Health darlings tend to eat corn tortillas rather than wheat flour tortillas. These beauties believe that gluten, a protein found in wheat, is believed to inhibit your body’s natural detoxification work. As a result, you may experience sluggishness and low energy over time.

What are corn tortillas?

Corn tortillas originated in what is now the region of Mexico, where they have remained a food staple for hundreds of years. The “tortilla” (“little cake” in Spanish) was originally made from pure corn only. Today, however, tortillas are also made with white and whole wheat flour. Corn tortillas have a more pronounced taste and a heartier texture. Wheat flour tortillas have a milder flavor and are usually a little softer and more pliable.

Are corn tortillas better for you than flour tortillas?

Traditional diet divas point to the fact that wheat flour tortillas are often higher in calories and fat than corn tortillas. (Flour tortillas average 100-150 calories per tortilla. The same sized corn tortilla averages about 60-70 calories per serving.)

Detox darlings, however, think less in terms of calories and fat grams when embracing a naturally rejuvenating lifestyle. While portion awareness is always in vogue, these beauties think more in terms of eating foods that are easy for your body to recognize, utilize and eliminate. Feeding your body these types of foods enables more energy to be spent on healing and rejuvenation work rather than digestion all the time. You see the benefits of this work often in the form of greater energy and an upbeat mood.

Where do you find corn tortillas?

You can pick up corn tortillas at most mainstream grocery stores.

Where do you find sprouted corn tortillas?

Some of you beauties may consider investing in a sprouted corn tortilla. Sprouted corn tortillas are less processed than many wheat flour tortillas. They are often less processed than traditional corn tortillas too. Over processed foods tend to be stripped of many nutrients. They are often filled with artificial ingredients too. These fillers tend to require a tremendous amount of your body’s digestive energy. Look for sprouted corn tortillas in the freezer section of your grocery store. Or consider ordering them online here. I recommend buying the Food For Life brand.

Sprouted corn tortilla recipes

Sprouted corn tortillas are less pliable than regular corn tortillas and flour tortillas. They do not wrap well in a burrito, for instance. Enjoy them as a big corn chip instead. The best way to do so is to warm them in a sauté pan with a little butter. Remove them from the pan when they are just browned and crispy around the edges. At the moment, I love these tortillas warmed and then topped with freshly roasted asparagus and some soft ricotta cheese. These are a few of the other ways I like to eat sprouted corn tortillas:

• Bite-sized corn chips Break up a toasty tortilla into bite-sized pieces and enjoy it with salsa, fresh guacamole or hummus.
• Better-for-you nachos Give these healthy Surfer Style Nachos a try.
• Yummy Taco Bites Replace the brown rice tortilla with a sprouted corn tortilla in this recipe for a little rustic flair.
• Crunchy chili topping Add a few crunchy bits of corn tortilla on top of this Chickpea Chili or this Mixed Bean Soup.

Learn more

You may also appreciate this article: Is Gluten Bad for You?

Build on your pre-cleanse prep work with this 7-day whole foods detox. Learn more about the principles behind this detox and then download the pretty version of this 7-day plan.

Goals: Seven day whole foods detox

In general, these are the goals with this seven day cleansing program.

1. Gentle introduction to detoxification with whole foods
2. Incorporate more naturally cleansing foods (leafy greens, fruit, uncooked veggies)
3. Reduce intake of foods that are believed to slow your bod’s cleansing work (including soy, dairy, refined flours and sugars)

Wedding Cleanse: Grocery List

• 1 box quinoa (I like the Ancient Harvest brand) or steel cut oatmeal
• 2 bananas, 1 pound of strawberries
• 1 package blanched almonds (~10 oz)
• 1 half gallon container almond milk (I like the Blue Diamond brand)
• 4 apples (organic if possible)
• 1 loaf sprouted grain bread (I like the Food for Life brand; Grocer’s freezer) or good quality whole wheat bread
• 2-3 lemons
• 2 bags pre-washed mixed greens or baby spinach leaves
• 3 bell peppers (any color)
• 1 package brown rice tortillas (I like the Food for Life brand; Grocer’s freezer) good quality whole wheat tortillas
• 1 6 oz container plain Greek yogurt or 1 avocado (for tacos, optional)
• 1 small bunch broccoli crowns, 1 handful green beans, 2 plum tomatoes
• 6 organic eggs
• 1 pack frozen veggie burgers
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 medium leek
• 1 small jar/tube tomato paste
• 1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 medium butternut squash
• 1 medium yellow squash
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1 bag frozen peas
• 2 medium white potatoes
• Lara bars (5) (Why these? )

Pantry Items

• butter (organic if possible)
• 1 jar organic almond butter or organic peanut butter (Why organic?)
• 1 jar tomato sauce
• 1 jar of salsa
• extra virgin olive oil
• coconut oil (optional for the veggie stir-fry)
• few tablespoons of dried coconut
• sea salt + black pepper
• 2 16 ounce cartons veggie stock
• 1 box herbal tea
• spices: cinnamon, cumin, red pepper, turmeric
• better-for-you sweetener: honey, maple syrup or Stevia
• 1 box Dr. Ohhira’s probiotics (Learn more.)

