The Clean Program

Clean

   So, I'm getting ready to start a detox/cleansing program that I've recently read about. The book is by Dr. Alejandro Junger who was featured on Hungry for Change, the documentary about how we've been so mislead in our beliefs about gaining and losing weight- not to mention what 'health' actually is and FEELS like. So many of us don't realize that we are actually pretty darn sick, and with just a few simple changes we could really open up a whole new world of being. 

   I've successfully completed a slightly different elimination diet in the past, so really it will be a matter of tweaking just a few things for the first few days. 

The DO list

Natural foods that come from the earth, no additives or preservatives 

Alkaline foods

Nutrient dense; bright colors, especially GREEN like spirulina and chorella

Nut milks, seed milks, as well as the whole forms

Fowl, fish, and lamb (preferably organic), game 

Gluten-free grains like brown rice, millet, amaranth, quinoa, teff, buckwheat

Cold pressed oils, raw coconut oil

Stevia, coconut sugar

Spices, herbs, vinegar, sea salt

Dairy free chocolate or raw cacao :) 

Exercise

Meditation

Water, water, water

The DON'T list

Anything refined or with ingredients that you can't spell or pronounce

Gluten (wheat, barley, rye, kamut, spelt)

Dairy and eggs (mayo too)

Farmed beef, pork

Corn and corn products 

Oats (even GF) 

White rice 

Peanuts

Bottled salad dressings

Alcohol

Caffeine

Sugar and honey

Soy (some exceptions)

Nightshades: tomato, pepper, potato, eggplant

Strawberries

Shellfish

At first glance it's kind of like "Whoa! Waaaiiit a second. This junk is in Every. Thing. What the heck am I going to EAT!?!" Let me tell you from past experience; yes, it it different. But there lies a plethora of nutritive noshes out there that you can only imagine. The fun is in the discovery! You CAN live without white starches, alcohol, and your beloved cup o' joe. And you will feel better for it. Will the first few days really not be your favorite? Yes. Want to know why? Because you are ADDICTED. How does that feel? You are an addict and will withdrawal from certain things that have been clouding your body and mind. You WILL figure out ways to sneak more vitamins and minerals into your foods (like using kombu to make soup stock and rice). 

The overall point is this: a LOT of what the average American ingests is simply filler. There's no nutrition to be found, it's just something to fill the belly and stave off hunger pangs. Trouble is, the body is not getting what it needs to function properly. So then things like vitamin deficiencies, weight issues, depression, fatigue, insomnia, gut issues, cognitive lag, skin issues... all start happening because we are not FEEDING our bodies- or we are feeding ourselves things it can not tolerate. Also we are not listening to the signs our bodies are giving us that says something here is wrong. We're filling them with nonsense and running on empty. 

Doesn't quite make sense, does it? 

And get this: healthy people don't make the health industry any money. That's why you haven't heard much about a lot of this before. Your sick ass is paying BILLZ. Ka-Ching!

That being said, should you check with your care provider before starting something like this? Maybe. If you are on meds? Definitely. 

Also read the book- because it's six shades of awesome. 

~to be continued~