So we are on our last day of the Garden of Life cleanse supplements which means this intensive program is over and we can go back to normal life. I did NOT complete my cleanse as I had hoped.
Friday I had intense food cravings and I tried to satisfy them with healthy choices but ended up overeating all weekend. I have two theories 1. die off symptoms of candida which can cause crazy sugar cravings 2. nursing, makes me very sensitive to cutting calories and if I try to eat less I end up with wild savage hunger and nothing is safe in my path. I eat whole extra large pizzas like its nobodys business and still have dessert (and don't gain weight, because breastfeeding YAY). So anyways, I still have been eating mostly healthy but added protein supplements, almonds, bacon, quest bars, and pesto back into my diet. We follow a very primal diet so despite my feelings of guilt that I couldn't stick to something for 10 measly days out of my life, I feel really good about how we eat in general. We are still eating lots of raw veggies and whole unprocessed foods.
Results are good but not anything like the crazy TV marketing before and afters people expect. I lost an inch off my waist from the colon cleansing I assume. My skin cleared up quite a bit. I feel really good, I have much more energy and have been sleeping great when my teething toddler allows it. I even went to the gym once on top of our usual walks. My husband is losing weight too. I feel very blessed to be married to a man who cares about eating healthy so that it is not a constant uphill battle.
Now the not-so-polite parts to talk about. This program made me eliminate a LOT...eliminate means poo fyi. There were some days when every time I sat on the toilet to pee more junk came out of me. Which means either I had mild food poisoning for a few days OR the cleanse supplements were working very well.
The coffee enemas I really love my results, but I am impatient and don't love that they take an entire nap time from me between the treatment, shower, and cleaning up the bathroom after, so I lose my only hour a day that I have to myself. I will probably try to do them 3-5 days in a row once every few months just for regular liver cleansing.
So do I feel that these measures improved my health? Bottom line is yes. I am getting much better sleep and going to bed earlier each night. I do not need coffee first thing in the morning when I wake up. My skin looks better and my digestion has improved. I consider that to be successful.
I am probably starting another cleanse in a month after giving my body a little rest as long as I am not pregnant by then. :)
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Friday, April 10, 2015
TGIF
I am on day 4 of the coffee treatments and I really love them, however the last two days I am still having trouble retaining the treatment. I am going to try to decrease the amount of liquid by a few ounces to see if that helps. Nobody needs to be cleaning up coffee spray from their entire bathroom every day. Yesterday and today I held the treatment for only 5 minutes after it was in completely. That is the time where I start to get some cramping and strong urges, but total time ends up being 12-15 minutes start to finish. I am taking a break from the treatments over the weekend so I don't gross my husband out too much.
The funny thing about these treatments is how energized and alert you feel after. Yes I know it is from the caffeine, but it does not compare to the feeling of drinking a cup of coffee. It is like drinking a triple espresso without the jitters. Even after this cleanse is over I will probably do a monthly coffee enema for maintenance.
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| Salmon and flaxseed cakes with tomatoes and avocado |
Breakfasts are still local pasture raised eggs and some sort of veggies, today it was spinach and onion in a scramble.
Lunch is usually some sort of seafood, having wild caught shrimp on an oil and vinegar based coleslaw today with avocado.
Dinner last night was tex-mex turkey burgers on slaw with olives and a bit of sweet potato on the side. Tonight is going to be grilled shrimp on a tossed salad.
Snacks are still bone broth and raw fruits and veggies. I ate 1/4 of my daughters Epic bar, shes a little pint sized carnivore so she wasn't too please that I stole her jerky.
Grilling a whole chicken tomorrow, tuna salad with home made mayo for lunch, and of course eggs for breakfast.
I feel so light and alert lately. Hubby and I were wondering last night why we don't eat like this all the time, and then we remembered its because pizza and quest bars are delicious. As the warmer weather rolls in it becomes much easier to eat lightly since we have an abundance of fresh raw veggies coming from our garden. We usually do eat pretty healthy for the most part, but I really notice a difference in my sleep and energy levels when I stick to a 100% paleo diet. Sadly after this is over my in-laws are coming into town for a visit and they like to take us out to eat frequently, so we will have to be very careful about our food choices so we don't undo all the hard work we just did.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Kickoff...
