Yesterday marked my 21st day on the cleanse that followed the book "Clean". I have had a really great experience doing it and am glad that it is over...however I am not sure how much I am going to change. The cleanse outline is as follows:
Smoothie for breakfast
Vegan lunch - gluten free, sugar free, no animal products and some restrictions with fruits and vegetables
Smoothie for dinner - making sure to have a true 12 hour break before consuming breakfast again.
The premise of the book is to allow the body some time off from having to do some heavy digesting and giving the digestive system time away from inflammatory products (gluten, sugar and animal products) while at the same time taking probiotics to re-build the gut flora which effects the overall health of the body and is a large factor in the immune system. I also take a multi-vitamin, cod liver oil, scentless garlic (good to clean the blood and regulate blood sugar levels), milk thistle (for liver support). The great thing about the cleanse is you still get to eat. In 21 days I have come a long way...worked through some chemical toxicity headaches, some emotional food cravings and have gotten to the bare bones of nutrition and I really feel amazing. My energy is really high, my stress level is low, I feel like I have more time in the day and things are getting done. There is a peace within my body and a real "clean" feeling. I have made it a point to continue my exercise habits with intense, hot sweaty yoga 4-6 times per week and walking. I have had more energy in those yoga classes than I can remember in a long time. I just feel really, really good. Quite frequently I have been asked "what is going to be your first meal off the cleanse?" and I have been pondering that. Even now that it is Day 22, I am still pondering. I am wondering if I feel this good and have this much energy and my body is this peaceful, what will it be?...and when will it be? I am not sure I want to change anything actually. I realize after doing something for 21 days, it becomes a habit. Now let me ask you...if you made something that is really healthy a habit due to a commitment, and benefited tremendously from it, and that external commitment concluded, and you really loved how you looked and felt from making that commitment, would you change it? So maybe this weekend, I will begin to let go of the gluten restriction and maybe add some more variety to the vegetables and fruits that I have been consuming. However, overall not much is going to change. It works well with my schedule and my lack of culinary creativity as well as with my beliefs about health and being someone who helps others re-gain their health. It fits me...and since ultimately we only get one chance to live in this body, I choose to treat it well so that I can be healthy and live a full, vibrant and wonderful life in it.
2 comments:
Hi Dr. Erica, congratulations on expanding your willpower and taking the challenge to change your eating habits. A difficulty for most! It is amazing how attached to foods we can become and you don't know it till you make a change. Cudo's to you! I love your blog and daily facebook info on Chiropractic. It takes courage to be an entrepreneur and on your own. But one thing I know about you, Courage you have. Our office just finished a heavy metal detox (10 day) and are now on to a mediterranean diet for decreasing body fat (belly fat) and increasing lean muscle mass. Hope to see you soon.
Love, Catherine Franklin
I would be interested in what the heavy metal detox entailed. I know I need to do some of that.
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