Detox Continues!

I guess I have a lot to catch up on since my last post was about Days 5 and 6! Today is Day 20 on the detox! Week two of the detox I did a mix of whole fruits and veggies with some beans too. I drank several different juices but just began to crave something to chew on so I started eating carrots and hummus. At the end of week two I added protein back into my detox! I began to stall and feel a little bloated with all the fruits and veggies... my body is just not a vegan body... I am a carnivore... not an omnivore even really... carnivore through and through.

At the end of week two my weight loss was 15 lbs and my inches lost was over 20! Wooohooo! But with out the protein I felt like I was getting into a stall.

I have to admit that week three on my detox has not gone as well. I messed up yesterday and gained a ton of water weight! Why? Well I decided that I wanted some of my son's pirate booty! Being a little depressed with all this snow around I caved. Had I been able to go for a walk or do something else outside of the house I probably would not have caved.

For those of you who don't know what Pirate Booty is it is like a healthier version of a cheeto. After not having any processed food for so long by body was just not liking the pirate booty... plus I have had no grains since I began.

First thing that happened was the palate of my mouth swelled up...allergic reaction... then I bloated up. :( Not good! I know it is just an allergic reaction weight gain but it is still disappointing. It is also a bummer that I reacted so much because that shows me that the grains in Pirate Booty are ones that I definitely react to besides glutens. Pirate booty has Corn and rice in it with some cheese. Since I have not reacted to the cheese that I had earlier in the week I am pretty sure that I am allergic to either corn, rice or both. I will have to narrow it down more before I complete my detox later on, but for now they are both out still!

In order to detox my body from the corn and rice I am planning on going back on the Spicy Lemon Detox Juice with some very lean protein for a few days! I think that will make my body much happier!

Sunday will be the start of week 4! I am surprised it is going so fast! During week four like I said I will be upping my Spicy Lemon Detox Juice and try to keep to extra lean proteins! One of the best extra lean proteins is Egg Whites! There is a lot you can do with egg whites! You can whip them up and make meringues, make egg white omelets, or just boil them! When I boil the eggs I just take the yellows out and give it to my dog who really loves them as a treat!

Hopefully the snow will melt soon and Asher and I will be able to go for walks again! That will help too! Skin helps detox your body by sweating out the toxins! For now thought I think I am going to use my Malibu Pilates machine to get any of those nasty cravings away! Week four is going to be a great week!

Day 5 and 6 of Detox! More juicing!

Day 5 and day 6 of the detox seemed to fly by! The juices I tried were great! Well most of them where great! I did end up giving one to Chris!

Basically I made a whole bunch of different green juices and a couple of great berry juices!

My choice for greens was organic baby spinach because they are high in vitamins and are abundant right now and when you add either a citrus fruit or parsley the spinach is not tasted at all! It is great! Normally I don't like spinach salads the texture doesn't thrill me but as a drink it works well!

All the phytonutrients in leafy green veggies really help to boost your immune system which is great for detoxifying your body.

God created wonderful varieties of greens that you can choose from to put in your green juice. Here are some of my favorites:

Collard Greens

Kale

Swiss Chard

Rainbow Swiss Chard

Green Cabbage

Parsley

Spinach

& Baby Spinach

You can pick up a lot of these greens at farmers markets when they are in season. Organic varieties of these veggies are also available from most quality grocery stores. I suggest trying a few to find your favorites!

Grapefruit is a great thing to add to green juice! It helps to cut some of the bitterness from the greens. We all know that grapefruit is good for weight loss and for vitamin C but did you know that it also helps fight free radicals and reduce toxins in the body. Grapefruit is know to help the liver to produce the enzymes it needs to detoxify the body. It has also been know to help lower cholesterol!

Apples add a little bit of sweetness and some more great benefits to green juice! Apples also have tons of great health benefits too! They are often overlooked by people looking for the new super fruits but apples actually can help lower cholestorol, helps your body make oxygen better and can help boost your imunity!

