Today I completed my last minute preparations for my cleanse. I picked up a few ingredients that I needed and made sure I had plenty of fruits, vegetables and nuts to snack on if I get hungry.
I am completely off of wheat, caffeine, sugar, dairy, meat, processed foods and of course alcohol.
I spent tonight at a spiritual concert for peace" Snatam Kaur" http://www.snatamkaur.com/ with many members of the team cleanse and students of Divine Yoga. What a way to kick start the cleanse. I just started Kundalini yoga a few months ago and I already feel the transformation.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Day 6 of My Pre-Cleanse
I started my day out by going for a walk with one of my clients. It was a great way to start the day and it made it more fun to have someone to exercise with. When we finished our walk we made a great smoothie with strawberries, bananas, blueberries, spinach and filtered water.
My next stop was Jandis where I picked up some more ingredients for the cleanse. I will be preparing spinach pea soup next Tuesday for the cleanse team. Today I added juices into my diet to get me ready for the cleanse. I had a kale, spinach, apple, carrot juice (even my kids liked it).
What a great evening - our holistic moms group celebrated it's one year anniversary. We had a great turnout and the best part of the evening was the various holistic practitioners who were providing services. I received an amazing massage and a network chiropractic treatment. It's so important to take care of yourself and this is one way that I was able to do that today. I also ate fantastic organic, whole foods prepared by Jandis an all natural and organic market. This is where I will be purchasing my juices for the cleanse over the next week.
My dinner was a lovely beet salad, wild rice pilaf and quinoa sald with tomato, scallions and cucumbers. I will be eating a lot of quinoa over the next week as my main source of protein.
One day left before the cleanse !!!
My next stop was Jandis where I picked up some more ingredients for the cleanse. I will be preparing spinach pea soup next Tuesday for the cleanse team. Today I added juices into my diet to get me ready for the cleanse. I had a kale, spinach, apple, carrot juice (even my kids liked it).
What a great evening - our holistic moms group celebrated it's one year anniversary. We had a great turnout and the best part of the evening was the various holistic practitioners who were providing services. I received an amazing massage and a network chiropractic treatment. It's so important to take care of yourself and this is one way that I was able to do that today. I also ate fantastic organic, whole foods prepared by Jandis an all natural and organic market. This is where I will be purchasing my juices for the cleanse over the next week.
My dinner was a lovely beet salad, wild rice pilaf and quinoa sald with tomato, scallions and cucumbers. I will be eating a lot of quinoa over the next week as my main source of protein.
One day left before the cleanse !!!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Day 5 of My Pre-Cleanse
Today I received my cleanse packet with all of the recipes and supplements for the cleanse. Judy, a friend of mine from The Institute For Integrative Nutrition, where I graduated last year is leading the cleanse. I will be posting some of the recipes and foods that I'll be eating during the cleanse. You can also go to uecleanse for more details, as this is the cleanse I will be following. There are 26 people participating in this cleanse. Coach Judy has split us in two groups The Apples and The Bananas. This type of cleanse is called a co-op cleanse as it is a team cleanse where we will all be preparing one meal for the group during the 7 days. If you are considering doing the cleanse in your area, see if you can get a few friends together for the support and help with the cooking.
Cleanse Shopping
I did some shopping today at Light Foods Co-Op with my friend Claudia who will also be doing the cleanse. We picked up some carrots and celery for juicing, some grade B maple syrup, lemons, Braggs amino acids, raw almonds and walnuts and some bulk quinoa and millet. I'll be picking up more ingredients during the week and will keep you posted.
If you like peanut butter you'll love the smoothie I had for breakfast this morning.
