By Tricia Mann

Why detox?

Seven-Day Detoxification Program

Created by Patricia Smith- Registered Nurse and Nutrition Expert

The purpose of the Seven-Day Detoxification Program is to increase the efficiency of the digestive system by stimulating the organs responsible for cleansing and elimination. Performed sensibly and at select intervals, detoxification regimes can help an individual acquire and maintain good health.

The program will focus on the dietary aspects of the detox process such as reducing the intake of toxins and improving the way the body eliminates waste products. Adjunctive therapies are encouraged such as deep breathing, meditation and spending time in nature. Gentle exercise such as yoga, tai chi and leisurely walking are also encouraged throughout the program. Dry brushing and massage with herb infused oil aids in detoxing through the skin. Bathe in warm Epsom salts and journaling before bedtime to encourage a sound sleep. Candles, calming essential oils, calming herbal teas and low wattage light help to promote relaxation.

Symptoms that will be alleviated by detoxing: bad breath, body odor, headaches, muscle tension and soreness, achy joints, fluid retention, gas and bloating, excess weight, skin rashes and itchiness, sleep problems, food cravings, constipation, irritability, and PMS.

Foods to Avoid

• Alcohol -depressant/diuretic
• Animal protein- high in purines which cause inflammation/saturated fat
• Caffeine- stimulant/diuretic
• Corn- genetically modified
• Sugar - acidifies blood/spikes insulin. If necessary use agave nector or stevia as a sweetener
• Prepared foods - high in sodium/preservatives
• White foods such as flour and rice - high glycemic index/spikes insulin
• Soy - if genetically modified,
• Salt- retains water/increases blood pressure. Try using sea salt, if you need to salt something.
• Pasta and bread- if they contain gluten which irritates the colon and causes inflammation
• Dairy - contains casein which is a known allergen/produces mucus
• Eggs - high in cholesterol
• Bottled juices- even if no sugar is added, they are high in natural sugars due to the removal of the fiber
• Soda- empty calories/high in artificial sweeteners and sodium
• Peanuts-highly allergenic
• Refined oils and hydrogenated fats- raise cholesterol/increase viscosity of blood
• Chocolate- high in alkaloids/stimulant/saturated fat
• Do your best to eat organically grown produce. The twelve foods with the most pesticides are potatoes, pears, nectarines, celery, apples, bell peppers, cherries, spinach, strawberries, raspberries, grapes and peaches.

Detox Superfoods

Parsley, onion, garlic, brown rice, salad greens, seaweed, broccoli, apple, asparagus, carrot, fennel, ginger, lemon, artichoke, cranberry, quinoa, millet, amaranth, tomato

Shopping List

• Fruits-All
• Vegetables-All
• Legumes/Beans/Sprouts-black-eye peas, garbanzo, lentil, lima, navy, pinto, kidney, adzuki, mung, alfalfa
• Nuts/Seeds-almond, brazil, cashew, sesame, sunflower, walnut, pumpkin,
• Herbs/Spices-All
• Fish (if you must eat animal products, choose low mercury); tilapia, haddock, flounder, trout, scallop, squid
• Beverages-herbal tea, rooibos tea, vegetable juice, diluted fruit juice, filtered water
• Non-dairy milks- rice, almond, hemp, soy (non-GMO)
• Oils/Vinegars-cold pressed extra virgin organic olive, non-toasted sesame, walnut, unfiltered raw apple cider

Begin eating before 9 am, have lunch before 3 pm and eat dinner before 7 pm. Nothing should be consumed after 8 pm so the liver has the chance to begin detoxification.

Eat Daily

• 1 gallon filtered water in-between meals.
• Begin day with 16 oz glass of warm lemon water.
• 1/2c wholegrain such as brown rice, millet, quinoa, amaranth
• 4 oz protein such as fish, soy, lentils, beans
• 4 servings fruit. E.g. 1 small apple is a serving
• 2T of fat of nuts/oils. You can make a salad dressing or eat nuts (which are mostly fat)
• 1 clove garlic by mincing it into salad dressing.
• 5 oz dark green leafy vegetables. Have a green smoothie since it is best way to get green leafy vegetables.