Berries are also great sources of vitamin... they will make green juice brown though so be prepared.

I will put up a couple of my favorite juice recipes from the 3 days of green juice! I really feel quite refreshed!

Day 4 on to Juicing!

Day three of Spicy Detox Lemonade went well! I was feeling better... less tired and it almost seemed as if mommy brain was gone too! If it can clear up mommy brain then it must be doing something good with the hormones in my body!

Today was the first day of juicing! I am using my VitaMixer so I am using whole fruits and veggies which is great for cleaning out the body and replenishing the nutrients that the toxic build up has stolen from the body!

I made 4 cups of juice today and 3 spicy detox lemonades that were hot.

The first juice was:

2 large handfulls of organic baby spinach

1/8 cup organic grapefruit juice

1/8 cup organic acai juice

1 large organic carrot

1/4 cup organic parsley

1/4 cup filtered water

This juice actually tasted really good. I was a very nice mix of greens and fruit! It was green in color which can put some people off but it was a much better color then then lunch juice! I will definitely use this recipe again.

The second juice was

2 large handfulls of organic baby spinach

1/4 cup Frozen berries

1/8 cup Organic Tart Cherry Juice

1/4 cup water

This juice looked much worse then the first but actually tasted pretty good too. It is one that I would make again some time... maybe not as much as the first one. The parsley really helped the baby spinach to blend in better in the first recipe.

The third juice I actually made for my husband and myself so I am not writing the amounts....In fact not sure I should even write what I put in it. It was healthy but tasted awful...I will not be making it again. Ok so it had tomato, broccoli, cabbage, carrot which would not have tasted so bad expect for the spices added cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and oregano. The oregano really over powered the juice and made it very yucky! Although my husband liked it a little because he drank 1.5 cups of it. I did make this warm by heating it in my VitaMixer.

After that I figured I needed a palate cleanser to help me feel happier tonight about my juicing.

Juice Number 4! Fruit Fresh!

1/8 cup organic grapefruit juice

1/8 cup organic acai juice

2 tblsp Organic Lemon juice

1/2 cup Frozen Berries

Liquid Stevia to taste

1/4 cup filtered water

This made almost the consistency of sorbet and was really very nice! The bitter flavors mixed with the sweet ones were great! It would make a great dessert for anyone!

I am following it up with a cup of hot lemon water because it is cold out!

I don't know how long I am going to be doing the no-protien cleanse though. It is very difficult for this carnivore. My body actually works best on protein. I am going to finish out this week juicing and see how my body feels!

I did weigh and measure at the beginning to the first phase of my detox... and here are the results:

Weight loss: 8.6 lbs

Inches lost: 7 inches!

Ok this was only 3 days! Whoooohoooo! But what is better then that is the energy level that is way up! Hopefully the juice days will keep this going!

Spicy Detox Lemonade!

Here is my Recipe for Spicy Detox Lemonade

In a 16 to 20 ounce glass mix

1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/8 tsp Cinnamon

1/8 tsp Ginger

1/4 cup Organic Lemon Juice

Liquid Stevia for a bit of Sweetness to taste

Then fill the rest with filtered water and stir! Then drink as desired. You may need to stir often to keep the spices mixed in and to keep the spices from floating to top or sinking to bottom of cup.

There are many benefits to the spices and other ingredients used in the Spicy Detox Lemonade. Each ingredient helps you get your body in peak working condition and helps your body to help detoxify itself efficiently.

Ingredient #1 Cayenne Pepper: Cayenne Pepper has "Capsaicin" which is what produces the heat in the pepper. Capsaicin is know to help with heart health, increase metabolism, kill cancers cells, heal ulser, and detoxify the body by increasing circulation. You can find many naturopathic doctors who talk about the benefits of Cayenne. There have been some pretty amazing stories on what Cayenne can do for you. Lower cholesterol is a great advantage of it too.

