I'm currently in my 1st week of a three week detox. It's a good detox that I've done twice before. I use it as a weight loss jump-start and a way to fix my food focus. Summer time, holidays, and just a busy life can make you get lax on what you eat and how much you exercise. I think of myself as a pretty fit person but when you're not watching, it's easy for those numbers on the scale to rise. Eating out is a real culprit for myself. Even though we've cut back on our meals out, it's still tempting to "splurge" on a calorie-heavy meal.
So back in 2012, a friend of mine tried this detox from Whole Living magazine. I thought I'd try it out. I like it because it's 3 weeks but each week the food you can eat changes. There's variety and you're actually eating something, as opposed to some of the liquid detoxes. And you can eat as much as you want! Granted, you probably should cut back on portion sizes but when most of what you're eating is fruits and vegetables, you don't feel so bad if you get seconds, or have a snack.
Here's the link to the site: http://www.wholeliving.com/152870/2012-whole-living-action-plan
I think the main gist with this detox is that it's supposed to help you figure out what foods affect you. You can use this to determine if you're gluten intolerant or lactose intolerant.
Here's the outline of the detox:
Week 1 - all you eat are fruits, vegetables and nuts. No caffeine, no alcohol, no added sugars, no dairy, no gluten (for all three weeks). You can use seasonings, olive oil or coconut oil (I've used other oils when needed), you can have juice. Basically you have a smoothie for breakfast (one of our favorites is the grapefruit ginger smoothie), a salad or lettuce wrap for lunch (or leftovers) and a soup or other meal for dinner. We snack on nuts and dried fruit mostly, with a few fun snacks thrown in, like kale chips or pureed banana "ice cream".
When you go shopping, you buy a lot but I've found that when I compare it to our usual food expenditures, it's about the same or less. Since you're not eating out, not buying alcohol or convenience foods, you can end up saving money.
Week 2 - you add back seafood, beans and soy products (like tofu). I also think this is when they think it's ok to add back sweet potato.
Even though sweet potato is a "vegetable" in my mind, I think it's more carbs than anything.
Week 3 - you add back eggs and gluten free grains.
When you're doing the detox, after the first week, you feel like any additions are wonderful! Your options for meals grows with each week. I don't use all of the recipes they give you. Since I'm cooking for myself and my husband so we go through the food quickly (most of their recipes are for 1 or 2 servings). I have gone through some vegan and raw food recipes which help expand my available week 1 recipes. Also, the Whole Living website has other helpful recipes you can use. Sometimes, I take other recipes that I like and either omit an ingredient or substitute something. For example, I can use the thai salad recipe, if I omit the sugar and fish sauce, for week 1!
I recommend cutting out coffee/caffeine before you start the detox. Possibly a week before. It seems to take awhile to get that out of your system. Cutting out caffeine means not even having decaf coffee or tea! Those still have some caffeine, so we usually drink herbal teas.
Things to expect:
I've found that this detox works well for me. I know what I can and can't have and I know that it's only for a short time. I don't like telling myself that I'll never eat ____ again but doing it for just 3 weeks makes it more manageable. It somehow makes it easier for me to say no to the things that I can't eat.
A couple of our favorite recipes:
Week 1 - Cauliflower Rice Stir Fry, Avocado salad, cauliflower with tomato sauce (make your own detox-friendly sauce) and this Carrot Ginger dressing for your salads
Week 2 - Red Lentil Curry (no rice or other carb added), Pea and Potato Curry (sub sweet potatoes), homemade Hummus
Week 3 - Broccoli Pesto with Rice Noodles and Veggie Burgers
*note - I would probably recommend only doing the full detox once a year. You can do mini 3-5 day ones throughout the year but not the full 3-week program.
**I'm not a doctor, I'm not a nutritionist. Just a friend who wants to share something with you. This detox doesn't work for everyone!**
You can do it!