Breakfast:

Green smoothie- blend 2 pineapple spears, 1 small banana, 1 kiwi, 2.5 oz leafy greens, 4 oz water

Morning Snack:

1T raw almond butter, small apple

Lunch:

Salad- romaine lettuce, fresh basil leaves, minced parsley, thinly sliced red onion, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, celery, yellow pepper, carrot, sprouts with dressing (blend lemon juice, 1 garlic clove, reconstituted sun dried tomatoes, ½ red pepper)

Afternoon Snack:

crudités (broccoli or cauliflower florets, sticks of carrot, celery, cucumber, zucchini, pepper (not green), radish) with hummus-in a food processor combine 1.5c cooked garbanzo beans, 2 cloves garlic, 2t water, 2 T tahini (sesame seed paste), 1T olive oil and juice of 1 lemon

Dinner:

Vegetable stir-fry with choice of tofu or portabella mushrooms-heat 2 T low-sodium veggie stock in a wok and stir-fry for 2 minutes 4 chopped scallions, 2 crushed cloves of garlic, 1 inch piece grated ginger root and ½ red chile pepper with seeds removed. Add 5 cups vegetables of choice and cook 4 minutes. Add 8 oz package of firm cubed tofu or 2 large Portabella mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Add juice of 1 lemon and ¼ c water then stir in 2 t sesame oil. Can be served over brown rice.

• Substitute Enoki Mushroom for pasta. Try making a fresh marinara using your food processor with garlic, onions, tomatoes, and fresh basil
• Garlic and cauliflower inside of mashed potatoes.
• Cucumber rounds make great cracker. Try them with hummus or baba Ganoush on top.
• Kale chips instead of tortilla chips or pop corn. They make a great snack and are much less calorie dense than nuts.
• Cashew cheese instead of cheese. Here is a link to a great recipe: http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2008/11/raw_cashew_cheese.php

Supplements

• Flax seed (omega fatty acids): buy whole seeds and grind fresh in coffee grinder. Flax is highly unstable and will turn rancid quickly. Store in refrigerator. 1T is a serving

• Herbs: Milk Thistle (liver detoxifier) 120-160 mg 3 times a day, Dandelion (stimulates gallbladder/diuretic) 500mg twice a day

• Vitamin D3 (bone health/calcium metabolism): 2000 IU/day, coenzyme Q10 (energy production/antioxidant) 50-100mg daily with food
• Kelp and blue green algae (chlorella/spirulina)(antioxidants/fatty acids/proteins/vitamins/minerals/enzymes) 500-1500 twice a day with food

• Probiotics (acidophilus): follow package directions and take on empty stomach

• Psyllium powder (bulk laxative): take 1-2T per 8 oz filtered water twice daily. Be sure to hydrate accordingly by drinking 64 fluid ounces of filtered water over the course of the day

Helpful Tips

• Drink fresh juice or soup when you feel weak or hungry
• Eat something every three hours or less
• Start on a Thursday as detox symptoms will most likely hit by the weekend (symptoms can be in the form of a headache, itchy skin, fatigue)
• Increase water and psyllium if a bowel movement is not achieved at least once daily
• Rest if you are tired and eliminate, or greatly reduce, in your life the following: television, newspapers, magazines, radio and computers. Read for pleasure.
• Reduce exposure to household chemicals, cosmetics, nail lacquers and removers

Reintroduction of Foods

Slowly reintroduce food groups back into the diet. Keep track of any symptoms as you may have an allergy or intolerance to certain foods that could not be pinpointed before the detox.

Why not reward yourself for your detox efforts by ending your detox-cation with a weekend get away to a resort or a spa day. Just because you can’t afford a week at detoxification spa doesn’t mean you can’t at least spend a night at a get away or treat yourself to a massage. Many spas offer detoxifying wraps, which can aid in the elimination process.

A great detox product for home care is Decleor Slim Effect Aromessence. This uses 100% pure essential oils such as grapefruit, which are know for their detoxifying effects. You can apply this all over your body day and night. The aroma of grapefruit also helps with feelings of nausea.

Hot yoga is extremely detoxifying. Start taking daily classes in Birkram, Power Vinyasa, or Hatha style to enhance your detox experience.

Follow Tricia on twitter @triciatravels

By Tricia Mann

Follow on Twitter @TriciaTravels

Despite competing with the Coachella Music Festival, the 21^st Annual GLAAD Awards, held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, had a staggering turn out. The evening honored both Drew Barrymore and Wanda Sykes.

GBK Production hosted a luxury gifting suite backstage to honor GLAAD Award Nominees with ties from Fig, spa treatments from Wahanda, skincare from Decleor Paris, sensual goodies from Peek-A-Boo Boutique, Revitalash and much more. Some of the suite visitors included Jason Lewis from Sex in the City, Bryan Batt from Mad Men, & Holly Robinson Peete from Celebrity Apprentice. On a side note, Holly won the best dressed award in my book.

