Hello! How are you all? I’m doing pretty well. Feeling pretty good. The laundry is almost all caught up from this weekend, now the house just needs to be cleaned a bit and we will be back in working order.
Clean Program Update
I wanted to give you an update on the Clean Eating Program I have been following for the last couple of weeks. For those of you who may have missed it, you can check out the clean program I am following by reading this post: Clean Eating Program.
If you will recall, the program offered the option of following the cleanse for 1-3 weeks. Along with the variation in length of time there was also an option of following the real cleanse which is smoothie/shake in the morning, solid meal for lunch, and a smoothie/shake for dinner OR you can simply follow along with the foods from the Elimination Diet OR you can try to do a combination of the two variables. The elimination diet removes dairy, eggs, wheat, caffeine, refined sugar, alcohol, red meat, strawberries, corn, and certain other foods that individuals tend to be sensitive to.
How I Followed the Clean Program
For the first 5 days I was following the cleanse to a T; a smoothie in the morning, a solid meal for lunch, a smooth blended soup for dinner. I would stop eating in the evening so that to allow my body 12 hours to digest and detoxify before my next meal in the morning. I was snacking in between meals only if I truly was hungry and would generally grab for raw fruits or vegetables if I did need something.
Well, after day 5, I was starting to get real tired of all of this. I would dread eating smooth soup in the evening not only because it bores me having the same thing night after night but also because it was 90 something degrees outside and hot soup is just not appealing when it’s that hot. I’m not a fan of cold soup either. At this point I decided in order to save my sanity, I was going to continue the Clean Program, but would allow myself more solid meals from the elimination diet if I wanted to. This has been working out very well for me for the most part. Often I will still have a smoothie in the morning, a solid meal at lunch and a solid meal at dinner. I am trying to be careful with the snacking but have been finding myself grabbing for the jar of mixed nuts time after time. I believe it’s because my body was/is missing the extra protein.
It worked out really well to follow the modified version of the program while we were camping. There was no way I was going to be drinking 2 smooth meals while we were away. It could have been done, but it wouldn’t have been easy, or enjoyable. With a crazy amount of food preparation, I was able to make enough meals and snacks for us so that we could continue to follow the elimination diet while we were away.
We went out to eat a couple of times and were able to mostly stick to the plan too. At the first restaurant we ordered a bison burger with a side salad. I just had to take the bun and the tomatoes off. The second restaurant I ordered whitefish with a side salad. I didn’t follow the plan exactly because I had their maple mustard on my salad. I couldn’t say no to that dressing when I was there, I mean come on. Again, I picked off the tomatoes, and the cheese and the strawberries, and enjoyed the rest of the meal completely.
Oh, and I enjoyed a couple of glasses of red wine too. That’s not in the plan. But for the most part, I did a pretty good job of sticking to the program.
How my body is responding
The intention of the cleanse is to remove excess mucus from the body and help to remove toxins as well. Our bodies are constantly working to remove toxins from the body but this just helps give the body a little nudge.
I can’t sit here and say wow, I feel incredible after doing that, but I can truly say I feel better. Quite a bit better in fact. I can’t really explain how I feel except for I do feel more “clean.” I will be anxious to follow-up with my naturopath and to find out how balanced my body is now compared to my last visit with her. I surely hope it has improved since last time! Otherwise I may be a little disappointed.
What I miss
Knowing that this cleanse was only temporary helped me when thinking of the foods I would need to remove from my diet. However, I am only human and I am really missing some of my favorite things: bananas, peanut butter, fresh summer corn, strawberries and tomatoes. Those are probably the main foods I am missing. Chocolate is another one but I have been able to make my own sugar-free version using raw organic cacao powder, coconut oil, almond butter, and stevia. I will be writing a post on this one soon! This has helped me a lot.
What’s Next
Three weeks is the maximum amount of time that one can continue on this cleanse (especially if following the option 1 plan with the two blended meals and one solid meal). After that time, it is recommended that you slowly wean yourself off of the cleanse and slowly reintroduce some of the foods you have eliminated. This is a perfect time to test specific foods for intolerances. It’s kind of like introducing new foods to infants: when you introduce a new food, you will want to wait a few days before introducing another new food to watch for any adverse reactions. Now that it has been two weeks, I am slowly reintroducing some foods. The first was raisins; my body tolerated them well. The next was wine, again my body seemed okay with it (my wine consumption is probably once every 2-3 weeks btw). Today, I will be reintroducing bananas which I am very excited about. I will continue reintroducing the foods back into my diet and watching for any adverse reactions until I am completely back to my normal diet.
