Countdown to my cleanse

Pre-cleansing - "The Cleanse Before The Cleanse"

Today I will be starting my pre-cleanse. A pre-cleanse is the gradual elimination of foods and beverages that generally create cravings, imbalances, a slow digestive system, are addictive and don't promote the bodies natural ability to cleanse and detoxify. During the cleanse I will be adding more cleansing foods and utilizing the Ultimate Energy Cleanse program. This year I opted for a fresh whole foods cleanse that includes many fresh squeezed juices, vegetables, fruits and nuts. I will be participating in this cleanse with a group and will also be taking daily Kundalini yoga classes in the morning to help the body cleanse and detox.

Why did I decide on a cleanse?

The reason I decided to do a cleanse is that I realized over the past few months my sugar cravings were coming back again and I was feeling a bit bloated. I asked myself what had changed in the past few months and I realized I am eating a lot of dairy and wheat which I know don't agree with me.

Great I thought, now I can recognize when I am eating for an emotional reason or how my body feels when I eat things that don't work for me (like too much dairy and wheat). Last year I was finally able to beat my addiction to sugar and have cakes and sugar in moderation without constantly craving sugar. What was the trick? When I decided to finally stop eating muffins and cakes for breakfast I gently replaced some of my unhealthy choices with better choices. It took me about a week to two weeks to bring my body into balance and be able to walk by a bakery / bagel store and just walk by.

How to beat sugar cravings?

As a nutritionist, I understand how simple sugars cause cravings by raising your blood sugar very quickly. This results in a surge of insulin that quickly brings those high sugar levels down. What then happens is you feel tired and your blood sugar has now gone too low. Since your body is always trying to maintain balance it creates a craving for more sugar and sometimes caffeine. They key to kicking the sugar habit is to make sure that your diet consists of many whole grains, fruits and vegetables that slowly raise blood sugar and don't create drastic changes in your blood sugar and result in more sugar cravings.

The next step is to find sweet alternatives that do not create those changes in your blood sugar. For me I used things like Agave Nectar , a sugar alternative that is derived from a cactus plant and has a low glycemic index. I had plenty of fruit and sweet vegetables on hand and some dark chocolate. This way I didn't feel like I was depriving myself of sweetness and was still able to beat those cravings. As a result I was able to lose 10 pounds without dieting and still enjoy my favorite cupcakes from Magnolia bakery in NYC on occasion.

The foods I will be eliminating include:

Meat

Dairy

Fish

Poultry

Sugar (I will be having small amounts of raw honey and agave nectar during the cleanse)

Coffee

Alcohol

Processed Foods

Things I will be adding to my diet include:

Fruits

Vegetables

Fresh organic juices

Lemon Water

Quinoa

Millet

Countdown to my cleanse.

Today I eliminated animal protein from my diet, this includes chicken, beef, turkey, etc.... After reading the book "The China Study" I realize how beneficial a vegetarian diet can be for your health. I decided 2 weeks of a vegetarian diet will give me a good idea of how I feel and if I can maintain an ongoing vegetarian lifestyle. Strikingly when your diet contains more than 5% animal products, cancer and heart disease start to rise.

I added fresh squeezed lemon juice to my day. This helps to alkalize the body and cleanse the liver.

How to get off of coffee:

If you are drinking a lot of coffee and are planning on doing a cleanse I recommend starting there so you don't experience severe caffeine withdrawal which often leads to severe headaches. Some things you can do include:

Start using 3/4 coffee to 1/4 cup decaf

Move to 1/2 coffee to 1/2 decaf

Move to 3/4 cup decaf to 1/4 cup decaf

Move to 100% decaf

**If you drink 3-4 cups a day a more gentle and gradual approach will work best**

Good Coffee Alternatives
Green Tea
Decaffeinated Herabal Teas
Kukicha Tea - one of my favorite
Teecino - a great coffee alternative

Here's how my day went today....

30 minutes on the treadmill and some anaerobic exercise

BREAKFAST

1 bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon, agave nectar, and almond milk

lemon water

coffee with soy creamer and agave nectar

SNACK

Strawberries with a little fresh cream

LUNCH

Salad

vegetable sushi roll

DINNER

Tortilla chips with spinach and artichoke dip

Grilled shrimp, carrots, peas

salad

1 glass of wine

soft pretzel

some of my sons macaroni and cheese (I'm glad I'm eliminating wheat tomorrow )

** I didn't have a problem eliminating meat, but realized that I ate more bread and pasta than I

usually would.

I feel great, motivated and excited about the cleanse

Tomorrow I will be eliminating wheat - not carbohydrates , just wheat. I can't wait to see how I feel.

Here's my plan for the rest of the week.

Saturday - Wheat

Sunday - Sugar

Monday - Dairy

Tuesday - Coffee

Wednesday - Fish

Thursday – Alcohol

Friday - The cleanse begins