Day 6 - Detox diary countdown

Go against the grainTaking out wheat and gluten from the diet is not as easy as it would at first seem. There are traces of gluten in everything from oats to cous cous. And gluten sensitivity is not something that only coeliacs are prone to – it has been estimated that 15-20 per cent of us, while not having coeliac disease per se, are allergic to gluten to some degree.In my experience, gluten intolerance is responsible for the bloating and overweight that a large proportion of us suffers from. And once we have taken it out of our diets, we'll often see that excess weight just fall away!Like a lot of those things that we are intolerant to, however, a lot of us crave a big chunk of bread. And often with a big slab of cheese on it... now you're talking! More often than not, this is because we're intolerant to both. The body sets up a chemical reaction – a bit like the 'fight or flight' feeling of adrenalin racing round your body. We can confuse this low-level allergic reaction with a positive feeling like excitement - and this will fuel our craving. The reality, however is that this food is really setting up reactions in our body that are disturbing its chemical balance and we'd be better off avoiding it!If you're one of those people (like me!) that loves a slab of granary bread once in a while, support yourself by always having a bread-alternative – rice cakes, oatcakes or a healthy crispbread - on hand, with humus or a favourite spread. The craving will go after a couple of weeks – and you'll start to feel so much better (and you'll probably start to look forward to eating that rice cake – especially when you've become an aficionado at creating delicious natural spreads and toppings to crown it with!) This avocado dip, adapted from a recipe from Leslie Kenton, is an easy and delectable one to start with. Make it thick as a dip for crudites or thin to pour over a salad. Yummmmm!:Avocado dip1-2 avocadosI cup fresh orange juice (use more or less to give the desired consistency)1 tsp curry powder2 tsp vegetable bouillon powderfresh herbs (eg lovage and French parsley)1 small clove garlic (optional)Peel and stone the avocado(s). Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor until smooth.Tomorrow, we junk the sugar