By Holly Brown

If you’re planning to kick off a diet, cleanse, or new healthy regimen, you'll be delighted to know that you don't have to stop eating great food, or entertaining in style to detox. You can enjoy a healthy lifestyle full of antioxidants and cleansing ingredients in your daily meals and menus.

I'm not really a dieter. I love to eat! If you do too, 2013 can be your year to focus on “return on consumption” ingredients. Simply incorporate key ingredients in you daily meals and menus like cinnamon, cumin, chilies, garlic, green leafy veggies, berries, nuts, dark chocolate, and red wine for all the "detoxification dining" you desire!

According to the Mayo Clinic, our bodies naturally produce antioxidants and are quite effective at neutralizing free radicals. But this process isn’t 100 percent effective, and its effectiveness declines with age. Foods form chemical networks that then interact with our own cellular and genetic intricacies to help fight toxins. So, it’s best to include a wide variety of foods as part of a healthy, well-balanced diet. As a bonus, foods high in antioxidants typically offer a variety of health benefits, such as being high in fiber, protein, and other vitamins and minerals and low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

Luckily, some of my favorite menu items and recipes from www.TheBrownLounge.com are full of antioxidants and cleansing ingredients, including our Seasoned Artichoke Appetizer, Baked Salmon with Almond Vinaigrette Main Dish, Arugula, Beet, & Walnut Salad, and our Triple Chocolate Cake with Berries Dessert. Try some of these menu items, and eat your way to be being “toxin-free.” Of course, don’t forget to go to the West Seattle Farmer’s Market and go organic whenever you can!

Antioxidant Appetizers

Seasoned Artichokes
Eggplant Caponata
Wild Mushroom Topped Rustic Toasts
Zucchini Tart with Goat Cheese
Saucy Salsa & Guacamole

Cleansing Main Dishes

Salmon with Almond Vinaigrette
Curry Ginger Lamb w/Apricot Lime Sauce
Seared Scallops with Leeks & Spinach
Butternut Squash & Sage on Orecchiette Pasta
Handmade Pork and Chile Tamales

Toxin Fighting Salads and Sides

Swiss Chard with Lentils
Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnuts and Currants
Cranberry Chutney
Arugula, Beet, and Walnut Salad

Delicious Desserts

Triple Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Pear Hazelnut Tart
French Crêpes with Fresh Berries

Happy New Year !

Holly Brown, Publisher, FoodieTV Host of www.TheBrownLounge.com