Tag Archives: nutrition tips

7-Day Liver Detox Plan before the holidays – The last minute guide to getting into better shape before 2021

When is the best time to start this plan?

NOW, but realistically, check your calendar and pick a week when you don’t anticipate any special events that involve a lot of foods. You can do this before the holidays to rejuvenate your liver and repeat it whenever you are feeling sluggish, lack of concentration, having skin breakout/acne/hyperpigmentation, having bad breath, brain fog, or just to kick start a long-term healthier lifestyle. 

Add 1 good habit and abandon 1 bad habit from your lifestyle each day of the detox.

Day 1

Limit your daily eating window to 12 hours. For instance, if you take your first bite of food at 9 am, you would finish your last bite of food of the day by 9 pm. During the fasting period, you can stay hydrated with water and consume unsweetened coffee/tea. 

❌ Avoid Alcohol

Day 2

✅ Lose excess belly fat to lower inflammation and reverse liver damage. Get enough sleep and ramp up your workout: Exercise for 45-60 minutes most days of the week and be more physical active during the day.

❌Avoid added sugar or artificial sweeteners.

  • ex. Diet/regular soda, sugary cereals, sugary yogurt, whipped cream, sweetened condiments such as some teriyaki sauce/spaghetti sauce/soy sauce/honey mustard/ketchup

 

Day 3

✅ Drink 1-2 cups of Detox juice a day:

    1. Combine 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar + juice 1/2 lemon + ½ teaspoon of raw honey + 8 oz water  and/or
    2. Juice 1 beet + 2 slices of ginger + 3 carrots   

❌ Avoid refined carbs.

  • ex. Bread, pasta, burger

Day 4

✅ Eat 1 serving of choline-rich food a day.

  • ex. Egg, chicken, beef, broccoli, salmon

❌ Avoid refined oils.

  • ex. soybean, safflower, vegetable, canola or sunflower oil

Day 5

✅ Aim for at least 3 cups of vegetables and 1 fruit a day. 

❌ Avoid ultra-processed and packaged foods.

  • ex. instant rices, instant noodles, cold cuts, ham, bacon, sausage, hot dogs, canned soups, frozen meals/pizza

Day 6

Start your meal by eating half of the veggies> then protein + more veggies > finishing it with carbs.

❌ Avoid fried Foods.

  • ex. French fries, donuts, falafel, churros, arancini, fried chicken, pakora, General Tso’s chicken

Day 7

✅ Practice food and lifestyle changes first, then consider supplements.

  • Supplements for liver health: Milk thistle, Artichoke, Dandelion Root, Curcumin, Vitamin D3, Resveratrol. 

❌ If you have liver disease, stay away from raw or undercooked shellfish.

  • ex. Oysters, calms

Related

💚 Learn how to create/order balanced meals at home or in the restaurants

💚 Are your supplements safe? 

 

10 simple secrets to portion control and healthy eating

Whether you are eating out or meal prepping at home, this portion control guide is a simple and practical way to create balanced meals and build healthy eating habits. 

For each day:

  1. Choose organic, grass-fed, non-GMO, locally-sourced, minimally-processed ingredients whenever possible
  2. Fruits: 2 cupped hand sized portions a day
  3. Eat your biggest meal of the day after workout 
  4. Break up with sugary beverages
  5. Eat until you are 70-80% full
  6. Start your meal by eating half of the veggies> then protein + more veggies > finishing it with carbs

For each meal, you may need (based on your activity level, goals, etc): 

7. Non-starchy veggies: 50% of your plate  (> 2 fist sized portions) 

8. Protein: 20% of your plate ( 1 palm sized portion meat/ fatty fish or 1 hand sized portion lean fish/tofu/legumes)

    • Limit red meat, processed meats (ex. Bacon, hot dogs, ham) 

9. Carbohydrates: 20% of your plate (1-2 cupped hand sized portions)

    • Choose starchy veggies or whole grains 
    • To shred/lose weight: Choose more starchy veggies over whole grains (1 cupped hand sized portion)
    • To build/gain muscle:  40% Carbs (2 cupped hand sized portions); 40% Protein ; 20% Fats ( 2 thumb sized portions) 

10. Healthy fats: 10% of your plate (1-2 thumb sized portions)

 

Build a Healthy Plate-2020

健康飲食餐盤 [手掌計算法]

