The first time I did a food detox I hated it. I had signed up for a 10 day raw food detox. Not the best choice for a newbie, but I was fresh out of nutrition school and thought – what the heck? I’ll give it a shot.Aside from the obvious, you’re probably wondering what didn’t I like about it. Just about everything: no meat, no fats – healthy or otherwise, no cooked food whatsoever. Plus it was cold out. And raw food is cooling in nature so I felt like I was freezing the entire?time.
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But mostly I felt deprived. The mental energy it took to stay on track was harder than I thought it would be. And I didn’t stay on track, which was even more frustrating. ?
The first 24 hours was a fast. On Sunday the following day, I had a large salad for dinner.
My husband, on the other hand, had made?up a big pot of chili. And then left it on the stove and went to bed. Grumbling, I put the leftovers in a container for another day. Not all of it would fit, so instead of putting it in a larger container and washing an extra dish … I ate it. With tortilla chips. Yup. It was only Day 2, and I had FAILED. Big time.
I was so mad at myself. I vowed to complete the rest of the detox without falling off. And I did.
I learned so much about myself from that experiment that it made every minute of the 10 days worth it. What was my big ‘aha’ moment? Realizing that whenever I fail at something I can either give up or try again. The response is like a reflex – it happens in a split second – to all of us. We either say, “that didn’t work, I’m going to try something else” or “I know I can do better, I’m going to give it another shot.”
There are so many benefits to cleaning up your diet. Here’s just a few:
- More energy naturally – you won’t have to rely on coffee or chocolate to get you through the day
- Weight loss – typically 5 to 10 pounds over the course of the program
- Stronger immune system – your body will be able to absorb nutrients better which boosts immunity
- Clearer thinking – you’ll be able to think more clearly and lose that sense of fogginess when you’re not eating sugar and fat laden foods that surround us every day
- Add to your healthy toolbox?- everyone who has ever done one of my detoxes has told me that they always have one or two takeaways that they’ve incorporated into their regular routine.?
Since then I have become a bit of a Detox Queen. I created a number of different detoxes because I wanted to hit the sweet spot. I wanted something for everyone. Like any trial and error project, I’ve learned along the way. My detoxes are designed for newbies and seasoned detoxers.?
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Here’s a few things I’ve incorporated to make it as simple as possible:
- My most important feature included with my group detoxes is the on-line support group. We are social creatures by nature and communicating with people who are having a similar experience makes it less scary. And a lot more fun.
- My longer detoxes include meat or vegetarian protein.?
- There’s a?daily meal planner, but you don’t have to follow it to experience the benefits of detoxing. Just stick within the suggested guidelines, and you’ll do great.
- There is no FAILURE. We all have moments of weakness. It’s natural. There’s no need to quit just because you ate something that wasn’t part of the plan – especially if it’s chili!
I like to run group detox programs in Spring and Fall. Check the Events page for specific dates or contact me to learn more. Below is an idea of how a?detox is run:
- Phase 1: This is the Pre-Detox phase where we read through the materials, started weaning off caffeinated beverages like soda and coffee, and go through the cupboards to remove any temptations.
- Phase 2: This is the actual detox, also known as Detox Proper.
- Phase 3:?At this stage we start to reintroduce foods that were eliminated during the Detox Proper (dairy, eggs, grains, etc.)
The best part is we get to do it together!
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