The Great 2008 Detox
Congratulations for taking this step. It is one that you most certainly will not regret. No doubt you will have been through the usual festive excesses over the last few weeks. This leaves us feeling thoroughly washed out, bloated and tired, and hardly allows for correct vibrant functioning of the body. But together we are going to change all this, mop up the mess, and transform your body into a vibrant pillar of health.
This plan isnt just a January thing. You can use the principles that are outlined here all year round. Believe me, the sooner you allow these principles to become part of your daily lifestyle, the sooner you will become illness-free, energetic, and even start to grow younger.
This entire programme is focused around three major elements, which are the conrnerstones of my clinical practice. These elements are: cleansing, repairing, and maintaining. By applying the principles of this prgramme, you will allow your body to do just that.
Cleansing - Cleansing is our first port of call on the therapeutic journey, and that is halting all influences that are currently making us sick and wearing us down. This is why a detoxification programme is required, in order to remove the toxic bombardment that the body is facing and is pushing all systems to their limit. This cleansing programme can also refer to the removal of habits, thought patterns, lifestyle elements, stressors etc, that are causing our bodies to move in to a state of disrepair.
Rebuilding - This vital element is focused upon repairing the damage that has been inflicted upon the body, and rebuilding it to a state of youthful vibrance and vigourous health.
Supporting - When we have reached a state where our bodies have been restored to a considerable state of health, and much of the negative consequences of past influences have subsided, it is then time to support and maintain this new state of health. This final element of the programme will essentially be an educational element. It will be a continuation of the programme for life.
Fruit in the morning
Whoever came up with that rediculous notion that we must have ‘breakfast’ like a king, must have been a share holder in the breakfast market! From around midnight to midday, we are in a state when our bodies are geared up for repair and regeneration. This type of activity requires a great deal of energy. Digestion of food is one of the single most energy consuming activities that the body can undertake. It therefore figures that to allow our bodies sufficient energy in the earlier part of the day, we shouldnt bombard it with masses of food for it to struggle with. We do however still need some intake of calories in order to kick start our metabolism, and we need this energy as soon as possible (which will not be the case if your body has to digest a huge meal to release its energy). Fruit provides the perfect solution to this problem. It takes no digestion at all virtually, as it is almost entirely water, fructose, vitamins and enzymes. This means that it will be broken down almost immediately and release these amazing nutrients straight into our system, making us feel instantly energised. Stick to this element religiously, and you will see such an incredible rise in your energy, and an increased weight loss and improvement of overall digestive function. We must consume only fruit from rising until mid day.
Food combining
This principle may or may not be familiar to you, but it is one that is absolutely vital, and is pretty easy to apply once you get used to it. Food combining basically refers to correctly matching specific foods in a combination that will allow for maximal digestion. The phrase ‘you are what you eat’ is slightly misleading. In reality ‘you are what you digest and absorb’. Correct food combining will make sure that your digestive system is working with 150% efficiency. Our digestive systems use a range of different enzymes for the digestion, breakdown, and absorption of different food groups. Certain enzymes digest protein based foods, whereas others will digest starch based foods, and others will digest and breakdown fats. In many scenarios, these enzymes can inhibit the activity of each other, thus putting a large burden upon the digestive system. This often leads to foods being incompletely digested as they move through the digestive tract. In light of this, a certain degree of fermentation and putrification will occur, because the foods are staying complete within the digestive system for longer. This putrification will release toxins that will be absorbed through the gut wall. The gut wall has a very high vasculature (meaning it has a very large network of blood vessels), so that nutrients can easily pass from the gut into the general circulation. Toxins that arise from poor digestion will diffuse into the general circulation just as easily, and instigate a whole host of issues, from allergies, to headaches, to reduced liver function. So, how do we remedy this??? By following food combining
Food combining is as simple as this: In any one meal, do not mix concentrated starches with concentrated proteins. This means kissing goodbye to the usual combinations of meat and potatoes, meat and rice, tuna or seafood with a jacket potato and indeed cheese and jacket potatoes etc. This may seem a little alarming at first, but once you get used to it, its a doddle - even when eating out (Ive managed to get over the slightly weird loooks when I order a veggie pizza without cheese). A typical day could be as follows:
- Fruit from rising up until midday
- Lunch: Jacket potato with butter, large salad of spinach leaves, red peppers, cucumber, celery, avocado etc. Mixed vegetable soup.
