Friendly Detox

OK as I mentioned in my journal I am doing a "Friendly" Detox this week.  I don't believe in the juice detox, etc. so after reading a ton of stuff I have modified what I read to come up with something I feel would be good.

Eliminate - processed foods, caffenine, alchohol, sugar & artificial sweeteners, dairy products except eggs, wheat

Enjoy - fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, basmati rice, rice crackers, rice pasta, beans, unsalted nuts and seeds, un-caffeinated herbal teas, and fish/seafood in moderation

Anyone have any good advice, information, etc.? that would be helpful.

i wouldnt eat  rice crackers or that would count as process wouldnt it?
I detox 1 day a week. nothing processed at all. I will have about 1 cup of plain natural yogurt, but that is it for processed stuff. i eat tons of veggies and fruits. and i eat fish... i do drink green tea, a lil bit of natural cafein, but it is worth it, it takes the bloat and water RIGHT OUT..  Detox day  or  Pig out day (as i call it) can be hard, you have to eat ALLOT to get your cals.  i never detox on a day i work out though! i just cant eat enough protien and such...

anyhow, let me know how it goes
stef

Thanks for advice. I probably won't do the crackers unless I need to eat tuna...then I like it on the crackers.  Thanks.  :)

there's a quinoa, brown rice, and sesame cracker called Mary's Gone Crackers - those are good and high fiber and no wheat.  I get them at a health food store. 

Thanks for the advice everyone.  Nomore - I will look for the crackers.

sounds a lot like Patrick Holford's detox plan.  He recommends detoxing once a year for a week.  Are you taking a good multivitamin/mineral? It'll help support you while you detox.

Here's Patrick's detox plan:

• walk for at least 15 mins every day
• drink two quarts of water a day.  (herb teas ok)
• have half a pint of fruit or vegetable juice a day.  either carrot or apple (or combined, with 1/3 water) with grated ginger or fresh watermelon juice.  The flesh of watermelon is high in beta-carotene and vitamin C.  The seeds are high in vitamin E and the antioxident minerals zinc and selenium.  You can make a watermelon coctail by blending flesh and seeds in a blender (for the record, I tried that and I think it's gross! ewww.  healthy for you, I'm sure, but gross).
• Eat in abundance:
• fruits.  the most beneficial with the highest detox potential are: fresh apricots, all types of berries, cantaloupe, citrus fruits, kiwi, papaya, peaches, mango, melons and red grapes
• vegetables.  especially good for detoxing are artichokes, peppers, beets, brussel sprouts, broccoli, red cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, kale, pumpkin, spinach, sweet potato, tomato, watercress, and bean and seed sprouts
• Eat in moderation:
• Grains - brown rice, corn, millet, quinoa: not more than twice a day
• Fish - salmon, macheral, sardines, tuna: not more than once a day
• Oils - use extra virgin olive oil for cooking and in place of butter, and cold-pressed oils for dressing.
• Nuts and seeds - one handful a day of raw, unsalted nuts and seeds should be included.  Choose from almonds, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and flaxseeds
• Supplements: two multivitamin/minerals, 2 grams of vitamin C, two antioxident complexes, and 2 grams of MSM (methyl sulfonyl methane, a form of sulfur) every day.  Also have a shot of aloe vera juice.  Antioxident complexes should include:
• Vitamin A (retinol/beta-carotene) 7500 to 20,000 IU
• Glutathinone (reduced) 25 - 75 mg
• Vitamin E: 100 - 500 IU
• Vitamin C: 1000 - 3000 mg
• CoQ10: 10 - 50 mg
• Lipoic Acid: 10-50 mg
• Anthocyanidin source: 50-250 mg
• Selenium: 30-100 mcg
• Zinc: 10-20 mg
• Avoid all wheat products, all meat and dairy products, eggs, and salt - and any food containing them - hydrogenated fats, artificial sweeteners, food additives and preservatives, fried foods, spices, and dried fruit.
• Limit potatoes to one portion every other day and bananas to one every other day.

Don't be surprised if you feel worse for a couple of days before you feel better.  This is especially likely if you are eliminating foods to which you are allergic or upon which you are dependent.

That's pretty much how I eat regularly, but a couple of weeks ago I made a point to up the fruit and veggies for a week, and added MSM to my supplements.  I felt extra great, and even though I didn't lose more than a pound that week, I did fit into my clothes better (probably because I stayed away from wheat, which I love...sigh). 

