictive but I’ll be honest – if you want to feel better fast – get this the HECK outaaaaa your life. It’s one of the easiest and quickest ways to make yourself look and feel old. Trust me. Sugar causes your body to pump more insulin — making your blood sugar soar — leading to insulin resistance that causes belly fat, diabetes and high blood pressure. Sugar is a huge cause of inflammation and you might not know that inflammation affects each and EVERY cell in your entire body. Inflammation will surely make your skin wrinkly, old, dull and blotchy. Not very pretty, huh? Fructose is another form of sugar that’s linked to bad cholesterol, liver damage, cancer and drastic shifts in your collagen (in your skin) that causes wrinkles. And who wants wrinkles? Not me!
Sugar increases oxidative stress which accelerates aging. Yuck! What is oxidative stress? It’s when your cells are damaged from free radicals). Side note: this is why we eat antioxidants because they KILL off those awful free radicals! Most of the recipes on my website are refined sugar-free so feel free to browse my recipes for healthy meal and snack ideas. Check out my sugar-free How To for more info.
Don’t be overwhelmed with removing these foods- there is plenty to eat without touching any of these seven toxic foods. If you fill yourself up with healthy fats (avocado oil, guacamole, avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, almonds, Brazil nuts, pecans, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, etc.), lean proteins (beans, legumes, hummus, raw nuts and seeds, organic poultry, organic eggs or grass-fed meats, wild caught seafood), and fruits and veggies which gives you tons of fiber (all fruits — especially berries and veggies), then you’ve already got your shopping list started and you’re on your way!
Trust me, you’ll feel recharged and rejuvenated when this month is over. How do I know? Because I’ve done this and I eat like this every single day — and I have eaten like this EVERY day for the past decade. Was it hard at first? A little bit – but once I got the hang of the foods I loved – it was super easy.
When you remove toxins from your body and more specifically your cells — those cells will be so happy and their mitochondria will be supercharged with energy – leaving you feeling fabulous, looking younger and smiling a whole lot more.
Now, what are you waiting for? Get yourself to the farmers market and ditch these toxic seven foods to start your DETOX today.
Keep me posted and let me know how you’re all doing. I love hearing from you!
xo
Thanks!
You wrote, “Now, what are you waiting for? Get yourself to the farmers market and ditch these toxic eight foods to start your DETOX today.”
What’s the 8th food?
Hi Heather – typo!! Thank you for pointing it out. I’ve fixed it.
Hi Amie, I’m wondering if any kind of fruit sugars are ok? I am occasionally looking to snack or incorporate berries into my diet each day, but struggle with a lot of body inflammation. Thank you
Hi Christine – absolutely! Organic fruits can be a great snack. You should try to pair them with a healthy fat (like nuts) to avoid blood sugar spikes. What you really want to avoid are processed sugars.
Good information. I am going to work on less dairy and less gluten. I have a question though. Is anti-inflammatory the same as detoxing? That is actually what I google when I came to this page. I know they are related but my MIL was saying they are the same thing but I was thinking they are just related not the same thing. She was saying if you eat a food that is anti-inflammatory it is also detoxing. I am wondering if that is true.
Hi Scarlet! Our definition of “detoxing” is improving your liver health, so if you’re detoxing, you should avoid anything inflammatory to help your liver out. Here are our top foods for liver detox: https://thehealthyapple.com/the-best-foods-for-liver-detox/
Great article. Ok can’t wait to try and get on track with your suggestions. That’s
resolving to figure out why I am having hives and allergic reactions after eating most food. I am growing a garden and eating only that this summer. Looking forward to your recipes. I can only eat about 10 different items at this time without benedryl. It makes for enjoying food impossible. I am already sick of these 10 foods. Hoping you can help me.
This article is gold!
After dropping cow’s milk, i noticed immediate change’s in my body and even mood, love all the point’s on this!
Hi! and quick fyi, this afternoon (and also this past Saturday) I saw your segment on Food Curated from 2013. It was great seeing you in action! So much enthusiasm and passion for what you do! You are so inspiring!
I have also found so much helpful information tonight on your website. Perfect timing for me to read this anti inflammatory eating plan, and also your article on digestion and stomach acid.
Thanks for doing what you do.
Best to you,
Trish
The mitochondria really do light up the vital energy when set free from toxic load. Thanks Amy!
I’ve been struggling with my health for while glad I stopped at your website. Very helpful and easy to follow.
love your site!
Love this break down. Thanks for taking the time. And thanks for the giveaway of Manitoba Harvest. Use daily
Hi Amie:
This is EXACTLY what I need to get motivated. I already am gluten/soy and cow’s milk dairy free….(is goat cheese a no no?). I struggle with SUGAR—but am going to do this for a month—and I can’t wait to see the difference in how I feel!! I do use stevia in my coffee—think I may have to continue that–is that OK?
Thanks!
Love your recipes!
Lauren
Thanks Lauren; yay for you! Stevia is fine if it’s PURE stevia only. Not the Purvita or other processed chemical brands in stores! Buy it in pure plant form from Frontier Co-op online. xooxx
what about goat cheese or sheeps milk cheese? Ok in moderation? Or should I skip for the month?
Lauren, if you feel okay eating other forms of dairy and you don’t notice mucus or any symptoms you can eat non-cow’s dairy but I personally don’t do any dairy because they all bother me! You can remove cow’s dairy and eat the others if it works for you!!
Thanks Amie–I don’t eat a ton of either goat or sheep’s dairy–but once in a while like goat cheese on a salad….i am going to do my best to minimize for maximum results:))
Love keeping up with your site. Hoping to find answers after my first appointment this week with a Functional Medicine doctor, also an M.D.
Thanks for the great insight and inspiration Amie.
Thank you Barb! xoxxx