Detox diets are the rage with celebrities. Try this smart 7 – day plan before the parties at the end of the year begin!

Forget About bizarre juice or deprivation diets. They lack sufficient nutrients and calories to help you function at your best. Instead, try these more realistic 1,500 to 1,600 kcal per day meal plans.

Created by consultant dietician Samantha Thiessen from the Food & Nutrition Specialists, it’s a realistic and effective way to clean up your diet.
“This plan incorporates local hawker food – because most of us eat out – plus homemade meals and some treats,” says Samantha. “The wholegrains, complex carbohydrates and fresh vegetables will also help you flush out toxins naturally.”

In theory, less toxins equal clearer skin, a flatter, less bloated tummy and an all – round dazzling you at those year – end festive parties.Your 7-day Detox Menu.

Day 1.
Breakfast.
>Sandwich, ham and low – fat cheese on wholemeal bread*
>Low – fat milk, 1 cup
Lunch.
>Fishball noodle soup
>Melon, 1 slice**
> Bubor cha cha, 1 bowl
Snack.
>Water or tea
>Wholemeal crackers, 4
Dinner
>Sushi, 8 pieces, mixed (cucumber, California roll, salmon, tuna, cooked prawn)
>Tofu and miso soup
>Green tea
>Dragonfruit, 1 slice**
Total Calories 1,563 kcals.

Day 2.
Breakfast.
>Raisi bun, 1
>Black coffee, 1 cup
>Watermelon, slice**
Lunch.
>Nasi lemak, 1 plate
>Mango, half*
Snack.
>Skim milk, 1 cup
>3 oreo cookies
Dinner.
>Asam prawn (prawn curry), 1 bowl
>Rice, 3/4 cup
>Spinach, stir – fired, 1/2 cup
Total Calories 1,553 kcals

Day 3.
Breakfast.
>Chicken porridge, 1 bowl
>Carrot juice, 1 cup
Lunch.
>Subway sandwich, roast beef,6″ on wholemeal bread, no dressing / sauce
>Papaya, 1 wedge**
Snack.
>4 wholemeal crackers
Dinner.
>White rice, 1 rice bowl
>Stir – fried mixed vegetables, 1 plate
>Frozen yogurt, 3/4 cup
Total Calories 1,455 kcals

Day 4.
Breakfast.
>Banana, 1
>Low – fat milk, 1 cup
>Wholemeal toast, 2 slices with margarine
Lunch.
>Prawn noodle, 1 bowl
>Ice kacang, 1 bowl
Snack.
>Wholemeal crackers, 2
>Cappuccino, 1 cup
Dinner.
>Spaghetti with meat sauce, 1 plate
>Broccoli, steamed, 1/2 cup
>Papaya, wedge**
Total Calories 1,543 kcals

Day 5.
Breakfast.
>Low – fat fruit yogurt
>Wholemeal toast, 1 slice with peanut butter (1 tablespoon)
>Orange juice, 1 cup
Lunch.
>Bacon, lettuce, tomato (BLT) sandwich* with low – fat mayonnaise
Snack.
>Water or tea
>Apple, medium
Dinner.
>Grilled chicken burger
>Low – calorie diet cola
>Vanilla ice – cream, 1 cup
Total Calories 1,538 kcals

Day 6.
Breakfast.
>Unsweetened wholegrain cereal, 1 cup with 1/2 cup low – fat milk
>Rock melon, wedge**
>Coffee, black, 1 cup
Lunch.
>Egg salad sandwich, on wholemeal bread*
>Pineapple, 1 wedge**
Snack.
>Water or tea
>Plain digestive biscuits, 3 pieces
Dinner.
>Homemade pizza, 2 slices, with meat and vegetables
>Red wine, 1 glass, or green tea
>Dark chocolate, 1/2 100 g bar (50 g)
Total Calories 1,589 kcals

Day 7.
Breakfast.
>2 – egg omelette with low – fat cheese
>Fruit salad, 1 cup
>Wholemeal toast, 1 slice
Lunch.
>Fried rice with meat, 1 plate
>Watermelon, slice**
Snack.
>Skim milk, 1 cup
Dinner.
>Tandoori chicken, skinless
>Naan, 1 piece
>Fresh vegetable salad, 1/2 cup
Total Calories 1.595 kcals

* All sandwiches are made with two slices of bread.
** All fruit slice or wedges refer to standard hawker stall serving size.

Fast Food Swap.
Instead of a McDonald’s Double Cheeseburger (804 kcals; 50.5 g fat), try McDonald’s Hamburger (253 kcals; 7.7 g fat).
You save 551 kcals, 42.8 g fat.

Return harmony to your system by detoxing – it’s your body’s way of cleansing itself of toxic build – up.

As with any successful detox programme, you may fell worse before you start feeling better. This, experts believe, is a sure sign that the body is cleansing. So before you embark on a detox regime, make sure you’re not on medication for a particular ailment, recovering from an illness, or having problems with your blood sugar levels.

If you’re ready to spring – clean that sluggish system, try this seven – day cleanse, adapted from Qi! Chinese Secrets Of Health, Beauty & Vitality.

DAYS 1 – 3 : INITIAL UNLOADING PHASE

On Waking

- Drink a cup of warm water with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice (add a touch of honey, if desired).

