By Carla Oates
Kick off 2023 on a high note with the CLEANSE Reset. By joining The Beauty Chef’s 14-Day CLEANSE Reset, you can kickstart your journey to radiant skin, improved gut health, better digestion and more energy. Starts Jan 8. Reserve your spot here.
What we eat has a big impact on our health. If your digestive system needs a little TLC, consider doing CLEANSE Reset challenge. To join us, simply take two teaspoons of DAILY SUPERGREENS Inner Beauty Support daily in your favourite beverage and download our 14-Day Cleanse Program eBook for healthy diet and lifestyle inspiration. You’ll feel so good—promise.
If you’re taking part in the CLEANSE Reset, the 14-Day Cleanse Program eBook is going to become your BFF for the next fortnight. Everything you need to know about how to eat for better digestion, radiant skin, and energy can be found here. (And did we mention that it’s free to download?)
Preparing For The Cleanse & Reset
The trick to staying motivated and enjoying the Cleanse & Reset meal plan? Ensure your kitchen is stocked with the right pantry staples so you can whip up healthy meals, smoothies, salad dressings and healthy snacks in a flash using these nutrient-dense superfoods.
Nothing beats a well-stocked pantry. Consider this your shopping list to take to the grocery store...
Healthy Pantry Staples: How To Stock Your Fridge & Pantry
As A Rule...
ENJOY: Eat an abundance of alkalising foods. Foods are classified as acidic, neutral or alkalising depending on whether they break down to acids or alkalising bicarbonates during digestion. While both healthy acid foods (eg. animal protein, fish, legumes, grains) and alkaline foods (eg. vegetables, some fruits) are essential for good health, an overly acidic diet can be detrimental to our overall health—as well as our skin. The 14-Day Cleanse Program includes plenty of alkalising recipes to help inspire you and rebalance your body.
Want some more flavour? Add a little oomph to healthy recipes using spices. Including anti-inflammatory spices and seasonings like cumin, oregano, turmeric and ginger in your meals is a delicious way to add flavour— and support your body during its cleanse.
AVOID: Steer clear of pantry items containing gluten and dairy, as well as foods you are allergic or intolerant to. Avoid pre-made granola, pasta sauce, hot sauce and condiments. Eat dairy and gluten-free where possible.
Both dairy and gluten can be considered common gut irritants so to support your digestive health, avoid both during your Cleanse Program. Wheat contains two inflammatory substances—gluten and lectins—which research shows, may increase gut permeability, contributing to leaky gut and inflammation. Dairy also contains two substances—lactose and casein—which many people are sensitive to. Dairy is also linked to a number of skin conditions—including acne and eczema. If you know of any other foods that irritate your gut or cause your skin to flare up, then avoid it.
Vegetables & Fresh Produce
ENJOY: All vegetables are allowed (except those listed in the AVOID column). Enjoy veggies steamed, raw, stir-fried or baked.
Fermented foods including sauerkraut and kimchi.
Freshly squeezed vegetable juices (no added fruits, other than berries, tomatoes, lemons or limes).
Choose fresh, organic vegetables when possible—especially carrots, sweet potato and broccoli.
AVOID: Canned vegetables.
Corn.
White potato (unless it has been cooked and cooled, as this makes it rich in resistant starch).
Pickled vegetables (which unlike fermented foods have been soaked in vinegar to achieve a sour flavour).
Meat/Eggs & Protein
ENJOY: Fresh fish: Choose wild-caught, deep sea, cold water, small, oily fish—sardines are ideal. Pay attention to the fish and seafood on the AVOID list.
Canned fish: Where possible, choose BPA-free canned products.
Poultry: Free-range or organic chicken and turkey.
AVOID: Processed & deli meats: Ham, sausages, bacon etc.
Seafood: Prawns, oysters, lobster, crab etc.
Processed and some canned fish products: Smoked salmon and fish fingers.
Fruit
ENJOY: Two serves daily of fruit, such as 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen organic berries, 1 apple, 1 nectarine, 1 peach, 1 tomato, 1/2 cup pineapple or 1 apricot. Add fresh lemon or lime juice to meals, especially salads.
AVOID: All dried fruits. All fruit juices (either freshly squeezed or packaged). Melons, grapes, mangos, bananas.
Grains
ENJOY: Gluten-free pseudo-grains and seeds: Quinoa, millet, buckwheat, amaranth. Spelt*: Sourdough spelt bread, pasta—enjoy small amounts. Organic rolled oats*: Soak overnight before cooking and eating—enjoy small amounts. Brown rice, whole grains or Basmati rice: Max ⅓ cup cooked with a meal. Sprouted Essene bread.
