Several friends and colleagues asked me about my choice to do a food detox for 21 days. They thought eliminating seven types of food (gluten, sugar/artificial sweeteners, corn, soy, dairy, eggs, and peanuts) was a little extreme. Some even exclaimed to me, “What is there left to eat?”
My choice was due to the fact that it seemed every time I had a meal I felt ill. I eliminated gluten and felt somewhat better but I still had issues. Plus, I had little or no energy at times and struggled to complete my daily schedule. I kept wondering how I was going to live the rest of my life feeling this way. Then one day it occurred to me that I could very well be shortening my life by not addressing these issues.
I didn’t want any pharmaceuticals. You know when you reach a certain age and go to the doctor with complaints the first thing they want to do is write a prescription. Have you ever seen those commercials where they tell you the wonderful benefits of a new drug and then spend an additional 3 minutes telling you about the side effects in “munchkin” language? It is scary. So, since I believe God gave the human body the ability to heal itself and supplied nature with healing elements, I decided to try a more natural approach and to start with a detoxification.
I researched some various methods and many of them overlapped with their principles. I finally narrowed my choices down to the Virgin Diet (http://thevirgindiet.com) and the Ayurvedic Detoxification (http://www.mapi.com/ayurvedic-knowledge/detoxification/safe-ayurvedic-detoxification.html). I felt the Virgin Diet offered a more “user-friendly” approach to meal planning for my busy schedule and provided me a wealth of information on food choices. I needed this because a part of this process was an admission that I truly did not know how to eat in a way that my body could “healthily” process food. I chose the Ayurvedic Detoxification method because of the positive experiences I have had with Ayurvedic treatments in the past – in particular with the benefits of their Transcendental Meditation methods.
I am now completing Day 18 of the Virgin Diet – Cycle 1 – Elimination. I have lost 13 lbs and I feel great. Now, I will continue with Cycle 2 and Cycle 3 of the Virgin Diet while starting the 15 day preparation phase for the 45 day Ayurvedic Detox program. I know that sounds extreme but their eating plans are virtually identical and I will only be adding the herbal supplements, cleansing teas, and daily meditations to the overall plan.
All of this is hard work for me because I am cooking every day and it is difficult to cook for one person. However, I am embracing it as an adventure with new discoveries to be made along the way. I think my body was long overdue for a “system reboot” and this detoxification is proving to be the perfect way to “get a grip” on a healthy lifestyle again.
QUESTION(S):
Have you ever done a detoxification diet?
Would you consider a detoxification diet?
My daughter recently did a detox and she felt wonderful. I wish you success in this adventure. Hubby and I both have shunned prescriptions and do rely on eating well, fresh and healthy. It’s not extreme when you are doing it for the right reasons.