Need help with detox diet for DH. I don't know what to make!

[extendedforecast]

So DH, at the recommendation of his naturopath, is about to start a detox program. After the detox, he is going to continue avoiding gluten and possibly dairy. We decided that the rest of the family would eat similarly, except we would keep the dairy and obviously not take the supplements. We just want to make healthy changes overall. Our kids consume more sugar and processed foods than I'd like. It has been a source of contention between DH and I for a long time, but he is finally understanding what this stuff does to the body. I'm not thrilled at the idea of him doing a detox, as I've never had experience with the process and outcome, but I'm going to support him as best as I can. And here is the problem-I dont know how I'm going to come up with tasty dinners that the family wont get tired of. Also, Mexican food and cajun food are favorites. How am I supposed to make enchiladas without cheese, lol! So please help me out, I beg of you all. Oh, one more important piece of info is that DH is type2 diabetic.

 

So here is a typical family meal:

Protein (chicken, turkey breast, pork chop, salmon, steak, etc.)

Vegetable(s) (roasted broccoli, asparagus, brussel sprouts, or dressed salad)

Starch (white or brown rice, red potatoes, corn, pasta)

Drink (sweet tea, water, power ade for DH)

 

And here are the guidelines:

Foods to avoid

Dairy

Gluten containing foods

Tomatoes, tomato sauces, corn

Alcohol, caffeine

Soy and products made from soy

Peanuts

Beef, pork, cold cuts, bacon, hot dogs, canned meat, sausage, shellfish

Foods to eat

Water, green tea, fruit and vegetable juices

Fresh fruits and vegetables

Fish, moderate amounts of chicken, turkey, lamb

Olive oil, flaxseed oil in moderation

 

[Momof3littles]

Mashed or shredded/riced cauli can be subbed for some of your traditional carbs. We had leg of lamb last night with mashed cauli (I had dairy in mine but you can mash without it)

 

Cauli and chicken stock could be turned into a creamier dairy free soup. Ditto pumpkin (curried pumpkin soup with unsweetened coconut milk maybe?)

 

Delicata squash are yummy and a lower carb squash. We mash them and put them over shepherd's pie. You could do ground turkey with green beans, some stock or broth, and top with mashed delicatas if you can find them. You could do sweet potatoes but they can be carby for a diabetic.

 

Maybe try some paleo blogs (looking for dairy and gluten free recipes. Obviously this wouldn't meet his diet 100% for a few reasons, but it may give you some ideas)

 

Chicken legs with seasonings for variety-rosemary and lemon juice with sea salt, etc. You could cook whole chickens, then turn the stock into egg drop soup (add some ginger and whisk an egg or two then drizzle into the warm broth, let it cook for a minute.) You could do chicken and veggie soups using the stock, chicken meat, kale, spinach, celery, escarole, green beans, small amount of carbier veggie like a small amount of carrots, etc.

 

Shredded cooked cabbage is a good LC filler. You can serve lots of things with that. Ground turkey with lots of grated ginger, sesame oil (if he can have that) would be good over shredded cooked cabbage. Grate in a small amount of fresh carrot for color (carrots are carbier but a smaller amount would work).

 

I do a lot of LC and gluten free meals where I use tomatoes, so that one would be tougher on me than a lot of the other suggestions.

 

salmon (eta: or chicken breast) over salad greens with olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice

 

edited to add: fish and veggies baked in parchment packets with lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper

[extendedforecast]

Thank you so much! I'm getting hungry just reading through your suggestions. I've never been a fan of squash, but DH likes it, so ill definitely give it a try. DH usually cooks for us, but he's been so busy lately that I've had to take over. I appreciate your help.

