We’re smack dab in the middle of summer. For many of us, it’s our favorite season of the year. And for good reason! The days are longer, it’s warmer, work is a bit more relaxed, and people just seem happier.
Extended daylight leaves a lot more time for happy hours, BBQ’s, beach time, outdoor fun, weddings, showers, bachelorettes and well-deserved vacations. With more events, chill atmospheres, and an inclination towards fun, there is a lot more temptation in which to indulge. I’m not a huge drinker (don’t be mistaken, I love some wine, a craft beer, and a good cocktail), but this time of year, I find myself wanting to partake in what feels like the ‘alcohol olympics’. There’s always something going on that involves alcohol, and while it’s fun to indulge and have a great time, too much leaves me feeling a little BLAH for lack of a better term. I feel groggy, cranky, bloated, and a bit sad.
This doesn’t even cover all of the amazing food that’s available everywhere you turn, and as a girl who loves to eat this is a slippery slope. While I’ll always get down with the goods, I like to make I’m eating foods that fuel my body and my mind and make me happy.
When I eat well and put nutrient dense in my body the world looks a bit brighter,
I feel better, and I am able to offer the best version of myself to the world.
Over the last few weeks, my digestion was feeling off, I was eating more processed foods that I would like, and I just felt like I needed to hit the reset button. After hosting a detox workshop a few weeks ago at Dr. Smood and writing this post about 3 easy ways to detox for summer, I realized that I needed to go deeper and actually do it for myself. So I enlisted a few friends and we got to work.
I know the word ‘detox’ can be intimidating because often think detox = deprivation, but that wasn’t the case for the detox I’m going to share with you. My goal is to never feel like I’m missing out on anything, and I do this by adding in more good stuff and simply removing the stuff that makes me feel like crap.
While the concept is simple, changing a habit is not. And for the most part, the foods that we eat, especially the unhealthy ones are because we’ve trained our bodies and have become addicted to things like refined sugar, caffeine, saturated fats, and salty foods. Highly processed and fast foods are designed to be addictive to keep you coming back for more, but these foods are incredibly detrimental to our health. Even with our best, healthiest intentions, we put toxins into our body every single day.
It might seem strange that as Health Coach I need to detox. The photos on my Instagram are all relatively healthy, and yes, I do lead a pretty healthy lifestyle, but everyone, and I mean everyone could use a quick detox.
Why Detox?
I like to think of my body as my vehicle through life, and the thing is we don’t get a lease. You get one. You wouldn’t put dirty water in your Mercedes Benz so why would you put shit in your body?
The world is an incredibly toxic place – especially New York City! Every day, whether intentional or not, we’re exposed to toxins in our food, in the air, and even in our homes. It’s almost inescapable. Every time we eat processed or genetically modified foods and unfortunately, we’re probably not even aware many of the times that we do, we’re ingesting toxins, pollutants and chemicals that are harmful to our bodies.
Due to the way that food is produced, high consumption of prepared foods, and our hectic lifestyle, we’ve departed from a more natural inclination to health. Think of it this way, when you were born or when you were a child, you were hungry when you were hungry and full when you were full – we didn’t over think everything we ate and likely had fewer stress triggers in our lives. Detox helps us to return to a more natural inclination by retraining the mind and body and cleansing the gut.
Because of all of this our organs – liver, kidneys, lymphatic, lungs, skin – are unable to eliminate all of the toxins.
A detox is designed to eliminate toxins from your body through elimination of certain food groups, toxic products, and lifestyle habits but more importantly it focuses on adding in more of the good stuff. By adding in more detoxifying nutrients, we allow our bodies to find a more innate sense of balance and what it feels like to live in a healthy ecosystem.
Is a Detox Right For You?
Do you….
- struggle with digestion
- have anxiety
- crave sugar
- feel bloated
- hit the 3pm slump every day
- over consume food at most meals
- lack energy
- do not sleep well
If any of these symptoms resonate with you, a simple detox could be just what you need to get back on track!
