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Morning health warriors!
It's Wednesday and I know that for this Self-Love Detox Challenge, I have been posting menu's on Friday but this week I will be posting it on Thursday. It is pretty much a re-post of the juice segment from last Friday's menu but I have added a whole leap of other juice recipes for you to choose from. The reason I am posting it earlier is because I want you to begin juicing this Friday and that means you need to be ready in advance. I buy my fruits and vegetables along with water and supplements, the 1-2 days before I start my cleanse. I don't like having to do energy draining tasks the first 48 hours of juicing; and shopping is energy draining. The first 24 hours my body is adjusting to going without food and I have been known to experience mild headaches, feeling more tired than usual, and running to the bathroom for more #'s 1&2. This is normal, it's another reason I like to stick close to home, do very gentle stretching or a short walk, (remember to not be too far from a washroom) and lots of water, juices, and rest as I need it. Don't fight the urges to rest, it's good for you.
I have been known to tell people that I will be away for 3 days and won't be bringing my cel or any electronics as it is a health retreat. I don't care if it's not 100% truthful, I car about my health & creating an opportunity to succeed at what I am doing. Juice/liquid fasts are serious business & they are not to be entered willy nilly, without proper prep, or without true commitment. I am giving you 3 days to do this, I like doing 7 days when time and finances allow but a solid three days is great for a seasonal boost.
I also do colonic irrigation as it helps with elimination, eases detox symptoms-which are worse for eczema or psoriasis sufferers, and it cuts the headaches big times!
It's not for everyone & I am not judging those who don't want to do this. I am only giving it as a recommendation, I used to get them done professionally, then I studied colonic irrigation, and now I do them at home with an enema kit I bought at the pharmacy.
I know some of you might not like this topic but it's important to know about. My first liquid detox was a thousand times worse than it had to be, and it was all because I detoxes too much, too quickly, and my skin suffered horribly for it. I have never had an eczema flare like that before and it would have been completely avoided, if I had known about colonic irrigation. It was a Naturopath, a client, and a Rabbi, who taught me about detox and the importance of elimination in the colon. I am including a link to a video from YouTube that shows you how to do a home colonic safely. This is something you should discuss with a health provider before attempting, especially if you have a medical condition.
BTW, I DO NOT recommend coffee enema's or anything other than a water enema/colonic. That's my personal and professional opinion. Also, enema's and colonic's are not an every day thing, they are for use during cleanses or as a medical professional suggests. People get hooked on these types of methods because they result in rapid weight loss, however, our bodies have a very efficient, effective, and properly constructed method of expelling waste. Irrigating the colon is only needed for specific reason's and for short periods of time.
If you are not comfortable performing a home enema, by all means go to a professional. Just research, check qualifications, and reviews before hand. Personally, when I juice fast, a colonic every day is a necessity.
I would also like to suggest that you clean your home and especially your bathroom, really well, before your fast begins. You will not have the energy to do these things and you will feel much better attempting this in a clean and sanitary environment.
The benefits of colonic irrigation:
I also highly recommend that you do not change or stop taking medication that your doctor has prescribed you, while cleansing. You must consult your health provider before beginning any detox program and juicing is no different. Try to seek out a Naturopath who will listen to you and knows about juicing. My family doctor was big on natural alternative's and had no qualms about my juicing but I did stick to taking my probiotics, my thyroid meds, and I slowed down on days I needed to. I also drink loads of spring water and detox water when juice fasting.
I am going to focus on those of you with adrenal, thyroid, and autoimmune issues for a moment.
Juicing is a great way to kick start a sluggish metabolism, support the body's natural desire for health, to detox, and turn over a new healthy leaf. However, if you struggle with the above mentioned issues, you need to be aware of some important things.
1-Take it easy on goitrogenic foods that could worsen your thyroid's functionality. Here is an info-graphic on goitrogens:
I personally do not have a problem with almonds, flax, pumpkin seeds or figs. I eat from the above listed foods sparingly and usually have them cooked when I can.
I incorporate a bit of cabbage, peaches, strawberries, and pears when juicing but it's about 2 juices over my whole juice fast. I know my body, I listen to what it's telling me on any given day, I am aware that on some days my thyroid is not operating well and I respect what my body needs & doesn't need.
2-I have incorporated bone broth on liquid fasts when my thyroid was particularly bad and my body was in autoimmune response over drive. I am including links to my bone broth recipe & Dr. Josh Axe's site, he helped me with a lot of issues that modern medecine, specialist's, tests, and regular doctor's, were just not finding or listening to me about. I would also recommend the Stop The Thyroid Madness blog if you are struggling, all your tests come back as normal but you know something is wrong, and you need help or have question's, that you are not finding or getting answers to,
3-Drink juices that support your thyroid. I always include them in my fasts and they do make a difference.
4-Don't push it! And this applies to everyone doing a juice/liquid cleanse, you cannot expect to be well if you abuse your body, no matter how well nourished it is. I mean it when I say rest, gentle exercises, and kindness to yourself. Self-Love, there is a reason why the word self is first.
5-You may want to keep a 3 day juice journal. The reason why is because some juices may negatively or positively impact your body more than others. I know that when I took a mix of carrots, apples, a beet with a know of ginger and a stalk of celery, that juice made my energy levels sky rocket! I was hyper but super charged and happy. It's good to take notes, so you can refer back to them and decide which juices make you feel the best; this way you can incorporate them in your daily routine, even after the juice fast is done.
6- Drink when you need to, don't deny yourself juice because you think you're having too much. These juices are your source of nutrients, let yourself have them. My first day is usually 6-7 juices and then my second day goes up, along with having warm almond milk and all the other recommended liquids. I feel fine and full.
7- Lastly, I suggest getting some Tulsi tea, I like Pukka Three Tulsi tea. It's a bit pricey but I feel really great when I drink it, it's also known as Holy Basil tea and is purported to have a number of health benefits. I discovered that I feel much better and less sluggish when I drink it, on bad thyroid days. I also drink lemon, ginger, fig-wort detox tea in the morning and just before bed. These support my detox process and ease digestive issues.
Numbers 4-7 really apply to everyone but are most important to those with thyroid difficulties.
Here are some info-graphic's to help you out. Keep coming back, don't forget to subscribe & leave questions or comments down below.
Should you want more info, here is a link to a previous spring cleanse I did with some background on why and how I got into liquid fasts:
Take care & be well sweetpea's...
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