How many weeks have I been doing this detox? Well, I’m not really “detoxing” anymore, but I am still trying to figure out what is up with my stomach discomfort! I have definitely noticed changes, as I’ve started reintroducing foods back into my diet. Here’s a little recap for you.

*Please note: I am not a doctor, RD, or detox specialist of any sort. Please consult a professional, before attempting this type of dietary change!

Weeks 1-3

Eliminated

all added sugar

coffee

alcohol

gluten

dairy

sodium [limited to 400mg daily ~1/4tsp]

Added

detox tea 1x daily

dry brushing 1x daily before showering

warm lemon water 1x daily in the morning, before eating

upped water intake

Things I noticed

difficult to not eat bread for the first few days

The 5th day was the hardest

really hard to not eat chocolate

focused on eating a lot of healthy fats + protein during this time

soy was the hardest to avoid, so I basically ate almost nothing from a box for the first 3 weeks [except things like pasta]

it wasn’t too hard past the first few days avoiding added sugar

I missed coffee, but didn’t have withdrawal from it because I only drank 1 mug in the morning every day

I don’t drink a lot of alcohol, so not drinking wasn’t too bad

warm lemon water on an empty stomach, really awakens your intestines + gets things moving…it also helps cleanse your kidneys, among many other things

dry brushing helped make my skin tighter + softer after the first 2-3 weeks – it also helped rid my body of toxins

in the first week I was still fairly bloated but felt like my body was really starting to detox everything out

in weeks 2-3, the bloating went down by at least 80%

I incorporated cocoa powder into my breakfasts to get past the chocolate cravings and used things like coconut butter, bananas + dates for sweetness

working out really helped to release the toxins during these elimination weeks

Weeks 4-5 – dairy reintroduction

Still Eliminated

gluten

coffee

refined sugars

sodium [~400mg]

Added

natural sweeteners in very small amounts, maple syrup, honey, brown rice syrup

dairy was added back in during these 2 weeks to see if I would have any reaction

bought a juicer and started juicing

wine, 1-2x per week

Continued with

dry brushing

lemon water

upped water intake

Things I noticed

lemon water was still definitely moving things along

I noticed that eating yogurt made me much more phlegm-y than normal

I ate, at most, 1 serving of dairy per day, and had no reaction from my stomach

juicing made me feel more energized

sugar/sweet cravings have gone way down, but now eating some dark chocolate

buckwheat bakes + puffed amaranth cereal keep me fuller much longer than oatmeal

new found love for buckwheat

Weeks 6-7 – soy reintroduction

Still Eliminated

gluten

refined sugars

sodium [<800mg]

Added

soy [whole soy forms: tempeh + sprouted tofu]

coffee, 1-2x per week

Continued with

eating dairy

dry brushing

lemon water

wine, 1-2x per week

water intake

juicing, 3x/week

Things I noticed

lemon water still working!

bloating increased a bit, but not sure of the cause

I incorporated a lot of garbanzo bean flour into my diet and couldn’t tell if it was soy or that flour causing me problems. After I stopped consuming the garbanzo flour, it helped immensely.

We ate out a few more times during these weeks, and I noticed the bloating would be worse after those meals. I was very cautious to make sure things were gluten free and I didn’t eat soy when out at restaurants either. This made me think it’s something with the preservatives that are used in restaurants, which many of you said you have the same problems with [especially with salad].

maintained my workouts all along

felt unsure whether soy works in my diet or not after these 2 weeks

the bloating went from 80% better to 60% in these 2 weeks

Weeks 8-9 – gluten reintroduction

Still Eliminated

sodium [<800mg]

refined sugar [except for the chocolate chewies ;)]

Added

gluten

Continued with

eating dairy

eating soy

dry brushing 4-5x/week

lemon water

wine, 1-2x per week

water intake

juicing, 3x/week

not eating garbanzo flour

Things I noticed

gluten is definitely part of the problem

still trying to figure out to what extent

I realized that it was for sure gluten, after I ate a slice of bread from Great Harvest [nothing wrong with their bread..it’s amaaaazing!!!]. Two hours later my stomach was in a cramped knot. I repeated this the next 2 days, with the loaf we bought, and each time my stomach became ridiculously bloated 2-3 hours afterward.

When I ate farro for breakfast a few times, I didn’t notice the affects nearly as bad.

When I ate the Field Roast “sausages” [DEElicious!!], I definitely noticed bloating soon after.

I haven’t been eating more than 1 serving of gluten a day, but my bloating comfort level went right back to where it was before I started this process. Sometimes it even feels more intense.

Beer doesn’t seem to affect me so far. However, in the past, I’ve noticed problems with I drink really cheap beer. haha

Where I’ll go from here

I am SO glad that I decided to do this detox. Not only did it help to cleanse my system, it made me get more in touch with my body. I hated having the bloating discomfort so frequently and am glad that I’m starting to figure out the cause.

I haven’t experimented with too many other gluten, but non-wheat foods yet, but hope to in the coming weeks to narrow down the problem more.

I’m not sure what it was, in the GH bread, that my stomach disliked so much.

I definitely want to get back to feeling 80-90% better like I did in the first few weeks. The rest of the discomfort will always be around, mostly from all of the veggies + beans I consume.

I plan to watch my soy intake, eating only whole soy, and not eating soy when out at restaurants. When I’ve eaten tofu out, it seems to always do a number on my stomach.

Since reading Eating Animals, and doing this detox, I’m toying with the idea of eating Vegan when out at restaurants. When I do eat dairy [which I don’t plan on eliminating completely], I want to know the source. I don’t think this will be too hard to do this, except when it comes to pizza.

I plan to continue eating eggs, as I feel they are a great source of vegetarian protein and healthy fats! I’m keeping eggs out of my diet when dining out, unless specified as local, which is common around here. I will be buying my eggs from the farmers market, which we luckily have all year long around here.

I’m considering getting allergy tested for food sensitivities. I’m at least going to talk to my doctor about it and see if it would be able to help narrow down what is causing my problems.

I know that I do not have Celiac Disease, because I was tested about a year ago.

did you know….

Humans don’t fully digest wheat. The undigested portions of wheat begin to ferment, producing gas. Icky, belchable, fart-forming gas.

Many people have gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, and don’t know it. So, how many people fall into this category? No one knows for sure. But 1 in 100 people has celiac disease — but most don’t know it. No one knows how many people have gluten sensitivity, but estimates are that it may be as high as 50 percent, or even 70 percent, of the population.

[for more facts, check this page]

Questions?

If you’re bored, here are links to my more extensive recaps.