建議你不論在家備餐,還是在外用餐,按照健康飲食餐盤, 手掌計算夾取適當的食物比例, 就可以攝取到均衡營養的一餐。

  • 膳食的主要部分應是非澱粉類蔬菜 – 每餐應佔據餐盤的50% (>2個拳頭大小)
  • 澱粉類 (碳水化合物)- 每餐佔 20%; 一小手捧大小 
    • 選擇澱粉類蔬菜/全穀食物, 例如:南瓜, 胡蘿蔔,紫薯, 藜麥, 燕麥, 糙米
    • 想瘦身/減腰圍/降血糖的你,澱粉類蔬菜成效比全穀食物好 
    • 增肌階段:澱粉類 40% (兩小捧), 蛋白質 40% (1 ½ 手掌心大小), 脂肪 20% (兩個大拇指大小)
  • 蛋白質- 每餐佔 20%; 一手掌心大小的肉/三文魚/沙丁魚 或 一整個手(包含手指)平放的少脂魚 (白魚肉) /豆腐/豆類.
    •  限制紅肉, 加工肉- 例如: 煙肉, 香腸
  • 健康的脂肪- 每餐佔 10%; 1-2個大拇指大小 (如橄欖油, 椰子油, 堅果, 牛油果)
My Healthy Plate 健康飲食餐盤

營養師小提示:

  • 進食順序: 從蔬菜開始,半飽之後再開始吃蛋白質,最後再吃澱粉類
  • 每餐吃到7~8分飽
  • 飲料- 不喝含糖飲料/果汁
  • 水果- 每天兩小捧 (雙手捧住大小)
  • 富含鈣的食物-  每天三份 (例如: 無糖/少糖希臘酸奶, 無糖加鈣杏仁奶,小魚乾, 黑芝麻, 蝦米, 西蘭花, 杏仁, 紫菜, 深色蔬菜)
  • 零食類- 堅果: 一小手捧大小; 堅果醬: 1-2個大拇指大小; 黑巧克力:1個大拇指大小
  • 選擇原態, 非加工, 多樣化的食物

Is 25g of added sugar a lot? Plus 10 strategies for overcoming cravings

Know Your Limit:

  • The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that women limit their added sugar intake to 6 teaspoons (25 grams or 100 calories) per day,  men should limit their intake to 9 teaspoons (36 grams or 150 calories) per day, while children and teens aged 2-18 should consume less than 6 teaspoons (25 grams or 100 calories) a day
  • 1 teaspoon = 4 grams of sugar 
  • Consume added sugar sparingly (Follow the 80/20 rule)
  • Avoid/limit foods & beverages that list added sugar as the first 3 ingredients (Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight) 

Sneaky Sugar: 

  • Excessive added sugar intake is linked to weight gain, diabetes, fatty liver disease, hypertension, inflammation- which increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. 
  • Name of added sugars:
    • Agave nectar
    • Barley malt extract
    • Corn sweetener
    • Fruit juice concentrates
    • Honey
    • Molasses
    • Sugar (brown sugar, cane sugar, malt sugar, raw sugar)
    • Syrup (corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, maple syrup, tapioca syrup)
    • Molecules ending in “ose” (dextrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose)
    • and more… 
  • Artificial sweeteners may have addictive properties. As a result, you may crave more sweets and influence your food choices

How much sugar is in your snack?

Added sugar content in 14 popular products:

ProductsPortionGrams of Added Sugar
Hi Chew Fruit Chew Candies2 pieces6
Annie’s Organic Fruit Snacks1 pouch (29g)11
Oreos2 cookies~9
Glutino Gluten-Free Cookies2 cookies14
Quaker Oatmeal Cold Cereal1 cup9
Arnold Organic 100% Whole Grain Bread2 slices8
Chobani Greek Yogurt Peach1 container (5.3 oz)9
StonyField Organic Kids Low Fat Yogurt1 pouch (3.5 oz)4
Nature’s Garden Omega 3 Deluxe Nut Mix1/4 cup (4 tablespoons)9
365 Organic Tomato Ketchup1 tablespoon3
365 Organic Barbecue Sauce1 tablespoon4
Raw Manuka Honey1 tablespoon16
Starbucks Frappuccino, Vanilla9.5 fl. oz (glass bottle)~31
Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Swirl Hot Cappuccino with skim milk10 fl.oz (small)21

How to stop cravings?

How to stop sugar cravings

4 Bonus Strategies

7. Choose whole or minimally-processed foods 

8. Stay hydrated with 8-15 cups of water a day (depends on your health, environment, activity, if you are breastfeeding, etc)

9. Get 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night

10. Enjoying your cravings every now and then. If you indulge a little, that’s fine. Just know that you will get back on track as soon as possible ❤️