Let me start off by saying I am going to die trying to eat fucking rabbit portions. Seriously. I am used to eating large meals and right now I am always hungry again a couple hours after eating.
Day 1 breakfast:
3 eggs scrambled in coconut oil with spinach and onions
Lunch:
Mug of bone broth
Kimchee tossed with sliced cucumber
Day 1 breakfast:
3 eggs scrambled in coconut oil with spinach and onions
Lunch:
Mug of bone broth
Kimchee tossed with sliced cucumber
Dinner:
Salad with a chicken breast
Snacks:
Strawberries, green apple, banana, snap peas, carrots and guac. I snacked way too much yesterday.
Day 2 breakfast was
3 sunny side up eggs cooked in coconut oil over asparagus cooked in butter. I left out the usual sprinkle of parm and side of bacon that these sorts of meals require....because...cleanse #sadface
Lunch is going to be a salad made with leftover turkey breast and fermented mayo(recipe below) served on lettuce boats and maybe some avocado. I clearly need to eat more if I am going to make it from meal to meal without snacking.
The planned dinner menu is wild Alaskan sockeye salmon, sautéed spinach and either roasted carrots or sweet potatoes. Cant forget a mug of bone broth in there somewhere too.
As for cleansing I am getting my crazy amount of supplements and tried another enema this morning. It went much better and I retained the treatment for 12 minutes. Which is enough time for all my blood to circulate through the liver four times. Tomorrow we will aim for the full 15.
Here is your quick home-made lacto fermented mayo recipe:
1 pastured egg
sauerkraut juice
healthy oil(macadamia, flaxseed, coconut, avocado)
immersion blender
(optional, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, spices)
Today I used a 50/50 blend of coconut and flaxseed oil. You can use any healthy cooking oil you want except olive oil. Good olive oil had a very pungent taste and smell and it really ruins mayo. If your olive oil doesn't have this chances are it is low quality and diluted with cheaper oils.
Put your egg in the bottom of a tall thin container, the blender I used came with a cup that works perfect for this. Add in enough oil to bring the volume up to 2/3 to 3/4 of a cup and blend until it thickens. The more you blend it the more it will whip. Then add in about a teaspoon of sauerkraut juice and stir. Leave on the counter for 30-60 minutes for the bacteria to proliferate then refrigerate until ready to use.
I added himilayan sea salt and curry powder into mine and will be tossing it with chopped turkey, green apple, celery, and green onion.
Not feeling any side effects yet, but I am craving chocolate and sweets which is an every-day thing for me lately. Hence the need for detox.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Coffee Enema Resources
So I just finished my first attempt at a coffee enema. It didn't quite go as planned as I ended up with a bit of cramping and a strong urge to...well....go. I am sure this was from years of old garbage trapped inside me. Start to finish the treatment lasted 15 minutes today, 10 of which were slowly getting the solution into me. Let me tell you this, four cups is a LOT more liquid than you think. Afterwards I feel really great and energized despite only retaining the treatment for five minutes.
Now there are so many reasons why I want to do this, so tomorrow we are going to start over and aim to add on extra 2-3 minutes to my time until I can hold the entire thing. If they are good enough to heal cancer then they are good enough for me. I am actually in the middle of watching The Truth About Cancer and these enemas are mentioned in several episodes by many different doctors as an incredible tool of detoxification. Hopefully my busy liver thanks me after all this is over.
Want to try for yourself? Here's everything you need to know.
Now there are so many reasons why I want to do this, so tomorrow we are going to start over and aim to add on extra 2-3 minutes to my time until I can hold the entire thing. If they are good enough to heal cancer then they are good enough for me. I am actually in the middle of watching The Truth About Cancer and these enemas are mentioned in several episodes by many different doctors as an incredible tool of detoxification. Hopefully my busy liver thanks me after all this is over.
