6 detox foods to get your diet back on track

Lemons and limes are loaded with antioxidants and can be great detox foods.Credit: morguefile.com/hotblack, hotblack

If you're guilty of derailing your diet after a weekend of social events, a girl's night out or just taking some time off your diet, Monday may be your day to get your diet back on track. Certain foods can help to flush out toxins and ward off hunger pangs that are a result of overeating on sugars, unhealthy carbs and all sorts of junk food.

It might take a few days for your body to adjust back to a healthier diet regimen but you can speed up the process by being very selective about your food a few days after your major diet blunder. Keeping up with a cardio-focused exercise routine can also help to burn off those extra calories as quickly as possible.

Here are six detox foods that can help you get your diet back on track:

#1: Blueberries

Blueberries are very high in antioxidants and also contain fiber. Eating blueberries can help to keep your digestive system running at full speed and will also give your body some much-needed vitamins and minerals. Try a blueberry smoothie made with low-fat yogurt and other fruits to kick start your detox after a weekend of unhealthy eating.

#2: Spinach

Instead of making up a detox-friendly salad with mixed greens or romaine lettuce, use fresh spinach leaves as a base instead. Spinach leaves contain iron and are rich in minerals and antioxidants. They're also a good source of fiber, and can help to flush your system while replenishing your body with essential nutrients.

#3: Apples

A great addition to any detox diet, apple with the skin can provide you with a healthy dose of fiber, natural sugars and some essential minerals. Eat an apple with a healthy protein source like peanut butter or low-fat cottage cheese as a snack during the detox phase.

#4: Asparagus

Asparagus is a natural diuretic and can help to reduce bloating after a few days of overeating. Steamed asparagus can be added to a fresh salad or eaten as a healthy side to any of your dishes during the detox phase. Enjoy fresh asparagus that's been thoroughly washed with other veggies for a nutritious boost.

#5: Colorful Peppers

Green, red and yellow bell peppers are chock full of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins, and can add a flavorful punch to your salads, sandwiches or wraps during your detox phase. They're also super low in calories and can make your meals that much more satisfying. Eat them fresh or throw them in a stir-fry to benefit from the detoxing effects of this vegetable.

#6: Lemons

You don't need to go on some crazy lemon juice diet to jump start the detoxification process, but you can take advantage of a lemon's natural detoxing benefits by drinking some lemon juice mixed with warm water first thing in the morning. Lemons are full of vitamin C and can be a great addition to your detox food menu.

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Do early periods lead to early menopause?

Women are born with a set number of eggs.Credit: sxc.hu/alex27, sxc.hu

I started my period at 10 years old. At the time, I was not thinking about fertility, but I was thinking about how long this terrible "disease" would last. When I asked my mother how long I would have to live through a monthly period she said, "As far into the future as you can imagine." At 10, all I could think about was bleeding the rest of my life. By 20, I started thinking about the effect of starting my period so early on menopause. If a woman has a set number of eggs and one or more eggs are released every month, wouldn't a woman who started her period at 10 enter menopause before a woman starting her period at 15?

Science says there is no connection between early period and early menopause. One study of 3,756 women reported no connection between early period and early menopause. The study involved women born before 1926. Nearly a century later, women have evolved and changes in lifestyle, diet and parenting habits have affected when women fist start having a menstrual cycle. In 1901, the median age of first menses was 14 years old. By 1965, that age had dropped to 13 years old. With such changes, I find it difficult to believe there is no connection between early period and early menopause.

Early menses may increase risk of breast cancer. Despite no connection between early menses and early menopause, there are health issues linked to starting your period early. Every two years menses is delayed, reduces the risk of breast cancer by 10 percent. Thus a young woman starting her period at 10 is 20 percent more likely to get breast cancer than a young woman starting her period at 12. Age at menopause, height and weight also played an important role in breast cancer risk.