(this is not for the cleanse)
Green Peanut Butter Smoothie
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
(or any nut butter - this is for some protein and fat to keep you full)
1/3 cup frozen blueberries
1 frozen banana
1 cup baby spinach
1/4 cup frozen mango pieces from Trader Joes
3/4 cup filter water
(Put all the ingredients in a blender and there you have it)
For lunch I had an avocado, an apple and a salad 1/2 cup of quinoa with diced zucchini (see recipe below) with fresh squeezed lemon, olive oil and sea salt for a dressing)
Raw Zucchini Quinoa Salad
(great for the cleanse)
Prepare 1 cup quinoa (rinse well, add 2 cups water - bring to a boil, cover, simmer on low for 15-20 minutes) let cool
Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil (first cold pressed)
1 whole zucchini diced into small pieces
Add to quinoa
1 pinch of cayenne pepper to desired taste
celtic sea salt to taste
My down for the day
It was my nanny's birthday today and I brought her a carrot cake. I wound up giving in and had a small piece. This would have been fine on an ordinary day, as my diet was great the rest of the day. There is nothing wrong with carrot cake after a day filled with fresh, organic and healthy foods. Deprivation is the downfall to dieting. That is why I believe in adding healthy foods into your diet and crowding out the unhealthy foods. Since I am doing this to cleanse, beat my sugar addiction again and bring my body into balance it's best that I stay away from sugar.
More on pre-cleansing
The main purpose of pre-cleansing is so that you don't experience withdrawal symptoms from sugar and caffeine and give your body to adjust to a simpler way of eating. It is also a bit easier when you make slow and gradual changes. This is my approach with my clients that helps them maintain the new habits they've created that can last. It also helps you to get in tune with your body and realize what symptoms may have cleared up as you remove certain foods from your diet. For example: feeling bloated, headaches and digestive issues. You can then see the true correlation between how you feel and what you eat.
I've slowly been giving up caffeine and today was my last cup before the cleanse starts. A success with no headaches and severe caffeine withdrawals.
2 days left before the cleanse begins.
Cleanse Shopping
I did some shopping today at Light Foods Co-Op with my friend Claudia who will also be doing the cleanse. We picked up some carrots and celery for juicing, some grade B maple syrup, lemons, Braggs amino acids, raw almonds and walnuts and some bulk quinoa and millet. I'll be picking up more ingredients during the week and will keep you posted.
If you like peanut butter you'll love the smoothie I had for breakfast this morning.
(this is not for the cleanse)
Green Peanut Butter Smoothie
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
(or any nut butter - this is for some protein and fat to keep you full)
1/3 cup frozen blueberries
1 frozen banana
1 cup baby spinach
1/4 cup frozen mango pieces from Trader Joes
3/4 cup filter water
(Put all the ingredients in a blender and there you have it)
For lunch I had an avocado, an apple and a salad 1/2 cup of quinoa with diced zucchini (see recipe below) with fresh squeezed lemon, olive oil and sea salt for a dressing)
Raw Zucchini Quinoa Salad
(great for the cleanse)
Prepare 1 cup quinoa (rinse well, add 2 cups water - bring to a boil, cover, simmer on low for 15-20 minutes) let cool
Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil (first cold pressed)
1 whole zucchini diced into small pieces
Add to quinoa
1 pinch of cayenne pepper to desired taste
celtic sea salt to taste
My down for the day
It was my nanny's birthday today and I brought her a carrot cake. I wound up giving in and had a small piece. This would have been fine on an ordinary day, as my diet was great the rest of the day. There is nothing wrong with carrot cake after a day filled with fresh, organic and healthy foods. Deprivation is the downfall to dieting. That is why I believe in adding healthy foods into your diet and crowding out the unhealthy foods. Since I am doing this to cleanse, beat my sugar addiction again and bring my body into balance it's best that I stay away from sugar.
More on pre-cleansing
The main purpose of pre-cleansing is so that you don't experience withdrawal symptoms from sugar and caffeine and give your body to adjust to a simpler way of eating. It is also a bit easier when you make slow and gradual changes. This is my approach with my clients that helps them maintain the new habits they've created that can last. It also helps you to get in tune with your body and realize what symptoms may have cleared up as you remove certain foods from your diet. For example: feeling bloated, headaches and digestive issues. You can then see the true correlation between how you feel and what you eat.
I've slowly been giving up caffeine and today was my last cup before the cleanse starts. A success with no headaches and severe caffeine withdrawals.
2 days left before the cleanse begins.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Day 4 of My Pre Cleanse
Today I spent the day with my boys at the Central Park Zoo. We all had big bowls of oatmeal with almond milk and agave nectar before we left the house, so we were full of energy.
