Cleaning Out

This week I started on a cleanse.  After spending last week weaning off certain foods, today is officially Day 1.  Although several of my friends have done different kinds of cleanses throughout their life, this is a first for me. 

I chose to do this not because I'm unhealthy, but because my body felt like it needed it and I was curious to see how it would affect my overall health.  

Our bodies are essentially toxic.  The foods we eat containing sugar, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, food additives, preservatives, along with the amount of stress we take on coupled with environmental elements (chemicals, mold, solvents, even medications we take) are all contributing to a body that is out of balance.  In order to eliminate these toxins and restore balance, we need to detoxify the body.  This means cutting out the processed foods, hydrogenated (trans) fats, sugars, caffeine, alcohol and replacing them with good proteins (chicken, fish, nuts, soy), good carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans) and good fats (nuts, extra virgin olive oil, avocados).  

This is no cleanse where you fast for 21 days.  You eat, but its WHAT you eat that helps your body flush out the toxins.  So far there is a noticeable difference in my overall level of energy, concentration, focus, and sleeping patterns (remember, this is including the past week of eliminating alcohol, caffeine, sugar, dairy, bread, etc.).

 

This particular cleanse I'm doing is a lot to take on and you've really got to commit yourself in order to get the maximum results.  So for those who are not ready to do something like this, here's my recommendation.  Try cutting out, or at the very least, cutting back on one thing from the list of "bad" foods like sugars, and replacing it with one (or several) of the "good" foods, like more leafy greens.  Try this for one week or perhaps two, and see what happens.  Maybe you'll be inspired to eliminate something else.

Now go eat an apple (organic of course!)