So back in 2012, a friend of mine tried this detox from Whole Living magazine. I thought I'd try it out. I like it because it's 3 weeks but each week the food you can eat changes. There's variety and you're actually eating something, as opposed to some of the liquid detoxes. And you can eat as much as you want! Granted, you probably should cut back on portion sizes but when most of what you're eating is fruits and vegetables, you don't feel so bad if you get seconds, or have a snack.
Here's the link to the site: http://www.wholeliving.com/152870/2012-whole-living-action-plan
I think the main gist with this detox is that it's supposed to help you figure out what foods affect you. You can use this to determine if you're gluten intolerant or lactose intolerant.
Here's the outline of the detox:
Week 1 - all you eat are fruits, vegetables and nuts. No caffeine, no alcohol, no added sugars, no dairy, no gluten (for all three weeks). You can use seasonings, olive oil or coconut oil (I've used other oils when needed), you can have juice. Basically you have a smoothie for breakfast (one of our favorites is the grapefruit ginger smoothie), a salad or lettuce wrap for lunch (or leftovers) and a soup or other meal for dinner. We snack on nuts and dried fruit mostly, with a few fun snacks thrown in, like kale chips or pureed banana "ice cream".
When you go shopping, you buy a lot but I've found that when I compare it to our usual food expenditures, it's about the same or less. Since you're not eating out, not buying alcohol or convenience foods, you can end up saving money.
Week 2 - you add back seafood, beans and soy products (like tofu). I also think this is when they think it's ok to add back sweet potato.
Even though sweet potato is a "vegetable" in my mind, I think it's more carbs than anything.
Week 3 - you add back eggs and gluten free grains.
When you're doing the detox, after the first week, you feel like any additions are wonderful! Your options for meals grows with each week. I don't use all of the recipes they give you. Since I'm cooking for myself and my husband so we go through the food quickly (most of their recipes are for 1 or 2 servings). I have gone through some vegan and raw food recipes which help expand my available week 1 recipes. Also, the Whole Living website has other helpful recipes you can use. Sometimes, I take other recipes that I like and either omit an ingredient or substitute something. For example, I can use the thai salad recipe, if I omit the sugar and fish sauce, for week 1!
I recommend cutting out coffee/caffeine before you start the detox. Possibly a week before. It seems to take awhile to get that out of your system. Cutting out caffeine means not even having decaf coffee or tea! Those still have some caffeine, so we usually drink herbal teas.
Things to expect:
- You'll probably get a headache. I've had headaches for a couple of days before.
- You may feel cold and sleepy more. Especially at first. We've found it's better to do the detox when it's warm outside instead of cold. Also the summer is great because there are so many good fresh vegetables and fruits in season.
- Also, it is hard! I try to avoid places and situations where I'll be around a lot of non-detox-friendly foods. As much as possible I try to not go to restaurants or group meals. But if you do have to, try to plan by either bringing your own food or eating before. Then, you'll feel good when you are able abstain!
- Even in the first week you can usually tell a difference. Your skin may clear up or be softer, you probably won't have any stomach issues, you'll probably sleep better, and it helps your confidence. If you can stick with it, you are encouraged to continue eating healthier.
I've found that this detox works well for me. I know what I can and can't have and I know that it's only for a short time. I don't like telling myself that I'll never eat ____ again but doing it for just 3 weeks makes it more manageable. It somehow makes it easier for me to say no to the things that I can't eat.
A couple of our favorite recipes:
Week 1 - Cauliflower Rice Stir Fry, Avocado salad, cauliflower with tomato sauce (make your own detox-friendly sauce) and this Carrot Ginger dressing for your salads
Week 2 - Red Lentil Curry (no rice or other carb added), Pea and Potato Curry (sub sweet potatoes), homemade Hummus
Week 3 - Broccoli Pesto with Rice Noodles and Veggie Burgers
*note - I would probably recommend only doing the full detox once a year. You can do mini 3-5 day ones throughout the year but not the full 3-week program.
**I'm not a doctor, I'm not a nutritionist. Just a friend who wants to share something with you. This detox doesn't work for everyone!**
You can do it!
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