"Detox" seems to be the word of the month. January is when my inbox is flooded with detox tips, plans and foods to make you feel better about yourself after really enjoying yourself over the holidays. What detoxing does to reduce your food intake and boost your confidence is nothing compared to what it does to boost sales for diet books and paid meal plans to serve all those New Year’s resolutions that start out with a bang and then fizzle out.

I am not a fan of the words "detox" or "diet." I also don’t believe in giving up what brings me pleasure to be healthy. Pleasure is healthy. Why give it up? We should have more, not less, in our lives. I also never understood the term "guilty pleasure," because no one should feel "guilty" about enjoying "pleasure."

To me, having a healthy body is simply doing the MATH:

Move your body. Being sedentary for long periods of time is not healthy.

Add fresh, wholesome, nutrient-rich, fiber-rich unadulterated foods to your daily meals. These are the "goods" that make your body work better for you.

Trim down your portions and stop reaching for second helpings. Also, trim down the foods that you enjoy that are not always the best for you. Just enjoy them in moderation (breads, dairy, desserts).

Hydrate. Drink more water. Multiply one glass by two, four glasses to eight. For every glass of soda or every cup of coffee, drink at least one glass of water. Your skin, tummy and intestines will thank you!

Instead of "dieting" I believe in "editing" - just move the words around like a Scrabble game to unscrabble an easier way to manage feeling good. Simply put: You need to focus on "editing" what you eat and how you eat rather than eliminating everything you enjoy. I believe in mindful moderation and conscious consumption: Think about the quality and quantity of what and how much you are putting into your body. Enjoy it but don’t overdo it. Expend as much energy as you do eating, with more time moving. By doing this, your body’s system will run more smoothly which makes your stomach - and you - happier.

You say you don’t have a mind for MATH? It’s matter over mind. If it really matters to you to stay healthy and eat better you will put your mind to it.

Courtesy: The Huffington Post