The definition of early menopause contradicts medical science. Early menopause occurs when the egg supply is depleted. Without eggs, the female does not need to shed the lining of the uterus (endometrial lining) every month. This lining provides a warm, blood-rich bed for a fertilized egg. When the body detects minimal egg supplies, the process of menopause begins. This is called peri-menopause. Peri-menopause can last years, but theoretically, women who start releasing eggs early will run out of eggs faster; leading to early menopause.

The question of a potential link between early periods and early menopause is still up in the air. With the average age of first menses slowly declining, it is difficult not to connect the two. Theoretically, early periods would lead to early menopause if eggs are released with each menstrual cycle. Scientifically, there is no connection between early menses and early menopause, but that could soon change.

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11 Guilt-Free Italian Menu Items

Ever feel like going for Italian food inevitably means indulging in something you'll regret later? Here are guilt-free options that you can enjoy next time you eat Italian.

Bresaola
This air-dried, salted beef first originated in Italy and has been served as an antipasti for centuries. It's 98-percent lean, sweet, and tender. (That's code for practically no fat, no carbohydrates, and lots of protein.) Some restaurants serve it on its own, others with arugula or Parmesan cheese.

Chicken Paillard
This classic Tuscan dish is just pounded, grilled chicken, usually topped with a salad of arugula, lemon, and olive oil.

Related: 50 Tasty Foods Under 50 Calories

Brodetto di Pesce
One of my favorites, this vibrant fish soup is brimming with seafood (white fish, mussels, shrimp, scallops, and whatever else is fresh that day), tomatoes, thyme, garlic, onions, and a splash of white wine.

Chicken a la Diavola
It may sound naughty, but chicken a la diavola (deviled) means nothing more than brushed with red pepper and olive oil, and broiled in an oven.

Related: 15 Low-Calorie Beers

Italian Minestrone Soup
Who says comfort food can't be healthy? This tomato-based soup is filled with fresh vegetables, beans, and a little pasta.

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9 Ways to flatten your belly in one week

Another reason to hate Mondays? Tight postweekend waistbands. Unless you spent the past 2 days living like a monk, the cocktails, movie snacks, and dinners out can all add up to one thing: belly bloat.

"If you wake up bloated on Monday morning, your weekend food choices are likely to blame," explains Keri Gans, RD, author of The Small Change Diet. "In fact, overindulging for two days straight can easily cause a gain of three pounds. Fortunately, this weight gain is usually temporary and easy to get rid of in less than a week."

Feel flat again by Friday with these nine easy tips:

Reduce belly fat and lose inches by eating delicious foods!

Season Food Differently
You may be attracted to your saltshaker, but water is too. When you take in higher-than-usual amounts of the salty stuff, you'll temporarily retain more fluid, contributing to that sluggish feeling, a puffy appearance, and extra water weight. Avoid salt, overprocessed foods, and salt-based seasonings. Gans suggests you also ditch the frozen microwaveable meals while you're de-bloating—they're packed with sodium. Instead, she recommends a simple turkey sandwich or a salad with chicken for lunch this week. And eat plenty of fruits and vegetables that are packed with water.

Add zest to your dinner recipes with fresh herbs and salt-free seasoning blends such as the Original and Italian Medley Mrs. Dash.

Trim Down Carbs
Stay away from heavy carbs such as bagels and pasta. When you decrease the carbs in your diet, you temporarily train your body to access stored carbohydrates called glycogen and burn them off, while also eliminating excess stored fluids.

Trim back on your daily carbs by having eggs for breakfast, making your sandwich open-faced with only one slice of bread, and packing protein-rich snacks such as turkey slices, low-fat string cheese, seeds, and nuts.

Switch Your Starch
If your belly bulges after a high-carb meal like pasta, complex carbohydrate-rich foods may be the cause of your bloat, says Jackie Wolf, MD, author of A Woman's Guide to a Healthy Stomach. Most starches, including potatoes, corn, pasta, and wheat, produce gas as they are broken down in the large intestine. Rice is the only starch that doesn't cause gas, so have a ½-cup serving of brown rice (which has more fiber) if you want carbs with dinners.