Want to try for yourself? Here's everything you need to know.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Personal Care While Detoxing
So there is a statistic often sited that we absorb 60% of what we put on our skin, that is pretty scary considering when you look up the ingredients in your personal care products you will find many of them cause cancer, infertility, and are highly toxic. We are putting two pounds a year on average of toxic sludge into our systems through our cosmetics and care products alone. Most of our bodies are already burdened so much with environmental toxins and choosing to slather them all over us daily isn't doing anyone any favors
You *could* do a detox program and continue on with your everyday life, but my goal is to reduce the toxic load on the body as much as possible so it can focus on eliminating anything that is being stored already. Now one solution to this is to go full hippie and not shower at all, being the mom of a toddler going 10 days without a shower isn't too out of the ordinary, however there are great ways to make your own products for a fraction of the cost of most store bought brands, and you probably already have most of this stuff in your home. These are easy changes you can adopt permanently as a shift towards a greener, cleaner lifestyle too.
Hair:
no-poo is a great method for cleansing the oil out of hair, so is honey washing. In between showers you can make your own dry shampoo with non-gmo corn or arrowroot starch. I have dark hair so I added a little cocoa powder, you can use cinnamon for red hair, and even add a few drops of essential oil for fragrance. Put this mixture into a shaker bottle or mason jar with a couple holes poked in the lid and sprinkle on your roots as needed. be sure to brush it into hair as well. You can use coconut oil as a deep conditioner before you shower and you can use it to tame frizz after. Well that was easy.
Face:
Oil cleansing method reigns supreme for most people, it moisturizes and breaks up gunk in the pores. You can also break out the honey again for your face. Bentonite clay masks are beneficial for helping the skin detox, and are great on breakouts.
Teeth:
Bentonite clay makes a great mineral-rich tooth power. just dip your wet brush in and use it like normal toothpaste. I add a few drops of an essential oil blend for taste and oral health benefits. For deep cleaning your mouth try oil pulling, which helps get all the pathogens out from the gums and in between teeth. If you oil pull then brush your teeth using the method I described you will feel like you just had a dental cleaning.
Lips:
I tend to get dry lips from time to time, so I make chapstick using 3 parts oil to one part beeswax and pour into little containers. You can add some essential oils if you want. Sweet orange oil or peppermint work nicely here. Or you can just use plain ol coconut oil
Skin:
Coconut oil! that's it. It works as a mild sunscreen, a moisturizer, a rash cream, skin protectant. It is the swiss army knife of natural health really.
Underarms:
I use this recipe but I added tuberose EO because I really like the floral perfumey smell.
Things I didn't cover above:
I am not big on wearing makeup daily or doing my nails so that wont be too hard to give up, there are great brands that are producing better-for-you options. Henna covers greys instead of hair-dye. I haven't used soap in years, besides hand washing with a natural brand after touching raw meat, cleaning up dog poop, changing diapers or anything that's um....gross. Seriously, its better for your skin not to use soap. You can use coconut oil to shave. Perfume is poison, a drop of essential oil behind each ear makes a suitable alternative for special occasions Ummm...anything else?
Remember, people arent naturally dirty and most of your ideas about cleanliness and health are from marketing agencies trying to sell you stuff that you don't need that poisons your body
Ok, so you're on board for the detox and the personal care changes but what about your other household products that you touch? What about your cleaners?
I use a Shark steam mop for my floors. Its great at breaking up dust and toddler mystery gunk from the hardwood without needing any cleaners. A damp rag is really all you need for dusting.
Cleaning and sanitizing in the kitchen and bathroom is easy. Mix equal parts vinegar and water and put it a spray bottle. You can also add a few tablespoons of peroxide or rubbing alcohol but vinegar is actually an effective disinfectant. I add essential oils to this also. Lemon, Tea Tree and Rosemary make a nice synergistic blend.
If you need to scrub out your sink or bathtub, ditch the comet and try sprinkling the bottom of the tub with baking soda, mix a bit of soap and water in a cup (I use Dr. Bronners or eco friendly dish soap), then sprinkle that mixture over top. Start scrubbing. You will see a paste form of the soap and baking soda, it makes a nice de-greaser and abrasive. Rinse down the drain when you're done and feel good about yourself because you didn't pollute the water.
For laundry soap we switched to a natural brand a long time ago. Ecos, bio-kleen, 7th generation, and dozens more are out there now. Method makes good products as well, I am especially fond of their glass cleaner.
