The holidays are gone and many people feeling that they have overloaded their system with indulging food and spirits, decide to start the year with a harsh diet. There are however several problems with such diets: - 1st: they may stress the system and weaken it, making it vulnerable to winter diseases - 2nd: they result in the loss of mainly water and muscles which slows your metabolism and once the diet is over the yo-yo effect occurs: the lost mass is regained together with some fat - 3rd: the fat tissues in your body store toxins and if you lose any fat, the toxins in it are released damaging your system, unless the diet is accompanied by a good detox regime and exercise. So what is the solution? A very simple one: treat your body mildly, caring and with love! Instead of targeting at losing 5 kg in a month and starving yourself for a couple of weeks, focus on cleaning your system and making your metabolism more effective. That would ultimately lead to a leaner and healthier body. There are meany detox systems - based mainly on juicing and/or eating raw foods that last from 3 to 21 days and even more. But as I mentioned above the winter is not a good time for very restricting food regimes as your body needs energy to keep itself warm. What I suggest instead is to introduce a daily routine of eating detox foods i.e. green juices and fiber-based salads. This together with some regular sports activity (walking, aerobics, swimming or yoga) and some restrictions on the intake of empty calories in the form of processed foods will slowly do miracles on your body! You will not only lose these few kilos by the end of the winter but you will feel more energized, vitalized and healthier! Tempted to try? First, start your day with a green juice. This may take some time to prepare but it is worth any minute of your time! Usually green juices are based on a cucumber or an apple juiced together with a variety of leafy greens. As I can't find organic cucumbers in that season in Bulgaria, I made my one version of a green juice based on rutabaga.

Winter Green Juice

Ingredients:

• 3 medium rutabaga heads
• 1 celeriac head together with the stem and leaves
• 1 lemon
• 1 avocado
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1 bunch of spinach

Preparation: Juice all the veggies and the greens without the avocado. Pour the juice in the blender, add the peeled and pitted avocado and blend. If the juice is too thick, dilute with some filtered water. After having your morning juice and a mid-morning snack of a fruit or a handful of soaked nuts, replace your usual lunch with a big salad of seasonal veggies, nuts and sprouts. Here is an example of my recently favorite salad based on carrots and rutabaga. It is juicy, delicious, full of vitamins, minerals and fibres. It would not only keep you full but would aid your colon and quicken your digestion. The winter foods like rutabaga, carrots, beets, etc. are a true treasure of the season but I will tell you more about their nutritional value and healing powers in my next post. In the meantime, keep yourself healthy! You may also check Yahoo's Shine Super Club and find out what others are cooking healthy this month!

Winter Detox Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 medium rutabaga heads
• 3 carrots
• a handful of pomegranate seeds
• a handful of pine nuts
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• a pinch of Himalayan salt
• a few crushed pink peppers

Preparation: Peel and grate the carrots and the rutabaga. Arrange on a plate and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds and pine nuts. Combine the lemon juice, olive oil and spices and season the salad with the dressing.