My Detox Experience

After 1 year of research regarding detoxes, I decided that I’d want to try at least once just to see if I could do it and to find out if all that has been written about the benefits of the detoxification process is true (especially since there is an increasingly stronger marketing factor around this concept).

Honestly, I hesitated before starting because I am a person who loves sweets and pasta … so I knew it would be hard; I therefore postponed and postponed until the 20th of March 2013 when I decided that the time had come.

I survived 3 days and it was super-tough, but I felt so good afterwards, that I was glad I tried.

Since this first experience, my body works like a calendar because every solstice/ equinox, I follow my detoxification program.

Why every solstice / equinox?

Because I read it is more effectively; I’m not going into details here because you can find a lot of quality information on this topic; however, I feel obliged to mention that this detox: doesn’t have any religious character for me and my aim is not to lose weight.

Being interested in nutrition and health, I decided to experiment with detoxification, period!

Here are the most important rules to keep in mind during a detox:

 

• Do not consume alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, tea, commercial juices, sweets of any kind, sugar, honey, pasta (rice pasta is OK though), bread, potatoes, meat, dairy, eggs, fried foods of any kind;
• Drink 3-4 liters of water/ day (preferably warm water with fresh lemon juice);
• Use raw coconut oil for cooking (one of the healthiest oils because it can reach very high temperatures without becoming rancid) and raw olive oil for salads;
• Use only Himalayan pink salt;
• Eat every 4-6 hours without nibbling between meals;
• Do not eat large quantities of fruits because they contain sugars.

 

This is the general scheme.

Some people only drink green juices (without any fruits) during detoxes; others (myself included) add salads, rice and vegetables, vegetable soups, grilled vegetables; others undertake the most drastic of detoxifications (The Master Cleanse) during which they only drink warm water with lemon.

Some people resist a few days, others a few weeks or more.

The idea is that each constitution is different and the lemonade cure/ green juice cure/ 45 days cure is not suited for everyone.

It’s important to adapt gradually and not push the body too hard.

Since I have a strong metabolic system, a very drastic cure would not suit me; I must have at least one solid meal/ day in order to function properly.

So, here is what I eat during my detoxification program:

 

• 7h: ginger and turmeric tea (I bring 500ml water to a boil and I add about 2cm freshly sliced ginger and turmeric root; I let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes and after it has cooled a little, I add freshly pressed lemon juice);
• 8h: orange smoothie (I mix the fresh juice from 4-6 oranges with 2 teaspoons of bee pollen, a handful of dried goji, Aloe Vera Gel, 1 teaspoon of maca powder, 1 teaspoon pure, unsweetened cocoa grains, 1 teaspoon chia seeds); this is the most delicious smoothie, it gives me energy better than coffee, and it is super-consistent; it also provides for me the shot of sweetness without which I cannot function;
• 12h: rice with vegetables, grilled vegetables, guacamole, vegetable soup with rice pasta; if I’m really hungry, I eat soup + main course (use only Basmati rice because it is the easiest to digest);
• 19h: green smoothie (2 apples, 1 cucumber, 2 stalks of celery, a handful of raw broccoli, a handful of parsley, juice of 1 lemon, 2cm ginger, 1 teaspoon chlorella powder, 1 teaspoon spirulina powder – you should find these ingredients in organic stores);

 

Before each meal I drink 2 Triphala pills (a 100% natural combination of three fruits that help in digestion and in cleaning the intestines) that I buy from Pukka Herbs.

The alternative is to drink before each meal 1 glass of water mixed with 2 tablespoons of 100% organic and unfiltered apple cider vinegar.

Use only organic and 100% natural ingredients, vegetables and fruits.

I try to go to bed no later than 22 hours and before bedtime I take a 15 minutes bath with Epsom salts (among other benefits they help in detoxifying the body); before I get in the water, I dry brush the body with a natural fiber brush and then massage warm coconut oil into the skin.

If you have access to a sauna during this period, even better!

As already mentioned at the beginning of this article, my very first detox lasted for only 3 days; however, it lasted 1 week during summer and 4 days during autumn.

The next one will start next week…wish me luck, or-why not- join me!

 

Benefits: after about 3 days, the skin starts glowing and looks smoother, the cellulite disappears or fades away (depending on the stage); the body feels lighter, more flexible, looks toned and is full of energy; the mood is calmer.

As mentioned above, the objective for me is not to lose weight; however, the whole body is thinner after a detoxification.

I will say, from my own experience, that the benefits of detoxing the body are real; everything specialists talk about is absolutely true.

My aim is to try a green juice detox next summer.

I want to add that it is easier to stay motivated if you team up with a friend while detoxing (it’s more fun as well).

I would also like to mention that I am no specialist and if the above mentioned cure works for me, that doesn’t mean that it works for everyone; it is also important that people with any kind of medical condition should consult a physician before starting a detoxification.

 

Have you already tried detoxing?