- Dry – body brush before showering. Using a soft brush or loofah, dry – brush the body with long, sweeping strokes across the skin towards heart. Brush up arms from hands to shoulders; and up legs from feet to hips. This stimulates lymph canals to drain toxins into the colon, purifying your system in the process.

Breakfast
Fruit (fresh, juiced, stewed or poached) or detox juices.

Mid Morning
Fruit and herbal tea

Lunch And Dinner
Only meals prepared from “Foods To Eat” list

DAYS 4 – 7 : CLEANSING PHASE

On Waking
- Drink a cup of warm water with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice (add a touch of honey, if desired).
- Take epsom salts (1 tbsp mixed with a large glass of warm water).
- Dry – body brush before showering (follow steps on Days 1-3).

Breakfast
Liver detox soup (see “Seven – day Cleansing Recipes“, below) mixed with 1 tsp flaxseed oil.

Mid Morning
1/2 papaya or 2 kiwifruit plus one pear or a slice of watermelon.

Lunch
Vegetable soup.

Mid Afternoon
Fresh fruit or vegetable juice.

Dinner
Same as breakfast or vegetable soup.

Foods To Eat
>Fruit and Nuts: Lemon and lime juice, apples, pears, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, prunes, watermelon, peach, papaya, kiwifruit and walnuts.
>Vegetable: Carrots, yams or sweet potatoes, green beans, beetroot, celery, peas, onions, garlic, chives, pumpkin, cauliflower, asparagus, turnips, peppers, leeks, tomatoes, miso, eggplant, potatoes, spinach, kale, watercress, cabbage and bak choy.
>Grains and Seeds: Adzuki (red) and other bean varieties. Quinoa, buck wheat, barley, brown and wild rice, rice cakes, oats and sun – flower seeds.
>Protein Foods: Skinless chicken and turkey, tuna, salmon (not smoked) and other fish, and soy.
>Herbs, Spices and Condiments: Turmeric, basil, bay leaf, cardamom, cumin, curry, caraway seeds, cinnamon, chives, fennel, parsley, nutmeg, rosemary, ginger, honey, herbal tea (except citrus varieties) and olive oil.

Other Daily Essentials
>Probiotic supplement (packed with live strains of gut – friendly bacteria to maintain intestinal balance).
>Multivitamin and Mineral Supplement: Follow manufacture’s dosage intructions.
>Flaxseed Oil: 1 tsp per day.
>Water: Drink 1 1/2 to 2 litres warm water every day.

Foods To Avoid
>Meat, Milk, Dairy Products. These include eggs, cream, chocolate and yogurt.
>Foods With Trans – Fatty Acids. Examples are margarine and processed food. Check food labels to be sure.
>Coffee, Alcohol and Spicy Foods. Spicy foods can upset the liver.

Seven – Day Cleansing Recipes
Don’t expect to look completely different after eating and drinking these foods. But be prepared to feel lighter, more energised and alive!
>>Detox Juices
Daily juicing is vital. Fruits and veggies share healing properties and encourage elimination of toxins. The alkaline nature of vegetables helps bind acids and eliminate them via the kidneys and urine.
-Carrot Juice: Improves digestion; a great source of the antioxidant vitamin A.
-Beetroot Juice: Enriches the blood and is an excellent tonic for kidneys.
-Celery Juice: On its own or juiced with apple, this makes a refreshing drink.
-Cleansing Liver Tonic: A blend of one beetroot, two carrots and two to three celery sticks with juice of one orange.
-Fruit Juice Blend: Blend these together: Kiwi, mango, papayas, persimmons, pears, red apples, 1 cup red grapes, red grapefruit, tangerine, 1 cup strawberries, watermelon (with 1 cup white rind).

>>Liver Detox Soup
Cook 30 mins. Serves 2.
1/2 piece dried fungus.
1/2 cup dried chestnuts, chopped.
1/2 cup dried red dates.
1/4 cup lily bulb (choose white variety).
1/4 cup pearl barley.
1/2 cup dried lotus seed (soaked in water for 8 hours).
1/2 cup lycium berries.
Honey or rock sugar to taste.
Note: All ingredients are available at Chinese medical halls.
*Mix all ingredients in an earthenware pot with 600 ml water. Bring to boil and simmer  for 30 mins until barley is soft. Best made the night before.

>>Vegetable Soup
Prep 20 mins. Cook 30 mins. Serves 4.
2 large washed potatoes, sliced with skin intact.
1 cup finely chopped carrots.
1 cup finely chopped beetroot.
1 cup finely chopped fresh beans.
1 cup finely chopped celery.
1 cup finely chopped mixed vegetables (cabbage, watercress, bak choy or kale)
2 litres water.
*Put ingredients in a pot, cover with water. Cook for 30 mins, cool, strain and serve soup. Keep refrigerated and warm up when needed.

Cleansing Teas
>>Chrysanthemum Tea
Serves 1
1 tbsp chrysanthemum flowers
1 cup boiling water
*Infuse chrysanthemum flowers in a cup of boiling water. Allow to steep. Drink hot or cold.

>>Wild Orchid Tea
Serves 2
4 cups water
1/2 cup dried Chinese orchids
1 slice Chinese liquorice root, about 1.25 cm long
Honey to taste
Note: Dried orchids and liquorice root are available at Chinese medical halls.
*Bring water to boil over medium fire. Add orchids and liquorice root, turn fire low and allow to simmer for 30 mins or until liquid is reduced to half.
*Strain tea and sweeten with honey. Drink warm.