Hahaha! I thought I’d throw a little holiday humor into the week, since my detox is a preventative measure against the gluttony of sweets, rich foods and holiday cheer that I might find myself tempted to partake in.
For those of you who are curious about whether or not the sugar cravings go away when you detox, I’m living proof that THEY DO!!!!!! But, not after experiencing what is known as the Herxheimer Reaction , which can make the detox process mighty unpleasant.
For instance, while today I awoke feeling energized, had NO cravings for anything at all, and had the energy to exercise at 6am (I teach a 6 am fitness class Tues/Thurs), yesterday I felt as thought I’d been hit by a truck. I wanted everything from peanut butter sanwiches to ice cream sudaes to giant burgers. All these wild craving were couple with a massive headache, back ache, and overall feeling of malaise. Yep, that is Herxheimer, for sure!
When the body detoxes, it pushes out ‘junk’ that was hidden in the cells, and that junk needs to be filtered through the body and eliminated. I also felt (and still do) wildly thirsty, as though I just can’t get enough water. My urine is dark, which tells me that I’m filtering lots of crud out through my kidneys. Thank goodness for all the beets, greens and the juice I made with A. yesterday. And thank GOD for avocados – I need some fat to get through this!!!
My plan is to stick with this until Thanksgiving, and then to be moderate in my choices. I’m in charge of the stuffing (gluten-free and full of veggies) and cranberry sauce (no added sugar), and we’ll have lots of other healthy stuff, but I’m still excited about the feeling of going into the holiday really ‘clean’, both in mind and body.
As the detox fog lifted last night I felt so good and clear that I journaled, read a book (which I usually only do when I’m going to bed) and watched two episodes of Sex in the City, season 5. A great night!
Okay, gotta get some work done, but I’ll leave you with this recipe for a juice that actually tastes okay. You need a juicer to make it.
1 bunch purple + 1 bunch green kale, washed and trimmed
two green apples, cut into small chunks (depending on your juicer)
1/2 cup of chopped ginger root
1 ‘square’ of Wheat Grass, wrapped up in the kale (take a few pieces of grass and wrap in the kale)
1 whole lemon, chopped
Slowly juice all the ingredients, blending the apples and the green. We found it helpful to add some greens and then push them through with the apple chunks. You can rejuice the pulp too, to get a little extra. This makes about 20 oz of juice, depending on your juicer. You can compost the pulp, make a bread with it (like zucchini bread) or give it to any animals that would eat this odd combo. It was actually tasty!
Ciao…..
Off White Living 