I have strayed from the nutritional straight and narrow in the past few weeks. As school stress intensified and my menu planning deteriorated, I found myself grabbing food on the run. While I avoided gluten, I consumed more than my fair share of sugar and pasteurized dairy. I can feel it now. Thanks to an amazing chiropractor/naturopath I’m seeing who has me on a homeopathic regimen, I have not, amazingly enough, had a Candida flare up from all the sugar. Praise God!
Nevertheless, I’m ready to stop abusing my body. I want to return to nutritional nirvana. It’s time to hit the reset button.
The time has come for some serious spring cleaning. Not only do I want to cleanse my body for my own well-being, we’re preparing to start a family (hopefully in 2009), and I consider getting my body ready for pregnancy to be a huge part of that. I hope to give my children the best opportunity for health and wellness that I can. At this point, we’re estimating that I have approximately a year to get ready, give or take a few months. Although I’d like to go nuts and do everything all at once, I know I need to take things in baby steps. As I take on each new challenge, I’ll post about it here. A thorough cleanse is my first step.
Goal #1: Holistic Cleansing (May)
Step A: Prepare for the Cleanse
I’m combining several regimens to create my personal cleanse. I’ll begin with a modified version of the 7-day pre-cleanse protocol outlined in The Fast Track One-Day Detox Diet. These are the steps I’ll be taking on a daily basis to prepare my body for more intense cleansing:
1. Eat at least one liver-loving food from each of the following groups:
- The Crucifers–cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, broccoli sprouts
- Green Leafies (1/2 cup cooked, 1 cup raw)–parsley, kale, watercress, chard, cilantro, beet greens, collards, escarole, dandelion greens, mustard greens
- Citrus–orange, lemon, lime
- Sulfur-Rich Foods–garlic, onions, eggs (2), daikon radish
- Liver Healers–artichoke, asparagus, beets, celery, dandelion root tea
2. Eat at least two of the following colon-caring foods: powdered psyllium husks (1 to 2 teaspoons in 8 ounces of water), milled or ground flaxseeds (2 to 3 tablespoons), raw carrot, raw apple, raw pear, berries
3. Drink one gallon of pure water. I’ll probably go get Mountain Valley Spring Water from Whole Foods for this. I want something purer and more mineral-rich than what my Aquasana filter can provide.
4. Eat two servings of lean beef, lamb, skinless chicken, turkey, or fish (3 to 4 ounces).
5. Eat 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, flaxseed oil, or currant oil blend and take my EPA-DHA oil faithfully.
6. Avoid excess “bad” fats, all forms of sugar (including honey, maple syrup, and agave nectar), artificial sweeteners (duh!), refined carbohydrates, gluten (I already do this, of course), rice (I’m sensitive to it), soy protein isolates, alcohol, over-the-counter drugs, caffeine, and mold (found on overly ripe fruits, especially mellons and tropical fruits).
7. Get at least 8 hours of sleep per night, or, if I can’t sleep, simply rest in bed for 8 hours.
8. Do moderate cardio daily with my heart rate monitor. I want to make sure that I’m sweating every day and helping circulate my lymph.
9. Brush my skin with a dry brush before showering. This also helps to circulate lymph.
10. Take 10 minutes out of my day to lie on my back and breathe deeply, trying to clear my mind. I’m always amazed by how much better and more relaxed I feel when I do this on a daily basis.
11. Write in a journal everything that I’m worried about, then ask God to help me turn each problem or perceived problem over to Him. Worrying adds so much stress to the body, and I am a terrible worry wart. I need the discipline of this exercise right now.
That’s it! Of course, many of the items listed are things I try to do everyday anyway, and I’ve been successful doing them regularly in the past. I have deviated, however, and it’s time to return to these valuable disciplines. Observing these measures for 7 days will help ready my body for the next cleansing step, which I’ll write about next week.
Wholesome Goodness 