AVOID: Wheat and all wheat products* unless fermented or containing a small amount of spelt. Kamut. Rye. Barley. Soy flour.
*Avoid if you are gluten-free or you experience any bloating.
Tempeh
ENJOY: Tempeh.
Tofu (no more than once a week).
Chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, cannellini beans, butter beans, adzuki beans, black beans. Soak beans overnight and rinse well before cooking to neutralise any anti-nutrients, like phytic acid.
AVOID: Textured vegetable protein (TVP). Soy milk, yoghurt and cheese. Soy flour. Soy oil.
Dairy & Dairy Alternatives
ENJOY: Yoghurt: Plain, unsweetened (preferably sheep, goat or coconut). A small amount of cow’s yoghurt is allowed, if tolerated.
Cheese: Goat’s and sheep cheese, small amounts each week.
Coconut milk, cream and water.
Almond milk.
Organic grass-fed or cultured butter and ghee
AVOID: Milk: Cow’s milk, soy, rice and oat.
Cheese: All cheese including cheddar, parmesan, hard ricotta and feta.
Flavoured yoghurts, cream, sour cream and ice cream.
Fats & Oils
ENJOY: Unbruised avocados.
Organic grass-fed or cultured butter and ghee.
Extra virgin olive oil: Fresh and for cooking.
Rice bran oil: This is the best option for high temperature cooking, but keep below 250 degrees Celsius. Use sparingly.
Extra virgin coconut oil: Extra virgin is less stable than refined coconut oil, so try to keep cooking temperatures low.
Macadamia oil: Use for low temperature cooking.
Cold-pressed flaxseed oil: Use in small amounts as a daily supplement, if you wish. Not to be used for cooking.
Coconut oil and ghee.
Red meat: Can be enjoyed once a week. Choose lean lamb or lean beef. Organic, grass-fed is preferable.
Eggs: Organic eggs, preferably poached or boiled. You may scramble them or make omelettes.
AVOID: Margarine.
Deep-fried foods.
Vegetable oils: Including sunflower, safflower, corn and soy.
Peanut oil.
Sesame oil.
Any other oil not listed in the ENJOY column.
Eggs: Non-organic or caged eggs.
Nuts & Seeds
ENJOY: Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, macadamias, pecans and hazelnuts daily, but no more than 10 per serve.
And stick to no more than four Brazil nuts per day.
Seeds: Pumpkin, sunflower, chia, hemp and sesame.
Note that all nuts and seeds should be raw and unsalted—and activated where possible. Store in the fridge or freezer to keep them fresh, and avoid buying in bulk.
AVOID: Roasted, dry-roasted or salted nuts.
Flavours, Condiments, Nut Butters & Spreads
ENJOY: Raw apple cider vinegar, with the ‘mother’.
Fresh lemon and lime juice.
Tamari sauce and shoyu.
Fresh herbs: Garlic, ginger and chilli are great ways to add flavour.
Himalayan pink salt, or Celtic sea salt.
Tahini.
Freshly ground black pepper.
Raw cacao powder.
Nut butters (made from 100 per cent nuts and seeds only).
AVOID: Mayonnaise.
Packaged and processed salad dressings, spreads and sauces.
Tomato and barbecue sauces.
Mustard.
Soy and Teriyaki sauce.
Vinegars (except apple cider vinegar).
Spreads: Jams, conventional peanut butter, Vegemite, commercial spreads and cheese spreads.
Food Additives & Sweeteners
ENJOY: Fresh herbs and seasonings, as listed above.
Stevia.
A little raw organic honey or maple syrup.
Snacks containing small amounts of organic dates.
AVOID: All preservatives, additives, colourings and flavourings. 200 numbers (sulphites). 600 numbers (MSG).
Yeast extracts.
Artificial sweeteners.
Other sweeteners: Agave, table sugar, corn syrup, maple syrup and fruit sweeteners.
Packaged Foods
ENJOY: Some foods can be bought ready-made, including hummus, nut spreads and healthy dips. Just remember to read the label and ensure they don’t contain any preservatives, colourings, additives, flavours, sugars etc.
Non-organic vegetables need to be washed in filtered water with apple cider vinegar, scrubbed well and/or peeled.
AVOID: Processed and packaged junk foods.
Unhealthy fast foods.
Convenience meals, frozen meals and sweets.
This pantry list of healthy ingredients originally appeared in The Beauty Chef 14-Day Cleanse Program eBook.