I am writing this post after just coming off my first ever 4 day cleanse.
What exactly do I mean by cleanse?
Going on a cleanse gives your body time to detoxify anything it may be holding onto in the body (heavy metals, excess estrogen and other hormones, undigested food, environmental toxins) mainly through the liver and the large intestine (though there are also ways to detox throughout the skin such as dry brushing and saunas). This is done by eliminating common food irritants from the diet such as sugar, gluten, dairy, red meat, processed food and oils, caffeine, and alcohol. That way the body actually has time to remove the built up toxins because new ones are not being introduced for a certain period of time.
There are many different types of cleanse programs offered by doctors, health coaches, authors, bloggers, you name it, but for my cleanse I chose to follow the Womancode protocol by holistic health coach Alissa Vitti. This woman is a total boss, revolutionizing the way woman view their cycles and relate to their hormones. She is also an IIN alum! She teaches women to link their lifestyle and diet to their hormonal cycle, helping to heal issues such as PCOS, infertility, painful periods, ovarian cysts, fibroids, high blood sugar, skin issues, bloating, constipation, and IBS. I highly recommend her book if you are looking to reset and balance your hormones as well, or if you are struggling with any of these issues. The cleanse itself consists of four days of eating high fiber (flax seeds, supplements, fruits & veggies), lots of greens (green juice, chlorella, and plenty of salad), simple carbs and protein (brown rice, quinoa, white fish, salmon, lentils, and mung beans), low glycemic fruits such as apples, pears, and berries, and herbal teas
Why I did it:
I did this cleanse for a couple of different reasons. Firstly, I had just gotten back from vacation; a time when most of us eat out and indulge. Second, it's finally spring time in New York, and I figured my life could do with a little spring cleaning. I have taken this time to reset my diet, and my home environment by cleaning out my house, donating a bunch of things we don't need, and switching out my cleaning products and body products for more natural options. Third and probably the biggest reason is I have been dealing with seborrheic dermatitis for the last few years with no signs of it getting better. Seborrheic dermatitis is a skin condition mainly on the scalp that causes inflamed scaly patches and excess dandruff on the affected area. My dermatologist insists that this is a chronic condition that has no link to my diet or environment, but being a holistic health coach I am inclined to think otherwise. Many skin issues can be sourced from an unhealthy gut or unbalanced hormones. While I understand that this condition is an autoimmune response that can only be maintained and not completely cured, I am attempting to heal it by supporting my organs of elimination and focusing on gut health. Because of this I have also been introducing many gut healthy foods to this cleanse such as a probiotic supplement, collagen powder, bone broth, and fermented foods such as kombucha, kimchi, and kefir.
I do not expect this cleanse to completely clear my skin. It is important to note that health takes time, effort, and consistent habits to maintain. No one should ever turn to any kind of cleanse, supplement, or food as an ultimate solution. They are simply tools to get us started on the right track, to support our body in the healing process. This cleanse definitely taught me valuable lessons about my relationship with food. It also gave me more energy after feeling drained from vacation, and allowed me to start incorporating healthier choices to heal my gut. It taught me to become more sensitive to my hormones and intuitively choose what I need to keep them balanced. I know this experience will affect everyone differently, but here are a few main points I'd like to touch on.
What I learned:
1. Food is Emotional
The first day of the cleanse was rough. I thought to myself: "I eat pretty well already", and "I am excited to do something like this for myself," and even "four days will breeze by." Well all I could feel that first day was resentment. Hot burning resentment for every other person on the planet who could still eat pizza, who could have a piece of chocolate if they wanted, who was eating pirogues. Screw them. And over the next few days I would learn just how emotionally connected I am to my food. How I use food not only to fill me up and give me energy, but to comfort me during a bad day, to entertain me when I am bored, to bond with the people around me, and to make me feel good about myself in general. Sure we all know this to be true; intellectually it's obvious (especially for us health coaches) but it didn't actually hit home for me until I began restricting myself. I'm sorry but a bowl of brown rice just isn't very comforting when you're having a rough day at work. These realizations helped me to get clear about my intentions behind food. What is it I really need when I am craving a snack? Am I actually hungry? Or am I unwilling to deal with what actually feel? And how are my hormones linked to this decision? Is there a better option that can satiate me and keep my hormones in check? Maybe the "better option" isn't as exciting, and throughout this cleanse it usually wasn't, but this practice revealed to me how my emotions are connected to my eating patterns.
2. Habit Informs our Choices
I usually eat about 5 times a day: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 snacks in between. Since this cleanse did not encourage a ton of snacking, I decided to cut my morning snack. At first it was difficult to make it all the way from breakfast to lunch without eating. I kept telling myself I was hungry, but by the 4th day I found it a lot easier to go without. My body had adapted. This made me think how many times is my metabolism working out of habit? Do I actually get hungry at the same time every day and crave certain foods like clockwork? This cleanse made me realize that a lot of the cravings I experience throughout the day are not only linked to my emotions, but they could just be happening out of habit. And habits can be changed.
