Welcome to this blog mini-series where you are going to learn how to do a safe and effective cleanse so that you can improve your energy level, lose weight and decrease many annoying and life limiting symptoms.
First
Download and complete your cleanse quiz you so you understand the aspects of your wellbeing that are majorly affected by toxicity.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE QUIZ
Second
Get pen and paper and take some notes as I am going to give you lots of information on this blog and you want to make sure you get the most relevant down on paper.
Third
Let me tell you how powerful a cleanse can be …because I know this from the many clients that went through my cleanse programme but also from a personal experience.
My story (if you are in a hurry, skip to the “Let’s start” section)
I struggled with fatigue and exhaustion for years, and I was plagued by psoriasis which made me feel uncomfortable and unconfident.
In my thirties, over 20 years ago, I remember always struggling with energy and to get things done…the most common sentence I was repeating throw-out the day was: “I am so tired …. “
I believed I was doing everything right when it came to my health, eating healthy ( or so I thought) , trying to exercise, although it was a struggle because of how exhausted I was feeling …going to bed early ( I had no choice as I was crushing each night by 9 pm !) … and I was still feeling incredibly tired and emotional and my psoriasis was getting worse.
After few attempts to get some answers from my doctor …my refusal to take anti-depressants and a serious health condition which affected my daughter, I and started to look for answers myself and in my early forties I embarked in a new long educational journey … after 4 years of studying I qualified as a NT and during that educational journey what I discovered is that some of the foods I was eating, were making me sick and sucking the energy right out of me.
Yes, I always thought I was eating healthy foods. But what I didn’t know is that I had two major food sensitivity that aggravated my psoriasis and made me feel so lethargic and chronically tired.
And some foods were also affecting the chemical balance in my brain and my moods were going up and down like a yo yo !
A cleanse helped me identified the foods which weren’t suitable for me and when I eliminated them, I start feeling immediately better. Now more than 10 years on from then, I still practice regular cleansing to support my natural detoxification and to reboot my system. I feel healthier and more energetic now that I am in my 50s than I never done in my 30s!
And I am telling you this because I want you to know that this is how you will feel once you complete a cleanse.
And the good news is it is only 14 days and it can be delicious.
Let’s start!
I am going to explain you two of the main points of focus during a successful cleanse: Hydration and Food Elimination
POINT 1: HYDRATION
You must drink clean, filtered, plain water … do you know what you minimum amount of daily water intake should be?
This is your formula to find out:
There is a little bit of math involved… take your kg body weight and multiply it by 2.2 to find out your weight in pounds. Multiply that number for 33 ml ( 1 liquid ounce) and : 2 – this is your minimum amount of water – that you need every single day – if you exercise or talk a lot like I do …you need more
Ex: Body Kg weight is 65Kg – 65Kg x 2.2 = 143lb x 33ml =4,719ml :2 = 2,360ml = 2.4l of water ( round up to the next deciliter)
During a cleanse you should add to that amount of water some herbal teas and extra fluid as it is important to support the flashing out of toxins from your body. Which ones I recommend?
I recommend any tea that contains these herbs, ingredients: fennel, nettle, peppermint, milk thistle, ginger and cinnamon.
Some of these herbs are liver supportive, and stimulate the release of bile, ginger is anti-inflammatory and cinnamon is great to help you to calm down cravings. Cinnamon tea after lunch can take the place of that sweet something that you maybe are used to have.
Green tea, especially matcha tea is great, but remember that green tea contains caffeine so be moderate .
Lemon juice mixed in water is another great addition to your hydration as lemon juice (freshly squeezed only) is highly alkalizing and it will help to reduce inflammation in your body.
Make a plan for yourself and make sure you do drink at regular intervals and you know what you are drinking and when.
My clients who are taking part to a cleanse programme receive a daily protocol so they know exactly what , when and how to drink during the day to reach optimal hydration and maximum benefits form the cleanse .I cannot stress enough how it is important to keep optimally hydrated during cleanse .
POINT 2: FOOD TO ELIMINATE
Don’t get overwhelmed …a cleanse is simple …but I agree that it is not easy.
There are many foods which are part of your daily routine that you will have to take out … many people immediately ask: what am I going to eat ???
They get worried and confused and they give up at the very beginning because they lack the knowledge about alternatives that they can adopt, and they don’t have a plan and the time to make one.
So be patient, you will have to do some homework here and get prepared with a list of alternative ingredients and recipes …it will take some time but it will be extremely worthy it for your health and weight and the amazing way you will be feeling.
You need to eliminate caffeine, any type, alcohol, any type of sugars ( even the one you might think as natural …honey maple syrup … gluten grains and all their products, peanuts, soya and all soy products , dairy products and the nightshade family of vegetables ( aubergines aka eggplants , tomatoes, peppers, potatoes) and yeasts and product containing yeast … don’t panic there are alternatives … as I said it is simple but not easy but I repeat incredibly worthy if you want to improve your toxicity scores, you symptoms, your skin health, weight and certainly your energy.
You also eliminate any CRAP from your diet : carbonated drinks ,refined carbs artificial sugar and processes food… anything that is ready cooked, takeaways and any meals that comes in a pack …you will be cooking from scratch… once again don’t worry and don’t panic… you are probably thinking OMG this woman lives on planet Lalaland …but I can assure you that I am, like you, busy working and living and I cannot spend hours in thicken preparing my meals…but with the right recipes and food prep and planning …it can be done ! You too can do it… no matter how busy you are! Trust me I have seen people who never cooked before saying to me how easy it has been once they have a plan to follow.
In the cleanse program I run, the large majority of my clients are women with busy working schedules and children and believe me they all fall in love with the food that they eat…and that they are preparing themselves …I provide recipes and substitution ingredients so it is super easy for the participants to create their own cleanse friendly recipes and they also have the choice to follow a plan with daily recipes and shopping list done for them.
It is important that to succeed you do the same, prepare at least a weekly plan in advance of the food you want to eat, your recipes and your shopping list and pay attention to leave out the following:
CAFFEINE ALCOHOL SUGARS GLUTEN GRAINS PEANUTS. SOYA DAIRY NIGHTSHADE FAMILY YEAST
WHAT NEXT
In the next blog I will explain you which daily practices you need to add to your cleanse to make it successful. In the meantime, you can start planning a menu plan which is allergens and toxin free. To get some ideas go to my Instagram account which is called everydaynutrition_with-monica and follow me as I am posting ideas on cleanse recipes and you get some inspirations and help there .
And if you want some info on my next cleanse, click here
Wishing you the best of health and vitality
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