Detox – 14 days in review

The past 14 days have flown by.  I envisioned myself struggling with these dietary changes much more than I have.  I would say, I haven’t really struggled at all.  Sure, it hasn’t been the easiest, but impossible?  No way!  I’m holding on for one more week, before I start reintroducing soy/wheat/dairy back into my diet.  I will slowly reintroduce them 1 at a time, in hopes to figure out which are affecting the way I feel.

So how did week 2 vary from week 1?

• cravings substantially decreased


• no moodiness [felt most on day 5]


• energy has been normal, if not higher [besides the days with the flu]


• not as snacky


• bloating substantially decreased


• no “food babies”


• not as thirsty, but still drinking plenty


• onset of flu day 10


• reintroduced small amounts of sugar back into my diet

Having the flu is never fun, but having it while detoxing made things a little trickier.  A few of my normal “go-to” foods were off limits, but I found a lot of great substitutes!  Typically I drown myself in saltine crackers, however the 365 brand we buy contain wheat and soy lecithin, so those were a no go.

Instead, I present you with my saltine + chocolate replacement!  Food Should Taste Good Chocolate Chips!  A chocolate tortilla chip?  Yes!  I swear they are delicious.  A nice cocoa flavor that is slightly salty + sweet.  They’re typically about $3, for a somewhat small bag, but I found them on sale for $1.80.  Score!



This is the most processed food item I’ve eaten in 2 weeks, but are really not as bad as you’d think!  These chips are soy/dairy/gluten free and GMO free, which is HUGE in my book.  Almost all chocolate has soy in it, typically seen as soy lecithin.  I know it’s usually the last ingredient on the package, but it’s a highly processed form of soy that I stay away from.  It’s in more processed food than you think!  Most chocolate also contains dairy.  There are vegan chocolates but those usually contain the soy.  I haven’t tried to hunt down a dairy + soy free chocolate, but I’m sure it’s out there.

For now, these chips have satisfied my chocolate + crunchy + snacky cravings.  This bag has 6 servings and actually lasted me a full week!  A small handful 1-2x a day was all I needed.  1 serving has 140 cals, 3g fiber, 2g protein, 4g sugar, 80mg sodium.  Dipped in peanut butter, they are amazing. :)

I just polished them off today.



Day to day detox things:

• I’ve maintained the dry brushing for the past 2.5 weeks.  I always brush right before showering, as I read that is the best time.  Morning is also supposed to be most beneficial.  Even while I had no energy and felt miserable from the flu, I made sure to keep up with this routine.  My skin is most definitely, with out a doubt, smoother and tighter.


• Lemon water.  I’ve been drinking 1/2 squeezed lemon in 12-16oz of warm water ever day, for the past 2 weeks.  I did skip one day, while I was sick because I just couldn’t stomach it.  However, since being sick, I’ve been making this with hot water now and about 1/4-1/2t honey mixed in.  I don’t know if that’s cheating, but I do know it’s still working.  I drink this first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and wait 30min before eating breakfast.  I also brush my teeth after, so the lemon doesn’t eat away at my enamel as much. *I've now heard it's best to wait 30min after drinking lemon water to brush your teeth.


• I was doing a decent amount of yoga.  Even just 10min here and there was really helping my muscles loosen up, but I haven’t done any since getting sick.


• I haven’t craved cheese or dairy at all.  I don’t suspect dairy is the problem, but I haven’t missed it at all.  I wasn’t eating much of it before, but it hasn’t been hard to avoid.  Don’t get me wrong, I love cheese, but I’ve found other things that I like just as much or more.  Hello grilled hummus + egg sandwich!


• I don’t crave coffee at all anymore and honestly do not miss it in the morning.  After the 3 week mark, I’ll drink coffee here and there, but try not to get on an every day morning routine with it.  I don’t think there is anything wrong with drinking coffee everyday, but I find myself feeling better without that 1 cup every morning.


• I miss tempeh!  I can’t wait to bring this back into my diet and hope that I have no problems with it.


• The convenience of wheat products was the hardest to avoid.  It’s in everything!  The best way to avoid these products, is to not have them in your house during this time.  Chris isn’t detoxing, so this hasn’t been 100% possible.  We still have some of my favorites in the house, like Ezekiel English muffins.  Not easy to pass those up! :)  I have a feeling wheat has something to do with my stomach issues.  I’m hoping healthier options, like sprouted wheat products or other forms of wheat [spelt], will be okay though.  We’ll see!


• I’ve still been able to keep my sodium intake under 1/4t [total] per day.  This hasn’t been hard and I feel like it has definitely helped me feel less bloated.


• Sugar was completely out for 1 full week [besides fruit], but now I’m slowly introducing it again.  Just a little bit here and there, like maple syrup in my vanilla bean brown rice, etc.

I think that about covers it for now!  I just wanted to highlight a few of my favorite recipes during the past 2 weeks.

favorite breakfast – Tie!  Vanilla Bean Brown Rice



and Green Wrapped Breakfast



favorite lunch – Grilled hummus + egg sandwich



favorite dinner – Green Wrapped Tacos with Nacho Cheeze Sauce



favorite sauce – kale pesto



best snack - Chocolate Coconut Dough Balls



favorite new food – Grapefruit!



See you guys tomorrow!

Ashley

---

Just catching up?

pre-toxing

detox day 1 – part 1, part 2

detox day 2 – part 1, part 2

detox day 3 – part 1, part 2 [dry brushing + swimming]

detox day 4 – getting creative

detox day 5 – juiced!

detox day 6 – balls save the day

detox day 7 – it’s been a week!

detox day 8 – detoxing your life