When I asked you all if you would be interested in hearing about my cleanse, I received an overwhelming number of votes for “yes!”. So, I wanted to give an update on how it has been now that I have completed the cleanse. The challenge of this detox was to give up dairy, gluten, alcohol, coffee, red meat, and processed/white flour foods for 28 days. We had to stay away from the “gluten free” types of foods and really focus on staying away from grains entirely, with the exception of brown rice and quinoa once in a while. The focus was to bring our bodies into a more alkaline state instead of acidic, and also to experiment and see what foods we may have intolerances to. Weight loss was also a goal, but not necessarily the primary focus. Doing this with the assistance of my nutritionist and the weekly Zoom classes with the other participants have been so helpful for accountability and also learning new things! Even after one week, I was feeling great. I’m down 6 pounds, and have noticed an improvement in my skin and in my sleep patterns. I wake up feeling more energized and actually sleep through the night, whereas before I woke up several times throughout the night. Switching to chai or black tea instead of coffee gives me just enough caffeine without the jitters and stomach issues. I’ve tried really hard to like matcha but… its just not my fave. Giving up gluten and dairy are pretty hard to be completely honest. But vegan cheese is actually really good IMO, and having some Banza chickpea pasta curbed my bread cravings. Full disclosure, I cheated on the cleanse… three times. Once with parmesan cheese, which actually gave me a terrible stomach pain and made me think dairy may be something I should limit even after the cleanse. Once with a few beers, which tasted delicious and went straight to my head. But surprisingly, I felt no sign of a hangover the following day…. maybe a side effect of my new diet? Lastly with tacos, a double offender as they had gluten and red meat. But I still felt great after eating them so perhaps those aren’t things I need to give up or limit after this cleanse. At first, I felt awful that I had cheated and like I had no self-control. But upon thinking about it I actually don’t feel bad AT ALL. I’ve really done so well, better than I expected with this detox, and I can’t blame myself for faltering a little. Alcohol has probably been the easiest thing to give up despite my “its 65 and sunny out I have to drink” beers, and I will definitely continue to moderate my intake now that the cleanse is over. Although a glass of rose on my porch is HIGH on my list for this week.
My nutritionist introduced three supplements to the diet: PaleoGreens, Meal Replacement Shake Powder, and a daily packet of vitamins. The PaleoGreens were hard to get used to at first because they taste absolutely awful. I ended up taking them daily as a shot with lemon and honey which made them go down much easier. It took some getting used too but I think it is a great way to get greens in for the day and I will most likely continue with a green juice even now. The daily vitamins were great, I personally felt like they gave me a boost of energy. These particular ones had added nutrients for detox, so I may now switch to a different less intense daily set of vitamins. The meal replacement powder was actually the hardest addition for me. It was supposed to be tasteless, but for me it had a strange aftertaste. It was supposed to replace one meal per day blended into a shake or smoothie. I love smoothies but having a liquid meal EVERY day was a lot. I didn’t do the shakes every day, and if I did, I used my usual protein powder, Olly Wellness Vanilla Plant Based protein powder. I liked the addition of the products, but will likely continue on with alternatives as those products can only be purchased through my nutritionist and were a bit pricey.
Overall, I feel as though this cleanse was challenging but extremely beneficial and I am so glad I did it. It was very restrictive and I definitely understand why it is healthier to still eat some “unhealthy” foods in moderation so that you don’t binge. Being so deprived of things I liked did led to those few times I messed up and cheated on the cleanse. But a lot of the habits I learned I will be sticking with. Eating a larger breakfast or lunch and including healthy snacks made it easier to keep dinner as a smaller meal. I’ve learned I don’t need a coffee every day, and I really could do without red meat unless it’s a special occasion or I have an overwhelming craving for a good steak. I plan to continue eating mostly gluten and dairy free during the week, and really trying my best to limit processed foods. Then on the weekends or once a week. I will allow myself the foods I enjoy, in moderation of course. Aside from my 6-pound weight loss my biggest takeways from this are improved sleep, less bloating/improved gut health, a glow to my skin, and more energy/focus. Really an overall feeling of wellness! I would absolutely recommend trying this, if not the full class, then just try eliminating some foods for a couple weeks or even the full month! Comment or message me please for more information or questions!!
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