okay Holimamas and papas too! cleaning our bodies is up on the list starting this weekend. take some time this week to think about and write down what you'd like to accomplish in the next couple of weeks personally.
i'd like to
1. be more physically active
2. cut out the sugar from my diet (yes, including fruit!) and
3. be more laid back
cleansing will officially start on Sunday!
sign up on the discussion boards NOW: http://vitalityventures.proboards.com
so, what does this cleanse entail?
since this is not one of my structured cleanses for clients, you can do whatever you'd like. i will be writing about green smoothies, cultured foods/drinks and getting my veggies on!
what are green smoothies you ask? green smoothies are any regular fruit smoothie (sans the milk or yogurt) with a green veggie thrown into the mix. many first starting on this like the sweet smoothies that include bananas, mangoes, pineapples, etc. simply make a smoothie of your favorite fruits, add around 1-2 cups of water and a green of choice. the green can be anything from celery to collards! favorites of mine include kale, spinach, romaine and sunflower sprouts.
bananas are a great base if you're going for the fruit smoothies. they thicken up the smoothie like a yogurt would. if you like it cold, peel the bananas, then freeze them! berries are perfect as well.
some foods to extract from your diet while on the cleanse:
-dairy
-animal products
-bread or any flour product
-sugar, including honey, maple syrup and agave nectar (besides fruit)
-any processed foods
remove these sooner rather than later! DO NOT binge the night before the cleanse. you will be very very sad the first day of the cleanse if you do so! by removing these foods now, you'll have a smooth transition and be a much happier person!
although you love these foods, they slow down a cleanse and are counter-productive to what you will be doing. they slow down digestion, add extra hormones and chemicals to the body and create more work for the body to do. the point of a cleanse is to give the body a break from digesting big foods so that it can focus on healing. include high fiber foods to brush out the intestines and colon naturally.
buy a large amount of foods before the cleanse starts. also, take an afternoon or evening to meal plan your family's meals throughout the cleanse so you don't have to worry about it while cleansing. been there, done that. trust me, it helps!
you may decide to replace 1 meal with a green smoothie and eat 2 regular meals, or replace all 3 meals and just go liquid for the cleanse. its all up to you! if you decide to eat 1 meal per day, i suggest making it lunch as digestive fires are most productive between the hours of 10am and 2pm. so, have a green smoothie for breakfast, a regular lunch like a big ol' salad and a green smoothie for dinner. oh, and when you drink your green smoothies, you should drink them until you're full. not just 1 skimpy glass. go for it! put your green monsters in a huge jar and carry them around with you all day!
here's my personal option:
since i'm nursing a 7 month old, i will be including some fat for extra calories in my diet from avocados and some nuts and seeds like soaked almonds, sunflower seeds and such.
i'll have a big ol' green smoothie for breakfast made out of things like granny smith apple, celery, romaine lettuce, avocado and cilantro (i'm personally staying away from fruit besides the occasional berry). i also will be drinking coconut water kefir every morning to replenish my digestive flora that seems to be a bit off kilter. (see the Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates for more info on this).
lunch will be food. i eat very well and cleanly as it is, so will have salads, nuts, seeds and maybe seed-grains like quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth and millet depending on my milk supply as i go through this. (i've never cleansed while breastfeeding such a young babe, so this will be a first - just have to make sure i get enough calories).
dinner will be another green smoothie. i adore blended salads, so this will probably be my choice. i consume them like a soup. the more sunflower sprouts, the better! i adore them!
snacks will most likely be needed in between meals for myself, so i'll keep them handy. for those of you who are consuming fruit, just keep tons of it handy: bananas, apples, grapes, citrus...
if you're looking to go hog wild on this cleanse, stay away from all fats. you'll get some big results most likely!
with cleansing, there are often detoxification symptoms one may expect. symptoms can include one or more of the following:
-moodiness, mood swings
-feeling tired and lethargic
-halitosis (bad breath)
-skin eruptions (acne, eczema, ...)
-sluggish bowels or overactive bowels
-difficulty focusing/brain fog
-bloating/water retention
there are great symptoms that may occur as well:
-need less sleep
-extra energy
-feelings of strength and vitality
-feeling focused
-bowel regularity
-better skin (smoother, smaller pores, more hydrated)
i've created an online board for us to support one another and share experiences and recipes. please go to http://vitalityventures.proboards.com. take a moment to register (kept completely confidential - for our privacy's sake) and you'll be all set. that's the only sign up you have to do!
feel free to leave me a message or email me if you'd like to share anything, let me know you're joining or have any questions.
i will get into depth about my experiences with cleanses, why i've chosen the no-fruit way and how we can all achieve optimal results on this cleanse no matter the phase that you are doing.
so, join me! support is wanted and needed by YOU!
http://vitalityventures.proboards.com
post questions on the discussion boards please!
in health and happiness,
Stanzi
Holimama