[Momof3littles]

Oh, one more. I make meatloaf without grains. Sometimes I use parm as a binder but you don't need to. Can he do mushrooms? You can add those in, or just add a bunch of finely chopped cooked veggies right in to ground turkey. Or just season the ground turkey and serve the finished meatloaf with mashed cauli (would also be good using a little chicken stock in lieu of dairy to mash it) and some kale or other greens. My kids love kale salad with apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

 

Oh, you could also do stuffed peppers...tougher without tomatoes but you could cook some veggies and add to ground turkey and put into the lightly cooked peppers. Maybe some chicken stock in there too. You could puree cooked veggies into a sauce of sorts since you can't do tomatoes. I make them using shredded/riced cooked cauli, ground meat (you'd use turkey), and tomatoes. I would try shredded/riced cooked cauli, turkey, a little chicken stock pureed with cooked veggies using a stick blender (or throw it in the reg. blender)

 

eta: frittata with veggies and eggs. Lots of paleo sites have recipes. Omelets with veggies and eggs, no cheese. Hardboiled eggs. Hardboiled eggs over salad greens with lots of pepper, a little sea salt, and olive oil/vinegar.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Here's one of my favorite recipes. These are very big servings, so they could serve more than 4. I always make more mashed sweet potatoes, too. You can leave the tomatoes out, or substitute with something else. I might put in eggplant or more peppers and add a little lemon juice for that acidy zing of the tomatoes.

 

 

Ingredients

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

• 
  2 tsp. olive oil
  1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
  2 celery stalks, trimmed and thinly sliced
  1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  3/4 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped into bite-sized pieces
  2 cups vegetable stock
  16 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  16 oz. can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
  2 red peppers, seeded and sliced
  2 zucchinis, trimmed and sliced
  4 tomatoes, sliced in quarters
  2 tsp. arrowroot powder
  2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
  

 

Tips

 

 

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 400F.

2.Steam or boil sweet potatoes for 10-15 mins. until completely tender.

3.Place 2 tbsp. water in medium saucepan w/ oil, garlic, celery and onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the squash and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add stock and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

4.Add the beans, peas, peppers, zucchini and tomatoes and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

5.Mix the arrowroot with a little water and add along with the parsley.

6.Drain the sweet potatoes and mash

7. Transfer the filling to a baking dish and top with mashed sweet potatoes.

8.Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the sweet potato starts to brown.

 

 

Serving Size: serves 4

 

Number of Servings: 4

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Oh, and for mexican dishes, make "tacos" by serving the meat, green onions and guacamole wrapped up in big romaine lettuce leaves.

 

Something I do frequently is to stir fry a little bit of meat in with a massive amount of veggies and serve over quinoa or brown rice. Here's one from my blog.

[Spryte]

That sounds like the Mediterranean Diet that my doc reccomends for detox. If you google Meditteranean Diet, there should be lots of resources, aside from the great ideas you've already gotten here.

[extendedforecast]

Thank you, Lynne! That recipe is one I'll definitely try this week. And I never thought to use the lettuce as taco shells. I'll just substitute ground turkey for the lean ground beef I regularly use as well.

[extendedforecast]

That sounds like the Mediterranean Diet that my doc reccomends for detox. If you google Meditteranean Diet, there should be lots of resources, aside from the great ideas you've already gotten here.

 

 

Thanks for the tip.

[extendedforecast]

This may be a dumb question, but I'll ask anyway. If I make iced green tea, how long does it last in the fridge? DH drinks his tea unsweetened, so I don't have to worry about a sweetener for him. But for the rest of us, do you think it would taste good with honey?

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I often put honey in my tea, but I would make separate batches, sweetened and unsweetened, because you really need to put the honey in while the tea is still warm so it blends in.

[Tammy (TX)]

The list of what to eat/what not to eat is basically a "paleo" diet minus the tomatoes, beef, pork, and bacon.

 

You may find some good ideas if you search for paleo blogs and websites. One is http://www.everydaypaleo.com. I also like recipes from http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com.

 

There's a program called the whole30 that sounds a lot like the "what to eat" list - you may find some ideas there. http://whole9life.com/2012/08/the-whole30-program/ You can find almost everything free on their website.

 

I have many food sensitivities (no gluten, dairy, soy, peanuts, tomatoes, corn, potatoes, peppers, etc.) that the rest of the family doesn't have and I can't make separate meals all the time, so my family eats along with me. I sometimes get them cheese or sour cream to add to things if they like.

 

It's strange at first, but you basically have meat and non starchy veggies for each meal. If we add a starch, it's winter squash, carrots, or sweet potatoes, etc.

 

Good luck to you! It's hard at first but eating this way usually makes people feel great after the first couple of weeks so it's easier to continue.