The presenters and nominees were not the only ones to be showered with gifts. All attendees also received a swag bag filled to the brim with goodies such as Absolut Mandarin Vodka, Hard Candy make up, and Obagi Eye Cream. It was so heavy, I could barely carry it.

I was hoping Ellen DeGeneres would have attended, but the grand finale performance by Adam Lambert was the perfect end to a great evening.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

You can learn more about GLAAD at www.glaad.org

By Kallista Frost

Women are considered the nurturers in this life. We embody the very definition of compassion, affection, and support. This is what makes us women. But, what makes us superwomen?

As a young girl I didn’t have any women in my family that I would look at and say, “I want to be just like her when I grow up.” No one had a stable relationship, an amazing career, or had even graduated from college. My mother was a strong woman, and survived on nothing to take care of her kids. But, even her strength was eventually overshadowed by a relationship that turned abusive. This led to me living with a friend, my siblings living with various people, and my mother …no where at all.

After months of my family being separated, my mother’s friend took us in. It was this woman that allowed for my mother to put back on her vest, and become a superwoman again. This is also the first woman I can remember looking up to. Finally, at age fourteen, I had found a role model.

Luckily, I continued to meet several women within my community who I felt were great role models. They were educated, had great careers, stable families, and most importantly; time to guide and support me on my journey to becoming a superwoman.

So the question is not what makes us superwomen, but who? It is the women in our lives that push for our success. The women that use their own strength to strengthen other women. Women who understand the importance of all women becoming superwomen. And, the truth is you don’t have to have a fancy job, or the best education to be a superwoman. You just have to lend a helping hand to other women struggling and mentor them during their tough times. This Mother’s Day we can all become superwomen.

Myrtle Alley Press in Seattle, graphic designer Sara McNally, and Jubilee Women’s Center have teamed up this year to create a hand pressed card fit to honor and inspire any woman on Mother‘s Day. On the front of the card is the quote from Mother Theresa, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” Inside it reads, “Thank you for all the small things you have done and continue to do, day after day. Happy Mother’s Day.” With a donation to Jubilee Women’s Center, your mother, or any superwoman in your life, will receive a beautiful card in honor of them.

Jubilee Women's Center is an organization located in Seattle dedicated to helping local women become self-reliant. All donations go directly to Jubilee Women's Center to provide counseling, job training, and life skills to hundreds of women on their way to becoming superwomen.

For more information on Jubilee Women's Center or to donate and send a card to a woman in your life, visit www.jwcenter.org, or call Katy Childers at Jubilee Women’s Center at 206-957-4392, or email at katy@jwcenter.org.

By Tricia Mann & Kallista Frost

Follow on Twitter @Tricia

Finger waves or straight and sleek? Nude or red lips? These are the questions five student designers from the Seattle Art Institute, with the help of Gene Juarez stylist and make-up artists, are going to have to answer correctly to walk away with a spot at Seattle Fashion Week. The Gene Juarez style team, headed by Kim Lundin, will be working side by side with the designers to create a cohesive look that accents the spirit of each collection. As onlookers of beauty, here is what we would suggest for each designer…

Justin Bartle’s collection “La Vie en Rose” is expected to capture the old Hollywood glamour of the 40’s and 50’s. To encompass the sophistication of this era models will need a classic look with soft finger waves and a deep red lip. Bartle and stylist team can look to Drew Barrymore at her opening premiere for “Grey Gardens,” for exquisite old Hollywood glam!

Photo from: http://www.justjared.buzznet.com

Jongeun Kim’s collection “Forever Flower Fairy” is designed to bring out and enhance a woman’s natural beauty. The pastel tones and handmade flowers in her collection will be accented best by lightly pulled back hair and earth toned makeup, a look recently perfected by Rachel McAdams at the Oscars. A smokey eye will give some edginess without taking away from the delicate, whimsical inspiration of her line.

Cameron Levin’s collection “Jewels” is a combination of purity and brilliance. From the rich gemstone colors, to the beautiful crystals, Levin’s collection should convey passion in its purest form. The look for this collection needs to consist of neutral colors, with simple half-up hair styles. If there is an emerald green dress in the collection, a deep red lip can be used. But, neutrals here will keep attention on the rich colors of the collection.

Isaiah Whitmore’s collection “House of Isaac Andrew” is meant to bring out the diva! His line is full of bold and attention demanding pieces and his models are going to need to go hard on the runway to convey the overall theme of the collection. Hair and makeup need to be equally as daring. Here an intense eyeliner, false lashes, and various shades of gloss for that extra sexy “divalicous” lip. For hair blunt bangs, asymmetrical cuts, and high, sleek ponytails will keep Whitmore‘s line very “Lady GaGa”...

