I have designed a 9 day natural detox program for my clients. It’s not an extreme fast or cleanse. Instead of depriving the body of essential nutrients needed for true detoxification, this program helps excrete toxic chemicals from body organs so your body metabolism works more efficiently. It consists of a whole foods diet and a therapeutic rice based shake with all essential nutrients for accelerated detox. Below is my 9 day to day experiences with this 9 day detox program.
Day 1: I eliminated all the obvious foods that are toxic, like alcohol, caffeine, highly processed foods, and simple sugars. I also eliminated all meat and poultry which was a big deal for me. I did not feel much different. The main difference is that I felt deprived and I realized how much I truly cheat.This was our date night, so we had to skip the cocktails and had to be choosy with our restaurant.
Day 2: I started the detox shake today (low dose) and eliminated a few more foods that I regularly eat, like dairy and eggs (and a few others that I don’t eat). It’s getting harder to make appropriate food decisions, especially when you do not plan ahead. That’s why I am designing a 9 day sample meal plan for the full duration. Iwent to the Farmer’s Market today and that helped with my overall motivation. We are now better prepared and have fresh fruits and vegetables easily assissible; more excited to keep rolling. I took my vitamins this morning and my stomach hasn’t agreed with me since – I think I am starting to have detox symptoms.I was able to do yoga, but have felt drained since.I am feeling a little dehydrated so I am trying to keep on top of that.My possible detox symptoms include stomach cramping, achy, tired, and feeling blah.I didn’t sleep well that night.
Day 3: I am continuing with a low dose of the shake and have eliminated a few more foods (gluten and corn). I was hoping to wake up fresh, but I still have stomach aches/sommersaults. I am suprised that I am displaying true detox symptoms, but they are starting to resolve today. My achiness is gone. I had a decent BM later in the day and I am starting to feel better.I was able to go for a long walk today, but not much more.I am not really craving much which is great since I was eating meat and sugar pretty regularly. I slept wel
Day 4: I increased the dose of the shake today and eliminated nuts and seeds. I am basically eating veggies, fruit, beans, and rice – simple, but yet fufilling with the shake in between meals. I feel much better today!!! I went for a run this morning – my energy is pretty good.I have 1-2 good BM’s a day and the consistency is definitely changing. I hate to talk about this, but I think it’s important that you know:) It’s looser and lighter in color, but yet heavy (it sits at the bottom of the toilet). I am gassy at times.I slept well.
Day 5-7: I increased the dose of the shake to 4 servings/day and minimized my diet to just fruits and vegetables. This is the peak of the detox so I am excited to be close to the end.I think I am officially over the hump of the detox symptoms, except I am quite gassy. I usually never toot so this is unusual for me. I can tell my body/GI tract is trying to get rid of the remainder of the toxic stuff.I am going to the bathroom a little more frequently (2/day). My brain feels clear and energy is great. Surprisingly, I do not have any cravings.I am able to exercise pretty hard – I feel like my endurance is actually better. I usually feel hungrier afterwards, so I added a few ingredients to the shake for extra energy (bananas and coconut milk in shakes and extra avocado in salads). My husband and I are social people so we’ve been to a bunch of bbq’s and parties. At first it was hard to have a restricted diet, but then it became easy. It was nice to have an excuse not to overindulge. Brian and I both agreed that it was surprisingly easy and that we could of continued with this phase for a longer period of time. It’s exciting to feel so clean and clear – it actually brings clarity to your life.
Day 8:I added back a few food groups and decreased the dose of the shake. I still have a little bit of gas, but minimal now. I feel energized! I ran like the roadrunner on my run today. I definitely feel like I could continue this for a long time.I am enjoying the shake and I am sure that I would like to continue it later (at a low dose) to keep my body clean.I never feel any bloating anymore and my stomach feels ultra lean.It’s actually easy to make good food choices these days because my diet just consists of simple, whole foods.
Day 9: I used up the remainder of the shake and added back a bunch more food groups. I don’t even have a desire to add back a lot of foods that were previously in my diet. Brian and I now love going to the Farmer’s Market 1-2 times a week and eating a ton of organic produce – it feels awesome. Brian used to always need meat at every meal, now he is excited to eat a lot less poultry and red meat (shocker). I had an epiphany through this experience: I didn’t realize how much we follow our brain and not our stomachs (what our body really needs). Our society spends billions of dollars on marketing processed foods; they lure us in with smells, crunchy textures, comfort foods, and addictive foods that we need to purchase on a daily basis (coffee/sweets). Eating out and eating healthy are really hard to mix because there are too many bad food choices that lure us in. Most people’s lives are also filled with pressure to drink alcohol,” try that homemade dessert”, and have an extra helping. I am realizing that it is ok to say no – I can still have fun and I will actually feel good after a dinner party instead of feeling bloated. I didn’t realize how much I splurgerd on sugar, alcohol, processed foods when eating out.
Post Detox:
Wow, I am so glad that I did this (my husband and friends who completed this detox program also agreed that it was an eye opening experience). I have slowly added back a lot of foods, but more control of what I eat and how much is worlds better. My husband and I have officially changed over to a better way of eating and I doubt we’ll ever return to the old way. I am now on vacation with my extended family – there is a ton of processed food around me and sometimes I do not have a choice. Since my diet is currently worse (more bread, processed foods, sugars, and less vegetables), I have noticed some bodily changes: my face and chest are breaking out more, my elbow has a patch of little bumps that I used to get a while ago, I feel more bloated, my sleep is less restful, and my bowels are less regular. I am excited to get back to our good habits when I am home!
To learn more about my 9 Day Detox program, click here or email me at info@sunshinewellnessinstitute.com.
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