I guess I'm committed now: detoxing

My holiday breakfast routine: Nutella filled croissants and a cappuccino.

-By Lisa

I had a really fun holiday season.

I traveled around and ate a lot of foods that were not very good for me. I drank copious amounts of wine. It was a total blast.

I regret nothing.

But now, it’s time to cut it out.

Please note. This is not about depriving myself or freaking out about a scale or a measuring tape. I’m not going to use words like "losing" or "trimming" or anything else that patronizingly implies that my body is not just fine as it is. I am just feeling a little sluggish and I want to kick-start my body back into the routine I was in before I replaced yoga and smoothies with gelato and red wine.

I’m not exactly sure what I’m doing here, so I need to start with a little research. I’m going to look at some detoxing eating plans and see what works for me...we’ll just see what happens. I think most of my issues will be psychological; I like to eat. As I’ve mentioned, I’m a grazer, so it will be interesting to see what happens when I have a more structured eating plan that doesn’t include walking by the kitchen and saying “Oh, hey, crackers!”

Option 1 – Not an Option.

Husband tried out the Master Cleanse last year. That’s the one with the lemon juice/maple syrup/cayenne pepper concoction. It was…extreme. He felt great when he was done and is talking about doing it again, but he’s a weird California dude who grew up thinking that fasting was normal. I’m just not sure something that aggressive is right for me.

Option 2 – Juice 

We got a juicer for Christmas, so I am excited to explore the idea of juicing. Juice fasting and detoxification is supposed to be good for cleaning out all that gunk that gets stuck in your colon over time. It increases your energy while still providing all those yummy vitamins and nutrients that we love in fruits and veggies. Plus, you can even juice things like greens, which I know I don’t get enough of.

Option 3 - Raw

Cooking kills the nutrition and enzymes that natural foods contain. This plan includes only uncooked and unprocessed foods - nothing can be heated above 118 degrees. It sounded a little scary, until I started thinking about all those things that I can eat raw - like fruit, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and sprouted grains and legumes. Plus, I'm hippy-dippy enough to love the whole idea of "preserving the life energy" of foods. Some of these recipes look pretty good!

Option 4 – Clean

"Clean eating" makes sense to me. It’s simple and logical and sounds do-able. I really liked this information from goop.com and the recipes from Dr. Alejandro Junger's book Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself It seems to have a few straightforward rules:

• Eat lots of fresh fruit and veggies.
• Eat primarily foods that are not processed (don’t eat things that come out of a box.) 
• Nix the soda and alcohol – stick to water and tea.
• No saturated or trans fats.
• Combine lean protean and complex carbs at each meal.
• Eat several small meals a day, never miss a meal.
  

He reccomends eliminating foods that are common allergens, like wheat, dairy and eggs. By doing so, your body can heal properly because it isn't expending all that energy digesting things that it doesn't really need.

Option 5 – You Tell Me

If any STSL readers have recommendations or tips about detoxing, please, educate me! What have you tried? What worked and what didn't?

It feels good to take charge of my eating habits, especially in the wintertime when all I really want to do is eat mac and cheese and then wash it down with hot chocolate. This isn't about being drastic and shocking the hell out of my system, it's just about figuring out what my body actually needs.

I'm feeling pumped - help keep me motivated, dear readers!

For more from Lisa, check out www.justherejustnow.com

Comments

[Alejandro Junger]

Lisa,
A detox program has to be done in the right environment, and not all detox programs are suited for all places.
Juicing is great when you are taking time away from regular activities. It is more suited for a spa kind of venue, where ALL you are doing is detoxing-cleansing, and you are contained.
To detox in the city, juicing is too intense. That is exactly what I designed the CLEAN program for. I learned about detox in a holistic spa, but when I applied the same program to people in the city, it just did not work. Juicing is too intense for people going to their jobs, or taking care of kids. After years of researching and experimenting , I came up with a program that can be done while you live your life in the modern world.
One must take those things into consideration when chosing a program.

Congratulations on your decision to cut down and cleanse. You'll be healthier and happier as a result ( if you do it right ).
My best wishes for a clean and happy new year !
Alejandro

[Jen on the Edge]

I'm a big fan of the clean plan. I've been doing it since the start of the month and feel terrific.

[Simplifying the Simple Life]

Dr. Junger,
I'm so thrilled you came by our site! You mention something really important that I'd not considered - context!
Thanks so much for your thoughts, I'm honored you took the time and I know our readers will benefit from the additional information about your program.
~Lisa

[Simplifying the Simple Life]

Jen, I'm so reassured to hear that. Good for you - keep it up!!!
~Lisa

[Giulianalonigro]

I can totally relate to the words "Nutella" and "croissant" because they are part of my favorite foods! But gaining too many pounds and feeling sluggish got me investigating options. I just started the "Clean" elimination diet and it's really working for me. I feel pretty good and I like that you get to eat real food on this plan. I always thought to stay healthy I had to stay away from sugar and chocolate, but it turns out that eliminating gluten and dairy also really help.

[Simplifying the Simple Life]

I got an email from Eric about his detoxing, he had some good input and he said I could share his comments here. This is what he said -

Hi Lisa,

Like your posts. I'm on Day 3 of the Clean program today (I too indulged too much over holidays). I came across an article in Outside Mag this month that got me interested. Its a little more committing than you describe but so far it has been pretty easy. Recipes are very good. I've been able to make shifts in my diet without losing energy at work or at gym. Less radical than Master Cleanse but already feel like it is going to effect a long term shift in my dairy-centric eating habits. I'll keep you posted cheers,
Eric

[Simplifying the Simple Life]

I'm so glad to hear this! I agree, I think that taking the leap and eliminating foods like gluten and dairy (at least for a little while) could be really helpful for my body. And being able to still eat "real food" is so important!!! Keep us posted on how it all goes for you!
~Lisa