Ingredient #2 Cinnamon: Cinnamons greatest benefit in the detox is it's ability to regulate blood sugar. This can help you to feel more at ease during any detox program by keeping your bold sugar steady and helping to keep away the mood swings that come with low and high blood sugars. Another great benefit of Cinnamon is anti-fungal properties that help to regulate the yeast in your body and get rid of extra yeast which can keep your body unhealthy. If you are looking for these health benefits contact your doctor or naturopath to see how much you should ingest. Cinnamon can be toxic if taken too much so it is always best to check with a doctor but it has been used for thousands of years for its many health benefits.

Ingredient #3 Ginger: Ginger is most known for its properties that help it ease nausea and heartburn. It is often taken in the form of ginger ale and tea by pregnant people, people who are ill and by people who get car, sea or air sick. Did you know that it has the added benefits of being an anti-inflammatory as well a helpful herb in cancer prevention? Ginger is great to help your body work well and helps with pain as well. Again always check with a doctor or naturopath to see how much you should take if you are using it for medicinal purposes.

Ingredient #4 Lemon Juice: We all know that lemon juice is high in vitamin c and works as a diuretic in the body which can help with detoxification. The reason this can help is that toxins attach themselves to water and hide around fat cells. This cause the common effect of cellulite that is most visible in women but still happens often in men. What is not commonly known is that Lemon also has anti-bacterial properties as well as its ability to help with high blood pressure and depression. Lemon juice is also known to help with liver function and helps flush toxins out of your body by helping your digestive system work better! Consult a naturopath for how much will help in your specific situation.

Ingredient #5 Stevia: I use a natural pure form of Stevia that is liquid for my Spicy Detox Lemonade. Stevia has been used for years in South America and Asian to help those with high blood pressure and diabetes. Stevia is a sweet herb that can naturally sweeten your drink. Some people think that the Stevia you find in little packets in the store are the same as natural... it is not... if it has additives then avoid it. Instead look for any pure form of Stevia. That way you will know you are using a safe herb rather then an over processed chemical which only adds to toxicity. If you absolutely can't find Stevia try a small amount of honey or maple syrup.

Ingredient #6 Filtered water: Water is so important in detoxification! Your body is made mostly of water and you need to replace the water that has built up toxins in it with healthy good water!

I drink several glasses of my Spicy Detox Lemonade while doing a detox fast. This time I am having only Spicy Detox Lemonade and water for 3 days just so I can jump start the detoxification and help my bodies metabolism to be boosted.

God has created all these wonderful spices and food for us to use to heal our bodies from the inside out. Needless to say organic is better because then you aren't adding toxins back in.

It is a personal choice how long and how exclusively you want to do this detox. I would not do this form for more then three days. It is important that before starting any detox that you find out if it is safe for you. Take you detox plan to your doctor and ask what is best for you. I am not a doctor so none of this should be taken without your doctors help and advice!

A few extra bonuses and uses for Spicy Detox Lemonade!

In the winter try it warmed up at night after your meal. Not only will it aid in detox but it will also help digestion!

Got a cold? Make up some Spicy Detox Lemonade! It will help to loosen phlegm and give you some decongestion!

Soar throat... try it warmed up or gargle with it!

Is it torture when your husband watches Cup Cake wars during your detox?

So this is still day one of my detox for 2012 and my husband and son are enjoying a tray of peeps while watching cupcake wars. Yes you are reading this right... "Peeps and Cupcake wars". I thought I was doing really well today until tonight when I want to eat anything there is in the house!

I realized quickly that there was one important part of my detox that I forgot.... I forgot to give this process completely and totally over to God. I have to trust in Him and pray for patience, perseverance, strength and will power! Well maybe not the "will power" will power never works! It is relying on self. If we hand over our detox to the Lord and ask Him for wisdom and guidance through the process we are able to get through this with out the need to tear apart the cupboards for anything that resembles a cupcake.