Photo from: http://www.justjared.buzznet.com

Michelle Williams’ collection “Glitter! Glam! Pop!” mixes the pretty girl with the pop-star to create night-on-the-town pieces. Inspiration for her collection comes from the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, and other icons such as Madonna. This combination should most likely create what I like to call a “Rihannaesque” look. For this line models should have funky, but intense hairstyles with a little extra color. Make-up can be really playful for this line. I would suggest some glossy pink lips with a shimmery eye.

If you want a sneak peak of some of the designers, check out this segment that aired recently on New Day Northwest:

http://www.king5.com/new-day-northwest/Fashion-showcase-from-The-Art-Institute-of-Seattle-89936337.html

The fashion show begins tonight at 7 pm at Ibiza in Seattle. Be sure to visit www.seattlefashionweek.net for all the details for the upcoming show!

Follow @TriciaTravels for a chance to win one of two free pairs shoes from www.shoedazzle.com courtesy of Tricia Travels.

Please checkout @triciatravels on twitter or www.freegrechen.com for more details.

In photo: Gilles Marini & Tricia Mann

As you may know, I just got home to Los Angeles where I  was participating in the high-profile gifting suite specialist, GBK, Gift Suites honoring Oscar Nominees on March 5-6^th.  Although I have been to a few celebrity events, this was my first time doing an event like this. It is has been exciting learning all about the process and how it is run.

These type of event take place in luxury hotel suites for instance the penthouse at the New Hollywood W Hotel. A whole floor of rooms is blocked out with individual gifting suites. Each suite has 3 to 4 tables with a total of about 30 tables. The GBK production team brought in strands of dazzling crystals, lounge furniture, and world-class beats from DJ SiVuPlay.

As the celebrities and their ‘handlers’ come around to our table carry a duffle bag for them to put all of their swag in, we have about 30 sections to gift them the products and the press take photos of them.  They arrived throughout the day for both daysI The whole event is like a whirlwind with celebrities and press showing up in groups nonstop which ended with a celebrity charity poker tournament.

Hannah Murray of Revitalash, a gifting suite veteran, has met quite a few celebrities such as the stars of “Twilight” and “Mad Men”. Although, having a gift suite is no guarantee that A-listers will be lining up for your product (AP).

For example, for this upcoming event we saw many other celebrities besides those nominated for an Academy Awards.

This event was star-studded! I met Gilles Marini (Sex in the City), Anna Lynne McCord (90210), Edi Gathegi (Twilight), Gabby Sidibe, Angela Bassett, Shannon Elizabeth, Tara Reid and many of the stars from Precious, Twilight, Inglorious Basterds, A Serious Man, & Avatar.

Lucky celebs received Decleor Skincare, Spa treatments from Le Spa at Sofitel Beverly Hills, Spa vacations from Six Senses Spa, Free stays at the Betsy Hotel in South Beach, Sevin Nyne Tanning products, Revitalash, as well as jewelry, sunglasses, Ipod turntables, clothing, lash extensions, and much more. The bags were so big you could literally fit a person inside them and we did just to be sure.

The best part of all was that GBK Productions donated over $30,000 to charities such as Hollywood for Haiti in the names of the celebrities that attended.

Tipping is not a city in China! You know what it is but, there is a bit of awkwardness around the act of giving gratuity. Some things such as dining are no brainer, but when we traveling we encounter many situations where we have to tip. Generosity for great service is needed. However, some tipping guides out there would quickly make an average person broke, if they followed them to a T. Here are some basic guidelines that I use when I am traveling.

Valet

Depends on the city and how fast they bring up my car, but $3 to $10 is a good amount. If there is a bottle of water waiting for me in the cup holder, I will add $2 to $3 to what I was originally going to give.

Bellhop

I personally have no problem taking my bags to my room. I would rather keep the money in my pocket, unless I have more than 2 bags. However, if I am staying in a 5 star hotel, I will let the Bellhop take my bag as it looks tacky to carry your own bag through the lobby. I unusually tip $2 per bag or up to $10 for ultra luxury accommodations, if I am traveling by myself.

If you are early to check in and want to venture out, but do not want to have to schlep your bags around town you can leave them with the Bell Desk. Be sure to give them a couple dollars per bag for their trouble.

House Keeping

Some places like Miami it is common for a tip envelope to be in your room. It does not mean it is required. Was the room nicely refreshed? Were the dirty towels replaced? When deciding how much to leave consider that fact that no one else makes your bed for you. If your room was pristine every night of your stay, I think little love is due.