I hope I left you with enough resources and links to start on your own lifestyle detox. What did I forget? What steps have you taken to decrease the toxic load on your body?
You *could* do a detox program and continue on with your everyday life, but my goal is to reduce the toxic load on the body as much as possible so it can focus on eliminating anything that is being stored already. Now one solution to this is to go full hippie and not shower at all, being the mom of a toddler going 10 days without a shower isn't too out of the ordinary, however there are great ways to make your own products for a fraction of the cost of most store bought brands, and you probably already have most of this stuff in your home. These are easy changes you can adopt permanently as a shift towards a greener, cleaner lifestyle too.
Hair:
no-poo is a great method for cleansing the oil out of hair, so is honey washing. In between showers you can make your own dry shampoo with non-gmo corn or arrowroot starch. I have dark hair so I added a little cocoa powder, you can use cinnamon for red hair, and even add a few drops of essential oil for fragrance. Put this mixture into a shaker bottle or mason jar with a couple holes poked in the lid and sprinkle on your roots as needed. be sure to brush it into hair as well. You can use coconut oil as a deep conditioner before you shower and you can use it to tame frizz after. Well that was easy.
Face:
Oil cleansing method reigns supreme for most people, it moisturizes and breaks up gunk in the pores. You can also break out the honey again for your face. Bentonite clay masks are beneficial for helping the skin detox, and are great on breakouts.
Teeth:
Bentonite clay makes a great mineral-rich tooth power. just dip your wet brush in and use it like normal toothpaste. I add a few drops of an essential oil blend for taste and oral health benefits. For deep cleaning your mouth try oil pulling, which helps get all the pathogens out from the gums and in between teeth. If you oil pull then brush your teeth using the method I described you will feel like you just had a dental cleaning.
Lips:
I tend to get dry lips from time to time, so I make chapstick using 3 parts oil to one part beeswax and pour into little containers. You can add some essential oils if you want. Sweet orange oil or peppermint work nicely here. Or you can just use plain ol coconut oil
Skin:
Coconut oil! that's it. It works as a mild sunscreen, a moisturizer, a rash cream, skin protectant. It is the swiss army knife of natural health really.
Underarms:
I use this recipe but I added tuberose EO because I really like the floral perfumey smell.
Things I didn't cover above:
I am not big on wearing makeup daily or doing my nails so that wont be too hard to give up, there are great brands that are producing better-for-you options. Henna covers greys instead of hair-dye. I haven't used soap in years, besides hand washing with a natural brand after touching raw meat, cleaning up dog poop, changing diapers or anything that's um....gross. Seriously, its better for your skin not to use soap. You can use coconut oil to shave. Perfume is poison, a drop of essential oil behind each ear makes a suitable alternative for special occasions Ummm...anything else?
Remember, people arent naturally dirty and most of your ideas about cleanliness and health are from marketing agencies trying to sell you stuff that you don't need that poisons your body
Ok, so you're on board for the detox and the personal care changes but what about your other household products that you touch? What about your cleaners?
I use a Shark steam mop for my floors. Its great at breaking up dust and toddler mystery gunk from the hardwood without needing any cleaners. A damp rag is really all you need for dusting.
Cleaning and sanitizing in the kitchen and bathroom is easy. Mix equal parts vinegar and water and put it a spray bottle. You can also add a few tablespoons of peroxide or rubbing alcohol but vinegar is actually an effective disinfectant. I add essential oils to this also. Lemon, Tea Tree and Rosemary make a nice synergistic blend.
If you need to scrub out your sink or bathtub, ditch the comet and try sprinkling the bottom of the tub with baking soda, mix a bit of soap and water in a cup (I use Dr. Bronners or eco friendly dish soap), then sprinkle that mixture over top. Start scrubbing. You will see a paste form of the soap and baking soda, it makes a nice de-greaser and abrasive. Rinse down the drain when you're done and feel good about yourself because you didn't pollute the water.
For laundry soap we switched to a natural brand a long time ago. Ecos, bio-kleen, 7th generation, and dozens more are out there now. Method makes good products as well, I am especially fond of their glass cleaner.
I hope I left you with enough resources and links to start on your own lifestyle detox. What did I forget? What steps have you taken to decrease the toxic load on your body?
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