Detox
I know we had a detox thread a while back, but it's old and I can't find at first glance and think I'll just make a new thread all about me. Actually if anyone is currently doing a detox, wants to do a detox, please post. :D
Here's what I'm doing since I'm constitutionally incapable of doing a fast. I'm eating whole vegan foods, no processed food other than whole grain breads and pastas. I cheated and ate a tofurkey sandwich the other day, and added some sugar to a papaya salad I made. The diet part is relatively easy for me. I just have been eating more chips and cookies than I should have, especially chips.
Then the miracle of mircacles is that I quit coffee. I was hopelessly addicted and up to probably five or six cups a day. I allow myself all the green tea I want for the antioxidants, and it's not decaff, but much less caffeine and after five days I'm starting to cut back on the green tea as well. But probably am going to keep drinking the green tea. I do miss the "highs" that came along with a coffee buzz though, especially in the AM.
I drank "Flora" detox tea for a few days. I bought the small bottle since it's dreadfully expensive. I am also taking milk thistle twice a day for the liver, and dandelion leaf tea (not the root which is good for the liver but the leaf) for the kidneys. Dirnking lots and lots of filtered water.
So far so good. I usually feel pretty fabulous so I don't notice a difference after five days. I feel more sluggish from lack of coffee but hope those symptoms will subside soon.
Thanks for listening, please share.
wow good job on giving up the coffee! especially since you drank tons of it! that is a major accomplishment on it's own... but good luck on your detox :)
I hear you about the coffee. I think that if furloughs ever end, I'm going to adjust my schedule to start later and go to the gym in the morning. I got back on coffee to get an afternoon high just long enough to get me in the gym.
How long have you been doing it?
Thanks Amy! I'm off of work this past week, so it's good timing. I'm not sleeping very well either, my dog has "issues" that keep me awake almost every hour, but that's another story.
h_h, I've been at it since Monday. Had my last coffee Sunday night. The test will definately be when I go back to work. I just read that a Starbucks Grande that I buy sometimes has 300 mg of caffeine compared to 15 in green tea. Also the coffee I drank was typically in that range as well. Quite a change. I feel more even and calm, but like I said I miss the highs and the jolts. Oh well...best be Zen than bipolar nut. (No offense to anyone)
starbuck's espresso contains 75mg caffeine/shot, and a grande americano has 3 shots (--> 225mg) and other grande drinks (latte, mocha, etc) have 2 shots (150mg).
Gotta stay away from Starbucks. :)
I used to drink a cup or two of coffee every day, but then it started giving me stomachaches and headaches, and so I stopped about three or four years ago. I try to avoid caffeine altogether now because it gives me bad headaches.
I think it's interesting that I've read about some detox programs that say you don't have to stop drinking coffee. That really makes no sense to me at all. I think coffee should be one of the first things people give up when they're trying to get their body in proper working condition.
At any rate, I'm actually doing a sort of gradual detox for the next seven weeks (leading up to my birthday in June--since I'm going to be the big 2-9 I wanted to give myself the gift of feeling/looking great!). I've never tried a detox before and that's why I don't just want to jump in head first. Today is my first day and this week my goal is to avoid peanuts, soy, and processed foods as much as possible. By the end of the seven weeks I hope to be eating mostly raw foods and completely avoiding soy, peanuts, sugar, etc. We'll see.
I'm using Natalia Rose's The Raw Food Detox Diet as a guidebook. Does anyone have any other good references for detoxing?