Why you shouldn’t fear a detox

The 3 P’s

Planning

Preparation

Positivity

Here I am, on day 1 of my 10 Day Mega Detox. After Christmas and New Year it is time to give this body a kick up its butt, so to speak.

Even though I try and eat quite healthily despite the occasion, when you have a chance to have 2-3 weeks off and parties everywhere you are bound to overindulge in some way. My eating “decline” usually start at the beginning of December with my birthday, then follow numerous Christmas parties and then my son’s birthday. Naturally it is then Christmas and New Year and my body starts to feel sluggish, disconnected, bloated and tired. So after all the food, sweets and alcohol it is finally time to give my body a break by doing a detox. I have also been battling with a shoulder injury that I have been carrying since last August, so a good detox will hopefully help to get rid of the inflammation.

This detox is quite different from detox plans I have tried before. I have combined 3 different detoxes into a mega 10 day detox. I have not only looked at food but also other ways to detox the body, mind and soul. So, this detox took a bit of planning because I want to give my body the best chance to heal and rejuvenate.

There are 4 stages to this detox:

• Stage 1 – Prep Stage 4 days

Removing all inflammatory foods from the body prior to starting the detox, so no coffee, gluten, sugar, red meat, dairy etc…you get the general idea.

• Stage 2 – Juice Cleanse 3 days

Nothing but veggie and fruit juices for 3 days. I may add some miso soup or bone broth if really hungry. This time I have chosen to buy fresh cold pressed juices for the convenience.

• Stage 3 – Kitchari Cleanse 5 days

My eating “decline” usually start at the beginning of December with my birthday, then follow numerous Christmas parties and then my son’s birthday.

This stage involves eating kitchari only and nothing else. Kitchari is an age old Ayurvedic detox/cleanse food used by yogis (and non-yogis) all over the world. It is said that kitchari is food for the body, mind and soul. The combination of rice, mung beans and spices is very detoxing and grounding. To make the kitchari easier to digest I will sprout the mung beans and soak the rice overnight.

• Stage 4 – Plant Based Eating 2 days

Plant based food only to ease out of the detox and ease back into other foods. These two days will be spent eating fruit, salads, veggies and soups to slowly introduce food back into the body.

To enhance my detox I will be using some supplements and also incorporating a few other things to reset my body and help it heal:

• L-Glutamine – to help heal the gut
• Chlorophyll – to help with the detoxification process
• Bentonite Clay – drinking clay removes heavy toxins from the body
• Triphala – Ayurvedic herbs in tablet form that help with the elimination process
• Probiotics/probiotics – to help restore healthy gut bacteria
• Guasha Wash – ancient skin cleanse/detoxification process that helps with skin tone and vitamin D absorption
• Dry body brushing – helps the detoxification process by removing dead skin cells from the body and improving circulation
• Epsom salt baths to help detoxification and relaxation
• Meditation – detoxifying the mind. At this stage I have to admit that I can only do about 10 minutes of meditation but anything is better than none.
• Castor oil poultice-to draw out the infection from my shoulder

All of this may seem a bit excessive to you, but I can guarantee you that it will be worth it. I am going into this detox with full confidence and belief into the healing process. Once I have finished the detox I will be doing another post on the whole experience.

There is no need to be afraid of a detox or cleanse. Just follow the simple 3 P’s concept: Planning, Preparation and Positivity. Once you are prepared and know what you are doing it’ll be a breeze,  and you will be feeling so much better for it.

If you want to find out more about this detox, or any of the above mentioned processes, or do a detox/cleanse yourself but don’t know how and where to start, contact me…I can always put a personalised detox plan for you to help you help yourself.