Now true it may be easier to empty the cupboards and leave nothing nummy in the house for everyone in the house.... and it would be much easier if we were all doing it together but this is a time I need to set aside for myself to get healthy! Then I will be able to help my family make healthy choices too!

Having a picky eating two year old with gluten intolerance can really be hard to make 100% healthy all the time choices. Asher loves chocolate, cheese burgers (without the bun), Greek yogurt, apples, cheese and peas. Ok, maybe he will eat a few more things but this is what he loves right now. So making him chocolate pudding will be a challenge... maybe I can get my husband to do that for the next couple months.

I am getting hungry just typing this and my mouth.... it is actually watering. Uggghhhh! Ok, time to go make a glass of my Spicy Detox Lemonade!

That's better! Sip, relax, breath, be and know that God is here with me and that He will fill my every need! God's word is better then food! I feeds the soul! My body needs cleansing and my soul needs refreshing!

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Psalms 34:8

Lord God, I thank you that you have given me this time to reflect on you! I thank you for my husband who loves and supports me even while enjoying his treats. I thank you for my son and for the miracle he is in my life. Lord God you have blessed me with wisdom and guidance in this detox for my healthy and healing. Lord I pray that you will be with me and guide my steps that you will fill me up with your Holy Spirit and keep my spirit full when my body may not be. Help me to come to know you more in this time and help me to keep my eyes focused on you during this time! In Jesus's name I pray Amen!

My hubby is now watching the same cupcake war again... Why? Well because at the end he found out a gluten free baker won... and he wanted to know where they were from in case he could take me there some time! Bless his heart... he is so sweet... now if he can find a grain free baker we might be able to go in the 3 part of my detox! Just Spicy Detox Lemonade for 2 more days... then Green Juice bonanza... after that whole foods and last step proteins added back in! 2 months to a healthier and happier me! One day down.... 59 to go!

Taking the toxins of the year away! Welcome 2012!

2011 was a harsh year on my family. I found out I had had an infection from the time Asher was born to the beginning of 2011 which caused some female issues and hormone imbalances. I also found out that I was reacting to rice and other non-glutenous grains which was causing my body to retain water and stay at a higher weight. It is not good. Though I am still way down from when I was my largest in 2007 I am about the same weight I was when I had Asher 2 years ago! But now that I have found the reaction to the other grains I think this will be a better year!

It was also a bad year for my Dad and mom. My Dad had a stroke. Thankfully he is still able to walk, talk and do most things... but depression hit and made it stressful for him and my mom as well as the rest of the family! I am happy to say that things are starting to look better now! I am hoping for a happy and healthy year for both my mom and dad!

My sister in law had a high risk pregnancy but thankfully my nephew was born happy and healthy just a few days ago! So things a looking up for them as well! I am praying for a Happy and Healthy first year for him! My brother is so happy!

My husbands grandma was moved into a nursing home and out of her assisted living apartment. She had to be revived once this year. My husband has been so worried about her and really wishes she was closer but my husbands aunt wants to keep her in Florida. (Which is the other side of the country from most of her relatives accept her brother.) We really wanted to go see her this year but just could not afford the flight and other costs. This year my husband feels we need to make it happen... so of course we will!

My cousin had the battle of her life this year... she was diagnosed with breast cancer... and she conquered it! I am praying for her health and strength this year!

Many more families had other things they went through 2011 as well. It just seemed like something happened almost every month. This year....2012 has to be better!

So to start off this year right I am going grain free... yep completely totally grain free! Cold Turkey!!!!

To help with this process I am going to do a detox! I am starting out with my favorite Spicy Lemonade Detox! I am going to do Spicy Lemonade for 3 days then switching to juicing for a couple extra weeks!

Doing a detox like this takes some will power but it is amazing how you feel afterwards! I will give my recipes for all the juices I am using for my detox here as well as a picture of what they looked like!

MMMMMMmmmmmmm Spicy Lemonade! I love it!