- Dinner: Steamed veggies, side salad, smoked mackerel fillet.
Fear not, the above menu just outlines the principles, I will certainly give you some recipes to make the dishes in this plan exciting and delicious. I will also supply you with a food combining chart.
Get raw
Im not for one second you live on only raw foods, but it is essential that you increase your intake of raw, uncooked, unadultarated foods as much as you can. Why? Because they are pure, whole, living foods. Raw fruits and vegetables have all of their nutrition intact, and are buzzing with a whole array of living enzymes. Enzymes are biologically active living compounds that aid in the digestion and breakdown of foods, absorption of nutrients, cleansing and maintenance of various body systems, and breakdown and detoxification of certain waste products. These magic bullets are incredibly sensitive to heat, so cooking will break these gems down. Many other nutrients like vitamin C, the B vitamins, and many protective phyto(plant)chemicals are also equally as sensitive to heat, and get destroyed during the cooking process.
Raw foods are easy enough to add to your daily diet. Following the first principle of fresh fruit from rising through to midday is a great starting point. The next easy step is by adding a decent sized side salad to all of your meals. This will ensure a good intake of enzymes and nutrients with each meal, and will greatly enhance your digestion.
Keep it clean
Ok....now here’s the bad news. During this first month at least I need you to give up a few things, mainly alcohol and caffeine. Thats right your morning coffee and and evening beer/wine is away for a while. I want you to give your body a chance to recover from the festive excesses. You can bring these two elements back (in SENSIBLE amounts) after the first month, but to give your body the best fighting chance this little break will be a necessary evil.
Try out the array of herbal teas that are out there. Some of my favourites are dandelion, nettle, peppermint, and vervain. I also drink a fair amount of green tea. This does contain caffeine, but the antioxidants present in it protect the body from some of their negative effects.
Notice I havent yet asked you to give up chocolate..........instead, switch over to a decent organic dark chocolate around 70% cocoa, or reach for the wonderful RAW chocolate!!
A helping hand
This element of the programme is not entirely necessary, but does come recommended. It is the inclusion of a few supplements that will help you along your way. The first is...
A multivitamin. I recommend VM75 by Solgar (although you could use any high strenght one). This high potency one-a-day formula will supercharge you with all the nutrients your body needs to clean and repair itself every day. Take your multi half way through a meal in order to maximise absorption of nutrients. The second helping hand is.....
Milk thistle. This is a powerful herb used for the regeneration and protection of the liver - our bodies central detoxification and filtration station. The festive season often leaves us feeling as though we have had a blazing argument with our livers. Our liver is probably the most forgiving organ in the body, and has the natural inbuilt ability to regenerate itself. If we were to have two thirds of our liver removed, it would grow back. A compound in milk thistle has been shown in several hundred double blind randomised placebo controlled clinical trials to actually switch on the gene within liver cells that instigates this regenerative process. Supplementing with this herb once a day can quickly enhance the cleansing activity of this miraculous organ!
Food combining chart
|
Eat Non-Starchy & Green Vegetables With Either: |
||
| Proteins |
or |
Starches |
|
Nuts & Seeds |
Do not |
Peanuts |
|
Olives |
Coconuts |
|
|
Cheese |
Chestnuts |
|
|
Eggs |
Wild Rice |
|
| Flesh Foods | Grains | |
| Starchy Vegs. | ||
| Mildly Starchy Vegs. | ||
| Legumes | ||
|
Eat Sub-Acid Fruits (All Fruits Not Sweet or Acid) With Either: |
||
| Acid Fruits |
or |
Sweet Fruits |
| Citrus |
Do not |
Bananas |
| Pineapples | Persimmons | |
| Strawberries | Sweet Grapes | |
| Pomegranates | Dried Fruits | |
| Sour Tasting Fruits | ||
|
Tomatoes: Avocados: Best with Salad Melons: Eat Alone |
||
| A SAMPLE DAY! | 3:40 PM, Jan 04 2008 |
| Some inspiration for you! Read More | |