As you look into the New Year with grand post-holiday detox plans, put your toe in the water with these feel-good brunch ideas. Unlike some detox proponents who recommend restricting your diet to a mixture of lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper, that is a) no fun! and b) just one VERY small piece of the detox-diet spectrum.

Have a beautiful New Year’s Day!

New Year’s Day Brunch Ideas

• On the road to a cleanse this week? Indulge in a light winter fruit salad filled with chunks of apple, banana and avocado to maximize your body’s overnight detoxification work.




• For the egg lovers: Upgrade to organic eggs. Skip the toast and enjoy your eggs topped with guacamole, pico de gallo and just a squeeze of lime and you’ll benefit from the feel-good effects of food combining.




• For the carb lovers: Upgrade your french toast to include a slice of better for you, less processed sprouted grain bread. This bread contains ingredients that are more easily recognized by your body, allowing for digestion to be completed more efficiently so that your body can get back to its healing, repair (and slimming) work.

Contrary to popular belief, even “baked” Lays aren’t that good for you. The body doesn’t know how to fully digest many of the ingredients in boxed and bagged goods; White bread, pasta and baked goods also fall into this category. What the body can’t effectively metabolize results in waste (which then turns into excess weight) on our bodies.

If the concept of not eating pre-packaged, overly processed breads, crackers or cereals seems overwhelming to you, go slowly – no need to go cold turkey. But start to think about more natural, whole food alternatives to incorporate into your daily meals. The less processed your food is, the less artificial ingredients it contains and the easier the food is for the body to metabolize and then eliminate.

Experiment with some of these healthier, less processed foods choices:

• Sprouted grain breads

  1. Food for Life
  2. Alvarado Street Bakery

  Both make some good sprouted grain breads.
  The benefit of sprouted grain breads is that the grains are kept in a form which makes their nutrients and vitamins more readily assimilated by the body. Additionally, these breads do not contain chemical preservatives nor additives.

• Carrot “fries”

  Seasoned with butter and dill, carrot “fries” make a nice alternative to greasy, deep fried potato fries. They are so easy and quick to make.

• Homemade sweet potato “fries”

  They taste just like fried sweet potatoes without the frying. I like mine baked simply and sprinkled with a little sea salt. If you get the oven hot enough, the “fries” will caramelize on the outside and develop a nice crunch.

• Sprouted grain crackers are also nice

  And for the more adventurous of you out there, cheesy kale chips are also delicious.

Sprouted grain breads are a better, healthier alternative to regular store shelf breads. These breads are found in the freezer section of the grocery store.

Food for Life and Alvarado Street Bakery both make some good organic, sprouted grain breads.

The benefit of sprouted grain breads is that the grains are kept in a form which makes their nutrients and vitamins more readily assimilated by the body. Additionally, these breads do not contain chemical preservatives nor additives. Unfortunately, most breads found on our store shelves today contain many artificial ingredients and are overly processed (which strips much of the natural fiber, bran, vitamins and minerals out of the wheat kernels) to elongate shelf life.

Both of these sprouted grain companies make loaves of bread that are fantastic toasted with a little natural almond butter (make sure you see the natural oils on top!) or a little pure butter (go organic if you can).

I would stay away from the sprouted grain tortillas in the beginning though. They are a little tough in my opinion unless you plan to toast them in the toaster first and then top with your favorite tomato sauce and veggies to make little homemade pizzas. Even in this case actually, I would buy the brown rice based tortillas from Food for Life.

In the meantime, if you have a good recipe for the sprouted grain tortillas where they don’t taste like cardboard, please send it over!

And if you cannot find these sprouted grain breads, or they are a little pricey for your budget at the moment, just make sure and toast the breads you are using now well. This way it’s easier for the body to digest.