Stop Milking It
If you've ever felt gassy, crampy, or bloated after dairy, you may be one of 30 to 50 million Americans with lactose intolerance. This occurs in people whose bodies lacks the ability to break down and digest the sugar in milk, resulting in digestive issues like gas, bloating, cramping, and diarrhea. Try lower-lactose foods (such as hard cheese or yogurt) or lactose-free dairy products (such as rice milk and almond milk), or take a lactase enzyme to help break down lactose. Dr. Wolf recommends soy milk as a dairy alternative but warns that some people experience gas and bloating from soybeans as well.

Your Guide to Healthy, Happy Tummy

Make These Fruit Swaps
Wolf recommends you eat fruits that are kinder on your belly. Berries, grapes, and citrus contain a near-equal ratio of the sugars fructose and glucose, making them easier to digest than fruits with more fructose, such as honeydew, apples, and pears.

You can also eat canned fruits in natural juice or small portions of dried fruit, such as raisins and dried plums.

Hold The Hot Sauce
IF you love four-alarm food, lay off the Tabasco, barbecue sauce, and garlic for a few days while de-bloating. Spicy foods stimulate the release of stomach acid, causing irritation. Give dishes a flavor boost with in-season fresh or dried herbs such as dill, basil, mint, sage, tarragon, and rosemary. You can also use curry powder or lemon or lime juice—all perfect with fish or chicken. Also, steer clear of black pepper, nutmeg, cloves, chili powder, onions, mustard, horseradish, and acidic foods such as catsup, tomato sauce, and vinegar.

Use Prevention's Recipe Finder Tool to Find Tasty Recipes Seasoned with Fresh Herbs

Ditch Diet Foods
Avoid low-calorie or low-carb products containing sugar alcohols, which go by the names xylitol or maltitol and cause gas, bloating, and worst—diarrhea. And don't reach for a stick of gum when you're trying to quell that sugar craving. Instead, satisfy your sweet tooth by using a little maple syrup on your morning oatmeal or yogurt snack.

Get On The Wagon
Steer clear of alcohol for the next few days to maximize your body's belly-flattening capabilities. Alcohol causes dehydration and may slow your body's ability to eliminate that excess weekend waste, so if you had a little too much to drink this weekend, start chugging the H20.

It's best to eliminate that occasional glass of wine, beer, or hard alcohol this week while you're on a skinny jeans crusade—all are high-acid beverages that can irritate your GI tract and cause swelling.

Do Some Activity Every Day
A study from Spain's Autonomous University of Barcelona suggests that mild physical activity clears gas and alleviates bloating. That's because increasing your heart rate and breathing stimulates the natural contractions of the intestinal muscles, helping to prevent constipation and gas buildup by expediting digestion. Take a short walk after meals or pedal lightly on a bike at the gym to help relieve bloat.

More Remedies For Belly Bloat
If you want extra belly-flattening aids, consider one of these products to soothe your belly problems.

•    Get gas relief with an over-the-counter product such as Gas-X.
•    Try peppermint capsules to kill bacteria that cause bloat and aid digestion.
•    Stay regular by increasing fiber with flaxseed or a fiber supplement such as Benefiber.
•    Take a daily probiotic capsule. Dr. Wolf likes Align, Digestive Advantage Intensive Bowel Support, and Pearls IC Intensive Care Probiotics.

A definite belly-flattening "don't" is weighing yourself every day, says Gans. "Bloating is about how you feel. A lot of women will start weighing themselves daily—it'll drive them crazy and could be discouraging. Go by how your clothes feel rather than letting the scale rule your week."