3. Intuitive Eating over Restrictions
As a health coach, I definitely do not prescribe to a restrictive eating lifestyle (unless there are severe allergies or food intolerances involved). Creating unbreakable rules for yourself hardly ever works long term; life is dynamic and your diet should be too! Diversity keeps our earth, our gut, and our soul happy. Because of this, I found the cleanse very challenging at times because I felt I was denying my body what it intuitively needed. Of course the cleanse is only four days, not forever, so a restrictive diet for this short period is a healthy exercise in self control. By the end of the cleanse however, I could see what a slippery slope restrictive eating could lead to. When I was coming off the cleanse, I started to experience fear around foods I had no problem eating before. I started questioning the validity of perfectly healthy foods just because I couldn't have them during the cleanse. Once we start to do this, the foods we let ourselves have become fewer and fewer, until not only are we depriving ourselves of necessary nutrients, we are also miserable and at risk of developing more serious health issues.
4. Meal Prep is Queen
I started this cleanse on Monday and finished Thursday. On Sunday I went to the store, bought everything I needed for the week, and prepped it in less than 2 hours. This made everything so easy day to day. When we plan ahead and prepare our meals, we save ourselves time, money, and decision fatigue. Since we already know what it is we're making we don't have to keep stopping at the store every other night to restock, and we don't have to take the time in the kitchen preparing each meal individually. We also do not have to spend so much energy deciding what to cook for ourselves. More structured meal prep is definitely something I am trying to incorporate post cleanse. To make the most out of your meal prep, here are a few tips:
- Pick a salad to make for the week. Make a huge batch of it, and throw it on the side for lunches and dinners.
- Pick a grain to eat for a few days such as brown rice, quinoa, or couscous. Make a big batch and throw in some sautéed garlic, mushrooms, onions, or herbs for extra flavor. Add a small portion to bulk up your lunches and snacks.
- Pick a few varieties of fresh and frozen fruit for smoothies and snacks.
- Buy a few grounding vegetables such as sweet potatoes, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, or squash and oven roast them at the beginning of the week on a large sheet pan.
- Always have a variety of nuts, seeds, and beans on hand to diversify your meals
Being prepared for your week means you are less likely to overindulge in junk food. When you aim to eat simple, cleaning up your diet can feel like a breeze.
5. We can always add more greens
This cleanse strongly encouraged plenty of greens at every meal. Most of us raised on the Standard American Diet are not too familiar with eating greens outside the steamed broccoli, canned peas, and classic iceberg salad. However it is extremely beneficial and easy to incorporate greens in each meal, even breakfast! Here are some tips:
- Always have a bunch of fresh greens in the fridge such as spinach, arugula, kale, bok choy, swiss chard, or lettuce. Because greens tend to go bad the quickest, you'll be more encouraged to use them each time you are cooking instead of wasting them.
- In order to preserve them longer, remove the greens from the plastic bags and place them in fresh water. I keep my kale in a mason jar and change the water every day to keep the leaves from wilting.
- Buy powdered green juice to add to your water in the morning, or get a juicer and make your own from scratch!
- Add greens to unexpected dishes like smoothies, omelettes, soups, grains, or sauté a big bunch to serve underneath your steak! Sneak them in to every meal. The more you eat them, the more you'll crave them
6. Fats are our friend
I usually eat a very high fat breakfast. Whether it is eggs, or avocados, or nuts, or peanut butter, I need my fat fix to feel satiated. Since I was eating less for this cleanse, I really noticed how my body utilizes healthy fat to stabilize my metabolism. When we pair foods with fat, our body takes longer to digest it. When I removed fat from the equation, I felt hungry constantly. Even though I thought I was craving junk food, I'd instantly feel better after eating an avocado. My body was not craving junk, it was craving fat. If you are someone who feels hungry all the time, has crazy cravings, or can't stop snacking check out my post all about the benefits of a high fat diet here.
7. Lastly, Mindful eating can transform our relationship to food
The last thing I observed during this cleanse was how I felt after I ate something mindfully, versus how I felt after eating while distracted. Who among us actually puts our phones away, our books down, and turns the TV off when we eat our food? Who is able to take more than ten minutes to scarf down a meal? Who eats too fast and is disappointed that the meal is over so quickly?? (Just me? Ok.) During this cleanse you are encouraged to eat undistracted, and chew your food slowly and mindfully. Because I was so damn hungry the first few days this was easy because I was looking forward to my meal so much. But as my body adjusted to eating less, and the food became repetitive, I really had to challenge myself to eat undistracted. Meal time is not another excuse to check an item off our to do list. It is a time to appreciate what we have in front of us, to savor the simplicity of every flavor, and to thank ourselves for taking care of our health. It is a time to check in with our body, and enjoy the environment we are in.
There you have it. If you are inspired by this post and want to attempt this cleanse for yourself I would love to support you! Please contact me over on my contact page or leave a comment below to get the conversation started. I also highly recommend Alissa Vitti's book Womancode. You can check out more of her work and her FLO living program on her website www.floliving.com
Peace and greens,
The Homemade Sage
xxoo