I am DETOXING from Thanksgiving….I meant to post this earlier in the week, but alas, I had NO ENERGY, due to my Thanksgiving gluttony…
During Thanksgiving weekend, I indulged in heavy cream, beef, pork, BACON, turkey, salt, salt and more salt, lack of vegetables, too much coffee, too much wine, chocolate, pumpkin pie, starchy potatoes….it was all SO GOOD. I know it’s not healthy, but I do believe that part of what makes us “healthy” is how much we enjoy life! I so enjoyed the wine and all the food, LOVED it! It made me happy and made the holiday so yummy!! I don’t believe that totally depriving ourselves of the occasional holiday glutonny is any way to live. I don’t want to feel deprived. So, I let myself indulge, but only briefly, because I can’t imagine feeling like this day in and day out. So, I enjoyed it all thoroughly and guilt free, but now, it’s time to get back to normal, so that I can then enjoy Christmas!
I felt SO bloated, swollen, no color or shine in my face, my clothes were tight, I was irritable and I was not sleeping well. All signs that my body is not at its optimal health! I hear so often from patients that they have no energy to work out or even go for a walk. I have to tell you that energy and feeling GOOD is so much about what you’re eating. So, whether you’ve over done it since Thanksgiving began OR if you’re in a rut and need to jump start a healthy December, this is for you!
First of all, here’s a list of what to eliminate from your diet….
Gluten
Don’t eat anything that has flour or “wheat” in it during the detox …. I’ve been gluten free for a long time now, this one is easy for me!
Meat
I am not a vegetarian but I do know that meat is hard for our bodies to digest. It has to be broken down more than any other foods and for 48 hours, the goal is to give your body a break, so it doesn’t have to work so hard, so, NO MEAT.
Dairy Products!
Well, I personally think dairy products are poison. I LOVE CHEESE, don’t get me wrong! However, dairy creates phlegm and heat in the body, and for this 48 hour detox, it’s best to leave it alone.
Soy
I am not anti soy. I think in moderation, it’s fine, especially if it’s organic. However, because there is some controversy over it and because it’s a known allergen, I think for 48 hrs…..no soy.
Seafood and fish
I feel the same way about seafood and fish as I do about meat. It’s harder for the body to break it down, not to mention that our fish is ever so toxic with mercury! For this 48 hour cleanse, no fish or seafood.
Starchy, processed carbs
I’ve already mentioned gluten, but let’s add to that – processed carbs. No rice, no white potatoes and certainly no corn.
No carbonated beverages
Soda and beer, it adds to the bloat and we know it’s damaging to our esophagus … leave anything carbonated out of this detox.
Refined Sugar
It’s only 2 days, YOU CAN DO IT! If you’re craving sweets, fruit is fine, or local raw honey, but no sugar, meaning the refined in a factory kind.
Now, we can move on, and talk about what you can eat. I think that these types of detoxifying cleanses are not only good for our bodies but they teach us how to eat healthier food. I once did 5 days of juicing only. Of course, when I talk about juicing, I mean, you buy a juicer and you juice organic fruits and veggies – NOT like buying Welch’s grape juice in the store! I know this sounds funny but I actually have patients who have never heard of a juicer, so just clarifying. If you don’t have a juicer, here is my fave, I’ve posted it many times before but I LOVE IT….it was the best investment in my health that I could’ve made and I use it almost every day. Anyway, as I was saying , I once did 5 days of juicing only. One thing that I learned during that time is that I must have a lot of food sensitivities because so many of my issues disappeared when I was only drinking juice. It forced me to try beets and kale, it taught me to LOVE tomato juice….I learned so much from abandoning my addiction to food, in just 5 days. So, if you’ve never done a detox, start with this one and then, let me know what you learn. Maybe you’ll find a vegetable that you’ve never heard of, and you’ll love it or maybe you’ll discover that you have less bloat when you stick to a vegan diet, whatever it is, let me know! I love to hear your results…..
I’m going to tell you what I ate the first two days, as a guide, and then you can tweak it to meet your needs. Let me know in the comments if you have questions. I am a working, single Mom and I understand the need for convenience and making this life style easy, let me know if you need help!!
I planned on 48 hours, but I’m on day 4 and going strong…..here’s what I did, the first two days….
First thing in the morning, on day one, warm water with lemon juice
I have not given up on my one cup of coffee during this detox ( I have to have one vice and I NEED it!) I don’t put dairy or soy in it, I used almond milk.
DRINK TONS OF WATER
At noon, I had a big damn salad – a BDS if you will….I did romaine, tomatoes, red peppers, carrots, red onion, cucumbers and almonds with olive oil, garlic and lemon dressing.
DRINK MORE WATER
By dinner, I was STARVING and had a head ache. It is normal, during a detox, to have some unhappy symptoms….headache, fatigue and digestive upset are all normal. You have to continue to remind yourself that it takes time for the toxicity to leave your body but once it’s gone, it’s worth the suffering, because your belly is flat and you are bounding with energy!
By dinner, I was too, too hungry and I wanted something warm. I actually made this soup, the day before, here’s the recipe. So, just a tip, before you start, make something like this, that you can heat up and nourish your body with at the end of your day.
This is my squash soup….I had it for dinner on day one and it was so soothing, my girls loved it to!
At night, when I would usually pour a glass of Pinot Noir, I chose to drink my detox tea instead. Here is my recipe for detox tea!
DETOX TEA
Warm water
1/2 a lemon squeezed in
1/8 tsp of grated fresh turmeric
1/8 tsp of grated fresh ginger
a pinch of cayenne ( or more if you like it spicy!)
Grade B maple syrup OR local raw honey to sweeten to taste
YUM …. throughout day one, I drank water, warm water with lemon and herbal tea…..
DAY TWO!!
Warm water with lemon
MY JUICE ( check the above link for the recipe)
Water water and then some water
BDS ( see above)
Then, for dinner…..HEAVEN…..I had no idea how good this would be. When you are not eating meat or cheese, there are substitutions that just rock your world!! Mushrooms are very meaty and so are nuts….so I came up with this….
My desperation dinner!
2 cups of cleaned, sliced Portobello mushrooms
1 cup sliced zuchinni
1 cup toasted cashews
Sautee the mushrooms in a TBSP of olive oil until browning, add zucchini until soft and then stir in cashews, sprinkle nutritional yeast on top, instead of cheese, YUM! This was DELISH…
On night two, I enjoyed two pieces of raw, dark ch
ocolate. It’s bitter but it’s chocolate and it was ever so satisfying.
Again, before bed, I had my detox tea….
So, that was my first two days. I will admit, because I know there are other working Moms out there, that on day 3 and 4, I had easier stuff to make. I ate hummus ( store bought) and guacamole ( also store bought), today for lunch, because I couldn’t leave the clinic and I had to have something satisfying and ready made. I had trail mix on hand and my FAVORITE patient, you know who you are, showed up with roasted pumpkin seeds last night, when I was STARVING. They are so satisfying, THANK YOU!!
If you can stick to fruits, veggies and water for 2 days, you are going to feel so good in the end. There are some moments of head ache and fatigue as your body cleanses itself but the longer you stick with this diet, the less you will feel those symptoms, and the more you will feel energized and alive!
Enjoy these recipes and feel free to share your detox tips, as I continue on my journey of taking care of MYSELF, being responsible for my own health, I need your tips too!! By the way, in the last 4 days, I lost 2 lbs! Yeah!
Have a beautiful weekend!!