Detox

The trendy word detox can also be a dirty little word with enough hype to peak your interest. When I decided to do what I thought was taking the plunge, you know, get right down to it I knew I had to start with the foods I ate. I ate breakfast, I thought, I had an adequate lunch, I thought, and never ate dinner too late. So what was the problem? Why was the scale climbing? I was baffled until I wrote it all down. Now this bordered the edge of too much but I just wanted a visual. There it was, the truth I couldn’t erase. Now it was not terrible, no fast food, no soda, mostly organic, and small portions. I alsoseemed to forget fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, good carbohydrates, and water. (More on that to come). I was drinking plenty of coffee though!

My first step was not intended to be a detox, it just turned in that direction as soon as I also listed all the foods I was erasing from my daily list. How did I know what to take out and what to add? I tacked myself onto the Anti-Inflammatory Diet and have since added the term “Clean Eating” as another guideline. There is limited information on the Anti-Inflammatory Diet, however its principle is to stray away from foods that can cause inflammation in your joints, muscles, and belly and replace them with whole foods pumped full of anti-oxidants and other usable traits. So what did I delete? (*heavy sigh*):

white flour

white sugar

dairy

coffee

alcohol

nightshade plants (ie. potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, green peppers)

citrus fruits

peanuts

gluten

wheat

shellfish

red meat

I didn’t know at the time what was left but I sure felt it as these foods left my diet. The first two weeks were bumpy! Before I knew it I had entered full on detox moratorium. Why so drastic? I knew my body was comfortable and I needed to take it out of its comfort food zone. I will write on the enlightenment at the end of the tunnel another day. The moral of this entry: let your body have a chance at a clean start and a fresh break. See what happens after no morning latte and scone, or your nightly glass of red wine. There are many detox plans and books out for the looking. My warning is this: if your body has never gone through a detox be nice to it! Wean yourself off and allow a few weeks to completely take foods out of your diet. Your body has attachments and will need to adjust. It is not about starvation, it is about rejuvenation.

peace and love.