Day 30 of the Self-Love Detox Challenge!

                  

Good blessed morning!

                    

We have arrived, 30 days come and gone with loads of healthy foods, informative/encouraging posts, and scrumptious recipes! I hope this was a positive journey for you, this week you get to make your menu all by your lonesome. You can pick and choose whatever you like, maybe you'll want to keep to a rawfood vegan diet, maybe you'll continue to incorporate some fish, add back some meat, do what works best for you and yours. Prep meals in advance for the week, people may look at you funny but you're making your life easier by being ready. Food is the most difficult part of wellness for many of us and that is because time gets away from, and it's easier to grab something quick and unhealthy in those situations. That's why meal prep is so important!

                 

This is what a clean eating fridge should look like:

                       

Do not keep bad food in the house, I know it is too difficult of a temptation, if you must have some junk then force yourself to go out and get it. This will make it less appealing; because we often prefer to forgo what is not easily available. Also, get the smallest size of the item you are craving. A small bag of chips is easier to recover from than stacking your cupboards with big bags. You know who you are.

Just make an effort to stick to healthier options, keep juicing, enjoy smoothies, stay away from chemical/sugar/preservative/fake ingredient laden foods. Whole foods means real ingredients you know and can pronounce, food you don't regret eating, and that leaves you feeling satiated, vibrant, energized, and blessed. You still have these menu's to fall back on:

                   

                       

                    

                 

                  

The difference being, that you are not fasting and you can play by adding recipes, changing up the menu , and adding your own kitchen creations. Have fun with it and apply the principles you learned over the last 30 days. All recipes can be found on the site, check the labels section down below.

Also, because this was a kind of elimination diet, I would strongly suggest that if you plan on adding gluten, dairy, oats, grains, soy, or meat back to your diet; that you try one item only, per week. That way you can see what food you react negatively to, without overloading your system and being unsure what actually triggered a response. I discovered that refined sugar was responsible for arthritic-like shooting pains in my hands, shoulders and joints. I also found that I became more sensitive to poorer quality food. Its simple, our bodies instinctively know what we should and should not be ingesting.

                          

Good post on what to stay away from:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/deenashanker/health-claims-to-ignore-at-the-supermarket?utm_term=.xdZbwYMYN#.jlRxmjZjr

                         

This is an easy chart that will help you understand how to choose clean and environmentally friendly organic produce.

                     

                          

A whole plate looks like the above and below are portion sizes simplified, based on your hand. No fuss and easy to recall.

                          

So, remember kiddies:

And don't forget the importance of exercise:

             

I found some really great smoothie recipes on Pinterest, I know, I am a Pinterest binger. Let's not judge, hehheh.

                              

Summer holidays apply to this next delicious looking number.

                           

This detox water is too pretty and cinnamon has so many health benefits!

                              

http://carbswitch.com/2015/04/29/low-carb-cleanse-drink/

                               

I am including this turmeric smoothie because turmeric is great for inflammation. If you are really struggling with pain from inflammation, there is also something called golden milk. Apparently it is great as a cancer fighting drink and general all over health elixir.  You CAN find a video for it on YouTube, and I will be trying this out myself, in May. Will let you know how it goes then.

                         

I have touched on nightshades in previous posts but want to make mention of it here again, especially with regards to inflammation, aches, pain, food sensitivity, and those with chronic kidney and liver issues. Most people are not even aware what these are and how bad they can be for us. Why is that?

Nightshades taste great! 

We use them A LOT, however they are very hard on our organs and should only be consumed sparingly. 

If you are unwell, in constant pain, suffering from inflammation or seem to be responding negatively to things like salads, spicy foods, potato dishes, etc. You may be having problems with foods from the nightshade family and should try steering clear for 7-14 days, to see if these may be the culprits. It seems extreme but there are autoimmune protocols that specifically insist one removes these permanently, and it's with good reason. Here is a list and there is a link below to some more information should you need to learn more.

                               

Link:
http://paleomagazine.com/list-of-nightshades-foods

                

Well done to all of you who have tried this challenge!

If you are thinking about starting to do this, there's always plenty of information, recipes, and support to be found on this blog. Leave your questions and comments down below, I love to hear from you and don't forget to keep a heart of gratitude and loads of love for yourself.

Keep it simple, as close to nature as God intended, fill your thoughts with kindness towards others and yourself, and last but not least-remember to rest without guilt. You go you good thing you!

                            

                Abba love and bless you all!