———– ————-

7-Day Wedding Cleanse: Menu Plan

(All recipes follow.)

Wake Up
Glass of water with lemon and a probiotic.

Breakfast (~400 calories each)
Enjoy one of the following for breakfast:

• Creamy hot cereal with nut butter. Use either quinoa or steel cut oatmeal. (3 days)
• Strawberry + banana cereal with strawberry milk (2 days)
• 2 apples sliced with 2 tablespoons of almond butter (1 day)
• 2 well toasted pieces of sprouted grain toast with butter and cinnamon. Can’t find sprouted grain toast? Use good quality whole wheat bread and toast it well. (1 day)

Note: 1 small cup of coffee ok with breakfast. (Upgrade options: Decaf coffee or tea).


Mid Morning

• Herbal tea with lemon.

Lunch (~400 calories each)

• Baby spinach salad with vegetable burger and salsa (2 days)
• Taco Bites (3 days)
• Crunchy orange + yellow pepper salad with sautéed eggs (2 days)

Afternoon Snack (~200 calories each)

• Lara Bar, an apple or a few carrots

Dinner (~400 calories each)
Enjoy 1-2 cups of baby spinach or mixed greens with each meal. Top your side salad with salsa, hummus, a mustard vinaigrette or simply extra virgin olive oil and lemon.

• Medium baked potato with veggie chili (2 days)
• Vegetable Detox Pizza (2 days)
• Veggie stir-fry + 1 slice well toasted sprouted grain bread (2 days)
• Two eggs (or 1 veggie patty) prepared your way with a leafy green raw salad topped with salsa (1 day)

———– ————-

Wedding Cleanse: Recipes

• Creamy Quinoa Cereal with Nut Butter: Warm, nutty and comforting.
• Strawberry + Banana Cereal with Strawberry Milk: Simply, creamy and delicious.
• Baby Spinach Salad with Vegetable Burger and Salsa: Place 2 cups of baby spinach leaves on a plate. Toast up your vegetable burger and place it on top with a few tablespoons of salsa.
• Orange and yellow pepper salad with sautéed eggs: Slice up a half of an orange pepper and half of a yellow pepper. Serve topped with two sautéed eggs and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and pepper.
• Veggie Stir-Fry with Coconut: Caramelized veggies set atop a well toasted piece of sprouted grain bread.
• Veggie Chickpea Chili: An easy and quick vegetarian dish.
• Taco Bites: Packed with protein rich quinoa.
• Vegetable Detox Pizza: Veggies never tasted so good!

When you are preparing your body for a pre-pregnancy cleanse, a gradual approach is the way to go. You can still accomplish a tremendous amount of cleansing that is both gentle and effective by eating more fresh foods and incorporating a few simple pantry upgrades.

Learn more about pre-pregnancy cleansing here. You might also appreciate this Cleansing 101 overview.

Pre-baby cleansing foods

On your counter

• Fruit Fruit is light and nourishing and is one of nature’s naturally cleansing foods. Enjoy it in the morning to ramp up your bod’s overnight detoxification work.

In your fridge

• Leafy greens Detox divas believe crud from poor eating and over eating weighs on your fertility over time. Leafy greens act as natural scrub brushes. Enjoy a big raw salad everyday.




• Raw vegetables Leafy greens, raw fruit and raw veggies are all naturally cleansing foods. Keep sliced carrots, radishes, celery, cucumber and bell pepper sticks in the refrigerator to snack on.




• Better-for-you breads Sprouted grain breads are kept in a form which makes their nutrients more readily assimilated by the bod. Easier to digest breads means more energy spent on detoxification. I recommend Food for Life breads located in your grocer’s freezer.




• Better-for-you milks Almond milk, a non-dairy alternative, is favored by detox divas for the ease at which it is utilized and released from your bod. I like the Blue Diamond brand, Original.




• Lean meats, chicken, fresh fish High quality animal proteins have a place in clean, cleansing living. Learn more here.



• Creamy hummus Packed with protein, hummus is great to enjoy with your raw veggies.

In your pantry

• Better-for-you grains Over processed grains are stripped of nutrients and can limit the amount of time your bod spends on rejuvenation work. Swap out white rice and pastas for whole grain brown rice, quinoa and steel cut oatmeal to get started.




• Better-for-you sweeteners Artificial sweeteners like Splenda linger around in your bod slowing detoxification. When using sweetners try and go as natural as possible. Consider honey, maple syrup and agave nectar as alternatives. Looking for a natural zero calorie sweetener? Try stevia. Learn more here.




• Condiments Whole food eating should taste good. Keep your pantry stocked with organic salsas, taco seasonings, sea salt, fresh black pepper corns, good extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil.

Looking for a few last minute snack ideas for the BIG GAME Sunday? Give these feel-good, body friendly treats a try. What makes these snacks special you ask? They contain ingredients that are easier for your body to digest allowing more energy to be spent on energizing and beautification work. P-A-R-T-Y!

Super Bowl Party Recipes

1. Game Day Eats: Surfer Style Nachos




2. Yummy Taco Bites




3. Sea Salt Parsnip Fries




4. Almond Butter Sweet Potato Fries




5. Crunchy Kale Chips




6. White Bean Pesto + Chips

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.