Detoxing... The End Is Near

by Carmen Cruz


Ever done a cleanse before?
If you're like me, you hear people talking about how great they feel after doing a cleanse or detox, and you think to yourself, I'd like to do that...one day.
Then you think about how much discipline it requires, and how you'll (Gad forbid!) be deprived of your favourite foods (ie: sugar, bread, sugar, wine, chocolate, pasta, sugar, cheese, sugar). After that, the idea of doing a cleanse just tends to become less and less of a priority.

After much debate and delay, I finally decided to buckle down and give it a go. Even though I loves me my sugar, bread, cheese, etc., I decided it was time to give my body a break (when it comes to not-so-good foods). Enter the Wild Rose D-Tox. It's 12 days of extremely clean and healthy eating (absolutely no sugar, or dairy, amongst many other food restrictions), combined with 3 different herbal supplements and drops that you need to take twice a day.

Here's how my experience has been thus far:
Nothing says Fun & Sexy quite like the word 'Laxaherb'

Day 1: 
(Morning) What? I can't even put honey or Greek yoghurt in my steel-cut oats this morning? F this!
(Afternoon)What? No balsamic allowed in my salad? F this!
(Evening) What? I can't even have some grapes as a snack? WTF!!!


Day 2: 
So tired. Minimal energy. Starting to get irritable and brain is foggy. Why am I doing this again? I miss sugar... and cheese.


Day 3: 
Ridiculously tired. Minimal energy. Very irritable. Even my mother has decided to avoid me today. Seriously, why am I doing this again? I miss sugar.

Day 4: 
Energy is starting to pick up. Starting to enjoy using berries and fruit to sweeten food instead of sugar. Eating almonds till they come out of my ears, but it's not horrible. Ok. I think I can do this. I still miss sugar.

Day 5: 
Starting to feel really good. Getting some serious pep in my step. Feels like brain fog is completely gone and able to focus better than ever. Still miss sugar, but not as much. (Finally able to appreciate drinking black coffee. This is a first!).

Day 6: 
Practically bounced out of bed. Feeling amazing. So much energy. I like this. I like it a lot. Still not a major fan of the super restrictive diet though. It's really tough. On the plus side, I'm finally learning to cook. Miracles CAN happen!

Day 7: 
Feeling Good. REEEEEEEEEAL GOOD.

Day 8: 
Energy levels are through the roof. Skin is glowing. Feeling great, but getting tired of the restrictive diet. Seriously? I can't even eat bananas or oranges? :(

Day 9 (today):
Feeling awesome, but ready for this to be over now. Eating sushi without soya sauce just ain't cutting it anymore.

The end is near (thank Gad!), and even though I can't wait for this detox to be over, I can honestly say that my eating habits will definitely be changing for good. If you're thinking of trying this detox out, here are some tips for ya:
 
1) Buy raw almonds. LOTS of raw almonds. Bake them on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. They taste amazing and are perfect to snack on.
2) Invest in a Nutribullet (it'll change your life). Have it on hand to make yourself what I like to call a 'meal juice' (mixture of veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds. So tasty!). **Note: Nutribullets tend to sell out all over Vancouver (Canadian Tire carries them) but you can usually skip the waiting list and pick one up at Canadian Tire in North Van**
3) Lentils. Get lots.
4) There are tons of recipe's you can find online to help make this whole process more bearable. Do the research. It's worth it. 
Almost at the finish line now. Can't wait!!!!!!!!

Enjoy.

Besos,

CC.
*
**P.S: If you have any Wild Rose D-Tox friendly recipes you'd like to share, feel free to email them to carmen@carmencruz.ca (the easier the recipe, the better!)**