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5 Sneaky Diet Wreckers

No doubt about it: With one in three Americans now labeled overweight, "thin" food sells. Restaurants are adding low-cal choices to their menus, processed foods are being reformulated to be "healthy," and the diet food home-delivery business is booming. So why isn't weight loss getting any easier? Blame these five sneaky diet wreckers:

1. Good food gone bad. Fruit, veggies, and whole grains are the backbone of nearly every weight loss plan. But that doesn't mean you can eat your fruit blended into sugary shakes called "smoothies" or candied into "fruit chews." And those veggie chips? Most are still salty, greasy, and calorie-laden. Oily pasta dishes flecked with a few carrots and broccoli bits shouldn't be allowed to call themselves "salads" -- even if they use whole-wheat noodles. Skip all of the above, and enjoy your fruit and veggies whole and your noodles without oil (a little pasta water or broth will keep them from clumping together). Then, lose belly fat without dieting!

2. Bet you can't eat just one. Bite-sized 100-calorie treats can be a great way to get a little taste of your favorite snack. But they can also make your mind play tricks on you. As in, "Since they're diet food, it's okay to have two of those mini packs." (If you ate the same amount from a larger package, you'd call it a binge.) Same goes for low-cal fudgesicles, skinny ice cream sandwiches, and mini cupcakes. Tuck a six-pack in the fridge or freezer only if you trust yourself not to go back for seconds. Try these delicious recipes for high fiber and low fat.

3. New menu, same diet traps. Weird but true: Entree options labeled "dieter's delight," "reduced calorie," or "healthy" lead some weight-conscious folks (you?) to indulge in a giant bowl of fettuccine Alfredo. Somehow, just being near healthy choices tricks your brain into thinking you've made one. Don't be fooled: See "healthy" and order that one, not its neighbor on the menu!

4. High fiber but not low cal. Think counting fiber grams means you can get away with more calories? You're sort of on the right track. Where you can go off the rails, though, is not paying attention to sugar. For instance, some bran muffins and cold cereals can still be loaded with sugar calories, which will not only get you a ride on the blood sugar roller coaster but also whet your appetite for more sweet sugar calories later.

5. "Lite" serving sizes. That chicken lasagna is only 300 calories? Sure, if you eat only 1 cup. Making the natural assumption that what looks like a single serving on the package of a frozen dish actually is one serving can cause you to double up on calories without knowing it. To lose weight, either look for frozen entrees that clearly state "single serving" on the package, or read all the fine print on the nutrition label, starting with the serving size.

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Have you secretly wanted to audition for "The Biggest Loser"?

I heard the radio ad in my city announcing the open call for another season of "The Biggest Loser" and wondered if I would be able to scan the line of potential cast members and recognize anyone from my church or neighborhood or high school. Of the thousands of people hopeful to be selected for the ultimate diet and fitness bootcamp, surely I would know someone.

Read more: Weight-loss tips from "The Biggest Loser" graduates

Or would I? "The Biggest Loser" is a tricky show -- not just because it is full- and sudden-immersion into counting calories and spending hours and hours a day being screamed at while wielding kettlebells and sweating profusely on the treadmill -- but because it puts your body out there for the nation to see. If someone is a viable candidate, which the show cites as being at least 85 pounds overweight, then weight issues are clearly not being hidden. But it is one thing to be recognized as a bigger person and another to stand on a scale in a jog bra and shorts and to cry, vomit, shake, and maybe even pass out during activity that other folks may do every day.

I wonder how many people long to audition, to get guidance from Bob Harper or one of the other celebrity-status trainers, and to go cold turkey to get radically healthier but don't simply because they are afraid to stand in that line, possibly be recognized, and then broadcast the good, tough, and ugly on TV.

Considering this makes me applaud the contestants even more than I have when I've watched episode after episode of people who worked hard to (as they often say) save their own lives. It takes a lot of courage to sign up, stand up, put it all out there.

Are you one of those people who would like to audition for "The Biggest Loser" or who've at least considered going to an open call? What would it take for you to put in your own video or application?

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