I will most likely continue having smoothies for many of my breakfasts because it’s summer and a cold smoothie in the morning is pretty fantastic, but I am excited to be able to include more fruits like strawberries and bananas which were not allowed on the elimination diet.
My meals will become more exciting again! Wooo!! This means new recipes and fun food photos.
I am very glad I completed this cleanse. Although I modified it slightly to fit my lifestyle and the events of summer, I do feel proud to say I followed it closely enough to feel the effects. I would highly recommend this Clean Program to anyone who is feeling they need a little detoxifying. Talk with your doctor first though, please!
Feel free to ask me questions about the program. I’m not expert but I did read the whole book and have been researching quite a bit about it the computer.
I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!
I wonder why you can’t eat bananas and strawberries in this program? I think it’s great that you have been able to follow it through your travel and everything. I hope you continue to feel better.
Nicole @ FruitnFitness recently posted…ABC’s
Strawberries because the cleanse is aimed at decreasing the acidity in your system and also removes all highly allergenic foods, and bananas because they are so high in sugar. I had half a banana today though and all went well! Thank you for the well wishes sweetheart!
Glad to hear that it is working well for you and you are feeling good. Good job keeping up with it on your trip last weekend!!
Katie @ running4cupcakes recently posted…Grocery Challenge: Month 3!!
Thanks, I did my best!
I’m so happy to hear that you are feeling better! And I’m almost just as excited to hear that you are reintroducing bananas today 😉 I hope your body tolerates them well because they would be an amazing addition to your morning smoothies. I might have just missed this but are you trying to buy everything organic now? Is that part of the “clean diet”?
Becky @ Olives n Wine recently posted…Marathon Training – Week 5 Recap
I was thrilled to introduce bananas today too! I added a half of a frozen banana to my smoothie this morning and they just make the world of difference! So deliciously sweet! I am trying to buy mostly organic but not everything. I should really buy all organic but my wallet doesn’t love that idea. 🙂
Good for you girl!! I am with you in that a little red wine never hurt anyone 😉 I am checking in with my naturopath weekly and she has had me eliminating pork and cheese (tear). I have to agree though the whole eating clean makes me feel SO much better! Water bottle Cheers to that!
Water bottle cheers absolutely! Has she recommended you eliminate anything else? Any additions she has talked about? We really need to catch up and compare notes!
I have to say, you are a tough cookie for being able to maintain the cleanse. There’s no way I could give up all of those things.
Hopefully, it helps you understand your body a little better in the end!
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health recently posted…Grilled Corn & Tomato Orzo with White Wine Sauce
Does it ever! Our bodies are so complex and when one part is off, something else is usually off too. It’s all about finding balance and listening to the body. It’s incredible what it can tell us if we listen.
Can you tell me how you make your smoothies? Did you see this? : http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/3-day-jumpstart-cleanse-kit (entire page)….
and this : http://www.cleanprogram.com/files/dr-oz-clean-detox-manual.pdf
But I’m confused…how many servings do those shakes call for? Please tell me 🙂
I’m struggling with extreme fatigue, muscle heaviness (my legs), and constipation (the constipation is the worse because it seems wrong to eat when like this and all I want to do it sleep …but I feel I “need” to eat)…I’m looking into cheap ND’s but no luck so far…I really have to get this waste out of my body (so uncomfortable 🙁
Im not good with strict things (willpower fail) but am SO down about this. constipation SUCkS.
I would be lost without bananas! That cleanse sounds intense, but glad it seemed to work for you!
Katie @ Daily Cup of Kate recently posted…Strength Training Moves For Runners
Tell me about it! They are one of my favorite foods! I am glad I am able to incorporate them into my diet again. My body seems to like them!
Hey again, sent you an email (thanks for replying, you seem so lovely!). So curious also about how to choose btw “clean”, “refresh” and “clean gut” (3 different versions). And smoothie recipes would be great. Something simple and not complicated I guess.
Hi there! I guess I’m not sure why I chose Clean over the other two. It was just the first one I put into my cart! He he. No reason really. I am however still intrigued by the Clean Gut one. The book offers some smoothies and I have some on my blog if you search smoothies!