The Detox Plan

I’ve finally started my detox! I wanted to wait until the craziness with school and graduation was over (and yes, it is, I’m a MASTER!!) so that I had time to focus on doing it right. I’ve decided to do it without any of the medical food products that are out there, strictly whole foods detox (well mostly).

Some of you out there might be skeptical of why any one would do a detox, so this is for you: we are exposed to many toxins in our environment, from the food we eat, water we drink and the air we breathe. The amount of toxins we take in exceeds our body’s ability to handle them. Our systems can become easily overwhelmed especially when we are not taking in the optimal diet, which most Americans are not. Even if we’re taking in the best possible diet, there is still going to be some overburdening of the system from daily exposure. Toxin exposure does play a role in the increased prevalence of chronic diseases. If we cannot defend our body against such assaults the damage will add up and eventually cause disease. This is not to say that everyone in the world needs to do a detox or they will eventually become sick. This is simply a preventative measure because we know that heavy metals, pesticides, etc cause damage to our bodies so why keep them around longer then they need to be? Each person needs to listen to their own bodies. This is my first attempt at a detox, so we’ll see how it goes!

Here is my plan:
• Elimination of major allergens: no gluten, eggs, peanuts, dairy, soy and corn (keeping citrus and nightshade vegetables).
• No refined carbohydrates or added sweeteners (even natural sweeteners as they trigger my sugar cravings, I may add them in eventually). The only “sweet” I’m allowing is fresh fruit, which there are an abundance of and the dates in Lara bars.
• No grains the first week. This is my attempt to curve the sugar cravings – I’ll let you know if it works.
• No caffeine of any kind (this means no cocoa powder or decaffeinated teas and coffees).
• Addition of my special detox tea daily (hot infused overnight): chamomile flowers, licorice, burdock root, calendula flowers, dandelion root, oatstraw, hibiscus flower and alfalfa.
• Nettle tea infusions for added nutrition.
• Fresh vegetable juices (made with kale, carrots, celery, parsley, ginger).
• Probiotics, 40 CFU/day (I used Pharmax HLC intensive capsules).
• Yoga and exercise that make me sweat.
• 3 servings of cruciferous vegetables per day. I’ve been making large bowls of coleslaw, which I’ve been eating off of.
• Organic meats, only grass fed organic beef and pork only if I buy it from the farmers market.
• As much organic fruits and vegetables as possible.
• Lots of water!

It’s an ambitious plan I know, but I’m excited to finally have a go.