Concierge

If you are in a city like New York, Los Angeles, or Las Vegas, you concierge is going to be an important tool for you to get into the high demand places. He may have a connection. Most big cities have a concierge guild that holds meeting and events. The big restaurants want them to recommend their place, so they lure the guild in with free food and cocktails, as well as exclusive promotions.

It depends on what they do for you, and where you are staying. Five dollars is great for a good recommendation. If the concierge gets you into a really hot restaurant or nightclub, then be generous and flip him a twenty.

Taxis

In the hundreds of cabs that I have taken in my lifetime it infrequent that I find drivers that are go out of their way to make the experience pleasant. I actually have been ripped off almost as many times by drivers that take the long way or get lost to milk a few extra dollars out of the cab ride. They complain when you use a credit card, because of the fees and act grumpy the whole trip after you mention the c word. One time in San Francisco cab driver asked me what freeway I would like to take suggesting we take the one that was a longer route, so I said to him (to prove a point) “I can put out my GPS on my phone if you like to see which is the shortest route”. Not all cities are bad, I have a great experiences with cabs in Idaho.

I typically tip 15% but if the driver is pleasant and gets me where I need to go fast and efficiently than I give 18% to 20%.

Spa

It is funny to me that people tend to be less generous when tipping for spa services. I am a big advocate of tipping 18% to 20% for good service in a spa. Massage therapists exert themselves a great deal to make your relaxed during your massage, so much that the career length of a massage therapist is about 3 years or even less due to stress on the body or injury. A massage therapist is lucky to have the agility to do 6 massages in a day or work 5 days at that pace in a week. When you consider this, the price of $85 to $130 an hour seems more realistic. Therefore, I feel the level of generosity should be high.

What happens if realize that you are out of cash? It is a horrible thing, but it happens to the best of us. I am so accustomed to have credit cards on me, that I rarely stop at the ATM anymore. I am sure that a kind handshake with a genuine look in the eye with a thank you will suffice. It is their job to give you great service. If you come back that way, you can always get them next time. Just remember, the ATMs in the lobby of the hotel will charge you $2.00 to $7.00 for your withdraw, so be prepared next time.

Cow tipping? Not recommeded.

I am in Miami for the Superbowl, so I thought I would share all the happenings in South Beach leading up to the big game.

Thursday
EA Sports Madden Bowl at the Cleveland hotel 9-4am

Eden Roc Super Bowl Party with Jimmie Johnson and Nick Lachey. 9pm to 2am with performances by Snoop dog and Paul Oakenfold

LIV Fountainbleu Hotel at 11pm, Wilmer Valderma’s 30th Birthday Party

Friday
Leather and Laces Super Bowl Party with Kim Kardashian and at the The Paris Studio Theatre at 9pm

LIV at Fountainbleu Hotel at 7pm, Rihanna Hosting with Good Charlotte DJing

TAO Party at the W Hotel at 10pm, lots of celebrities

ESPN Super Bowl Party Ne-Yo and Keri Hilson at The Fontainebleau Hotel at 10pm

Saturday
Maxim Magazine ultimate celebrity party at the Raleigh Hotel at 9am

Playboy Super Bowl Party poolside at the Sagmore 9pm-4pm

Sunday
Viceroy Penthouse exclusive Private Celeb After Game party 11pm

I will give the the update on what is going on at the parties that I attend on my Twitter page.

When you are on the road all the time you need a device that will accommodate all of you needs such as Email, text messaging, Facebook, and Twitter. I have tried the Android phones, which I really like but are limited in the capabilities they promise and clunky. Frequently I had to click through multiple screens to get the things I needed, such as text messaging. The email updates did not always send alerts in real time.

I have also tried the Iphone, which I was completely unable to type with the touch screen and gave up in frustration. I am not completely against touch screen keypads. I have to say that the newer HTC phones have a great touch screen keyboard system that seemed to work significantly better than the Iphone and the Driod or Andriod phones.

As a prior Blackberry user, I was really excited to try the T-Mobile BlackBerry Bold. I can now say it is the most complete phone for all my needs. I have access to all my favorite apps for twitter, Facebook, and visual voicemail. I love how I get all of my Twitter, Facebook, and email updates in real time. The Facebook calendar is even linked to my Blackberry calendar, so that all my events are updated automatically. My contacts are all synched through the phone, Facebook, as well as my Yahoo email account and even include the Facebook photos of all my friends. All the features are easy to access and use. The track ball was replaced with a mini touch pad, which works great. Overall, this is the perfect phone for the jet setter.