Afterward, we met up with Aunt Carrie, my beautiful sister for some sushi. I had an avocado salmon roll, mushroom soup, salad and a small piece of salmon teriyaki. It was delicious.
Snack - handful of almonds, cashews and cranberries
Dinner - Broccoli sauteed with olive oil and garlic
Filet of Sole - dipped in Spelt Flour (an ancient cousin to wheat) and sauteed in olive oil.
Boiled potatoes with olive oil and sea salt
I noticed today that I wasn't drinking enough water. My goal for tomorrow is to drink more water throughout the day. I'll have a large glass of lemon water to start my day.
Good night,
Jacqueline
Afterward, we met up with Aunt Carrie, my beautiful sister for some sushi. I had an avocado salmon roll, mushroom soup, salad and a small piece of salmon teriyaki. It was delicious.
Snack - handful of almonds, cashews and cranberries
Dinner - Broccoli sauteed with olive oil and garlic
Filet of Sole - dipped in Spelt Flour (an ancient cousin to wheat) and sauteed in olive oil.
Boiled potatoes with olive oil and sea salt
I noticed today that I wasn't drinking enough water. My goal for tomorrow is to drink more water throughout the day. I'll have a large glass of lemon water to start my day.
Good night,
Jacqueline
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Day 3 of My Pre-Cleanse
Happy Mothers Day!
What a wonderful day. My day started with me waking up with my 3 1/2 year old son (who crawled into our bed in the middle of the night), cuddled up next to me. I didn't want to get out of bed, especially when my husband brought me a cup of my favorite Kukicha tea (my alternative to coffee) with raw honey and some fresh organic strawberries and watermelon. At 9:30 we went for a family walk and the weather was gorgeous. We were supposed to go for brunch, but last minute decided to stay home and I'm so glad I did. I prepared organic eggs, sauteed asparagus, broiled tomatoes with olive oil and some fresh fruit. Both my mother and sister commented on how nice it was to have vegetables with breakfast food and how simple it was to add them. My husband once again picked up bagels - uhhh. This time I really had no desire to have a bagel. I am already starting to see my cravings diminishing. I'm consciously having other sweets in my life, but the good news is that the piece of Red Velvet Cake last night did not create a craving for baked goods today. Since our brunch was served at 12:30 our next meal didn't come until 5:30. We decided on Italian and fortunately the restaurant in town serves gluten free pasta. For those of you who don't know gluten is found in (wheat, barley, oatmeal). Since I am avoiding wheat at the moment this was a great alternative. It wasn't the healthiest choice, but it's all about balance. I decided on shrimp parmigiana - another favorite of mine.
So my day is over, I am sitting drinking a cup of tea and getting ready for bed. My overall feeling is of accomplishment and moving towards a more balanced body. My cravings are reducing and I didn't feel bloated one bit today. I also had great energy despite being on the go all day. I gave up sugar today, which was easier than I thought. Most of the sugar I would normally consume is in candies, cakes and processed foods. Without them it makes it easier to avoid sugar.
Until tomorrow,
Jacqueline
What a wonderful day. My day started with me waking up with my 3 1/2 year old son (who crawled into our bed in the middle of the night), cuddled up next to me. I didn't want to get out of bed, especially when my husband brought me a cup of my favorite Kukicha tea (my alternative to coffee) with raw honey and some fresh organic strawberries and watermelon. At 9:30 we went for a family walk and the weather was gorgeous. We were supposed to go for brunch, but last minute decided to stay home and I'm so glad I did. I prepared organic eggs, sauteed asparagus, broiled tomatoes with olive oil and some fresh fruit. Both my mother and sister commented on how nice it was to have vegetables with breakfast food and how simple it was to add them. My husband once again picked up bagels - uhhh. This time I really had no desire to have a bagel. I am already starting to see my cravings diminishing. I'm consciously having other sweets in my life, but the good news is that the piece of Red Velvet Cake last night did not create a craving for baked goods today. Since our brunch was served at 12:30 our next meal didn't come until 5:30. We decided on Italian and fortunately the restaurant in town serves gluten free pasta. For those of you who don't know gluten is found in (wheat, barley, oatmeal). Since I am avoiding wheat at the moment this was a great alternative. It wasn't the healthiest choice, but it's all about balance. I decided on shrimp parmigiana - another favorite of mine.