Here’s the thing, I’m not a ‘juice cleanse gal’, so I wanted to find something that would allow my body to reset and make me feel great that didn’t require giving up all food. I also really enjoy my social life with my friends and going on dates. This typically includes meals out and drinks. Of course, I could just say no and choose the ‘detox’ food on the menu, but I don’t want to sacrifice my little treats and indulgences in my life. So, I selected a plan that was going to challenge me in some ways but not so much that it seemed unachievable.
How the Detox Works
Length: 3 Full Days
Intensity: Perfect for beginners. Requires time for meal prep.
Non Negotiable Rules
- No caffeine
- No Alcohol
- No Gluten
- No Dairy
- No refined sugar
- No processed foods. EAT REAL FOOD.
- Eat local and/or organic when possible
- Take a probiotic
- Drink detox tea
- Mostly plants
- Drink a lot of water
- Incorporate movement and exercise every day
- Meditate for 10 minutes every day
For three days, you do not incorporate any of those items. However, the detox is not meant to deprive you. While you’re removing these things from your diet, you’re also adding in so much good. If you focus on adding in the beautiful, nutrient dense foods instead of removing some of your favorites, it will make the challenge much more doable.
Why 3 Days?
If you’re anything like me, you’ve got plans that you don’t want to sacrifice. I get it! 3 days is long enough to feel the benefits of the detox but not so long it’s unattainable.
The Food
I prepped the all of the food for 3 people on a Sunday evening and our detox started on Monday. If you’re already a real-food-foodie, this menu probably doesn’t look too different from how you eat every day. For me it was great to have everything planned in advance and held me accountable and away from the Beanitos!
Breakfast
Smoothie
Gluten Free Overnight Oats
Sweet Potato Pancakes
Lunch
Detox Salad
Sweet Potato Stuffed with Dijon Parsley Lentil
Roasted Veggie & Quinoa Salad
Dinner
Salmon with roasted veggies and lentils
Baked Chicken with Garlicky Charred Broccoli
Zucchini & Mung Bean Noodles with Vegan Pesto
Snacks
Cacao Bliss Balls
Dates with Almond Butter
Goop Detox Granola Bars
Raw Almonds
Fresh Organic Fruit
Drinks
Loads of water
Detox tea
Herbal Tea
Let me tell you, friends, this plan will not leave you starving! And if you’re hungry you can eat, just eat something that’s detox friendly after asking yourself if you’re truly hungry. A great test to determine true hunger is to drink some water, wait 20 minutes and see if the hunger pangs are still there.
You might be wondering how it went for me…
My Results
Confession, no coffee on the first day was rough. I didn’t get a headache, but I definitely felt a little foggy. So, on Tuesday, I did it! I had a few sips of regular coffee. I realized something pretty cool for me through this…the few sips were all I needed to feel satisfied! I didn’t need a huge cup of coffee to get me through my day.
It was cool, but it was also scary because it really proved that what we put in our body can act as a drug. Things like sugar, alcohol, and caffeine alter our state of mine and can be really toxic to our bodily functions, so I’ll continue to cut back.
My friends also loved the ‘detox’!
One friend said she felt totally satisfied and a lot better and my other, who has quite a sweet tooth, wasn’t craving sweets at all and thought she was doing it wrong! Woo hoo!
Overall, I loved it! It wasn’t too far of a departure from how I normally eat, except I didn’t have any chocolate the last few days, which are a huge mainstay in my diet. I also eat a lot of Beanitos and Siete wraps with my salads, but I realized that I don’t need it. I’ve rediscovered that food is fuel and can actually be quite simple when you let it. Having treats and indulgences is A OK in my book, but feeling good in my body and clear in my mind is even more important.
So what do you think? Are you ready to give this real food detox a shot? If it feels intimidating, try incorporating just a few components. But I really recommend doing it all at once. You’ll feel a greater impact on your mind and body, which will be motivation for future choices.
Another thing that helped me stay true to my detox was having friends in it with me. Find an accountability partner, someone who shares your goals and who you feel comfortable sharing how you’re feeling with. It’s so much easier to get through something challenging with a pal.
If you’re interested in learning more about my detox or want to get more details on doing on yourself shoot me an email and we’ll chat. I love hearing from you.
xx,
Hailey
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