Happy detoxing salome!

AWESOME INFORMATION.  Thank you. I have a couple questions I have been dying to ask...

1. How can eliminate something I am allerg. to make me sick?

2. A Shot of Aloe Vera Juice?  How do I buy that? Isn't it thick?

3. Also, I kept eggs in because I can't live without eggs and meat. But what happens when I leave something like that in?  It is still better than not doing it at all right?

Thanks so much.

Tracyvision where did you go????? I need you...

OK this might get harder by tomorrow....day 3 Wednesday.

salome- I have never detoxed before but I do have a question for you... why can't you live without eggs or meat?  Just wondering because both are high in cholesterol and it would probably be better if you didnt have these...  Just my opinion.  If you are worried about protien I would try to get as much as you can from plant sources first.

salome I just asked my mom about the juice and you have to make it yourself as they do not sell the juice

buy aloe at the store, peell out the middle. put into a blender and blend away. youre not going to like the taste so try mixing with juice, milk or even honey.

hope this helps..:)

I was planning on eventually picking a week (when I have the money to buy lots of groceries) and doing the week plan on this site:
The World's Healthiest Foods: Feeling Great that ix keeps posting everywhere... Here's the link to the Menu that I would be following. A lot of the food I don't really think sounds very tasty but I won't know until I try... That will be my detox/try-a-bunch-of-new-stuff week

Newveggie I am just not that disciplained to not eat meat or eggs. However, I haven't had either this week so far.  I think by telling myself that if I need an egg I can have one is helping me not crave it.

Rahana that just doesn't even sound like something I am willing to do.  Thanks for the info. 

United - actually a lot of people eat this way everyday.  That is why I chose this one.  I don't believe in juice fasting, etc. But I am hoping this will "shock" my body into a healthy working machine.

good morning salome!

1. the allergy elimination thing..there's a little rebound effect when you give up something you're sensitive to.  Initially you feel worse because your body is finally letting go of the bad stuff that's built up.  Should only last a couple of days.  Weird huh?

2. Aloe vera Juice.  Available at health food stores or whole foods. it'll be refrigerated. It's not thick like the gel, but it has an interesting taste.  I think it's a little gross to have straight, so I mix it with fruit juice or put it in smoothies.  Then again, a shot isn't a lot, just buck up and shoot it down (shudder)

3. of course it's better to do most than nothing at all.  When you say you can't live without eggs and meat, though, that's a classic symptom of being allergic to something.  Sometimes the foods you think you can't possibly live without are the ones you're most likely to be allergic and addicted to.  Eggs aren't a typical allergen though, it's usually wheat, cow's milk, yeast.  We're all different though, and the more you eat something the more likely you are to have a reaction to it (just like any allergen, the more repeated exposures the greater the likelihood of an allergic reaction). 

you can get a blood test for food allergies at www.yorkallergyusa.com , it's expensive, $380 (ouch) but they test for 98 things including beef, egg white and egg yolk.  It also takes about 4 weeks to get your results back.  Personally I found it worth it to do the test instead of guessing.  I'd been told by a (wacky) doc that dairy was ok for me (because my blood type was B) but to stay away from wheat.  The scientific test came back allergic to all dairy, wheat was fine!

Or do an elimination diet - eliminate all suspect triggers for 14 days then reintroduce one every 2 days.  But you might want to try eliminating just eggs and meat then reintroducing them (one at a time, one every 48 hours).  take your pulse before having it again, then 10, 30, & 60 mins after.  If your pulse rises by 10 bpm or more over your pre-food pulse, that's a sign you're sensitive.   If you are sensitive to a food your body will 'forget' it's allergic if you stay away from it for 2-3 months.  Then you can slowly reintroduce it, being on the look out for allergy symptoms, and then only eating it every 4 days.  They say that will give your body time to deal with the allergen without causing you symptoms.

Lots of info on food allergies and all things nutritional in Patrick Holford's "New Optimum Nutrition Bible".  It's a *great* resource.

Thank you soooooo much... :)

hi salome.  as it turns out I spoke too soon.

I was just reading my  new Patrick Holford book, the low GL diet book, and what does it say about eggs? In the top 10 food allergens.  Actually 2 of the top 10, egg whites and egg yolks listed separately!