So my day is over, I am sitting drinking a cup of tea and getting ready for bed. My overall feeling is of accomplishment and moving towards a more balanced body. My cravings are reducing and I didn't feel bloated one bit today. I also had great energy despite being on the go all day. I gave up sugar today, which was easier than I thought. Most of the sugar I would normally consume is in candies, cakes and processed foods. Without them it makes it easier to avoid sugar.
Until tomorrow,
Jacqueline
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Day 2 of My Precleanse
Today I decided to eliminate wheat from my diet. I'm looking forward to feeling lighter and less bloated - I seem to get very bloated when I eat too much wheat. I also have a hard time only having a little bit, especially if it's white bread. After taking a morning spin class with my husband (our first together) we headed to the organic smoothie place in town. Uhhh there was a yoga class going on and the cafe wasn't open yet. So, my first attempt to get an all organic fruit smoothie didn't work - but I tried. So we move on to the organic coffee shop that also sells smoothies and I finally get my smoothie. Now it's 10:30 and we're off to a good start. No bread for breakfast and I feel great. OK until my husband picks up bagels for him and the kids. I think to myself "well the cleanse doesn't technically start until next week," but then I think about the end result and remind myself how good I feel when I don't eat wheat. Around 1:30 I start to feel a bit hungry and have an avocado and pistachio nuts. Later in the afternoon my family and I head to Ikea and I find myself in the cafe with the kids starving and no great choices - fried foods, cakes, over cooked veggis, swedish meatballs and no fruit. I opt for some fries as they're not meat and they don't contain wheat. This is more difficult than I think, but so far so good. For dinner we decided to invite some good friends over for a barbecue. I cooked some quinoa, halibut, salad and of course some real deal barbecue food. My friend walks in with a lovely cake box from Malverne Bakery and I think "ah I can do this." That is until she tells me it's a red velvet cake (my favorite.) So we both laugh about it and say " there's always tomorrow." I thought about freezing a piece for after my cleanse, but it just wouldn't be the same. So, I gave in and had a small piece. Now it's two hours later and I still feel great. Overall I had a great day. I ate very well and balanced, I didn't feel bloated and I didn't have any cravings. So a success. I don't believe in deprivation and I do believe in eating well 80-90 % of the time and splurging the rest. That's just what I did today.
Oh, one last thing - my wonderful husband decided to partially join me on my cleanse next week. He's giving up red meat for the week and will be adding a salad to his lunch everyday. This is not easy for my Irish born husband, but he's doing to support me.
Breakfast - Strawberry, Banana, Blueberry Smoothie
Lunch - Avocado
- Handful of pistachio nuts
- Few French Fries - on our visit to Ikea with the kids (the food choices were extremely
limited) they didn't sell one piece of fruit which is what I really wanted.
Dinner - Halibut, Salad, Quinoa, Sweet Potato Fries
- Glass of White Wine
- Piece of Red Velvet Cake from Malverne Bakery
- Fresh strawberry's and watermelon
LOTS OF FILTERED WATER WITH FRESH LEMON
Until tomorrow - Good night! My sister is bringing lots of fresh fruit for our mother's day brunch.
Oh, one last thing - my wonderful husband decided to partially join me on my cleanse next week. He's giving up red meat for the week and will be adding a salad to his lunch everyday. This is not easy for my Irish born husband, but he's doing to support me.
Breakfast - Strawberry, Banana, Blueberry Smoothie
Lunch - Avocado
- Handful of pistachio nuts
- Few French Fries - on our visit to Ikea with the kids (the food choices were extremely
limited) they didn't sell one piece of fruit which is what I really wanted.
Dinner - Halibut, Salad, Quinoa, Sweet Potato Fries
- Glass of White Wine
- Piece of Red Velvet Cake from Malverne Bakery
- Fresh strawberry's and watermelon
LOTS OF FILTERED WATER WITH FRESH LEMON
Until tomorrow - Good night! My sister is bringing lots of fresh fruit for our mother's day brunch.
Friday, May 8, 2009
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
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
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