One of the most important parts of this cleanse is to do the pre-cleanse to prepare your body. If you go into the cleanse without weaning your body off certain things your body can go into shock. When I say shock, I mean you will experience uncomfortable side effects such as headaches, extreme hunger cravings and fatigue. The same goes for after the cleanse; you have to ease out of it and slowly incorporate the things you took out of your diet one at a time.
Just as a warning, this cleanse is not going to be easy. I have never done a juice cleanse and know that even for me it will be a great challenge! I have some friends who have done this cleanse before and say that the first day can be miserable but as your body adjusts it gets easier. So don’t give up! By the end of the cleanse they said that you feel energized, clean and fresh and that it is defiantly worth it! If you find that while on the cleanse you get hunger cravings and absolutely can’t stand it then eat! Don’t think that if you eat you have failed. If you get through even one day that’s a HUGE accomplishment! If you end up having to eat something I suggest a light and SIMPLE soup or a salad. You can also grab a piece of fruit or veggies to gnaw on.
I suggest that you start the pre-cleanse one week before the cleanse (today) as well as giving yourself another week after the cleanse to ease out. The following is a list of the things that you should cut out starting today.
1.caffeine- the easiest and best way to cut out caffeine is by doing it slowly. You can do this in increments by mixing your normal coffee with decaffeinated coffee.
Day 1- You can begin by doing 2/3 regular coffee and 1/3 decaf.
Day 2- you can have 50-50 mix.
Day 3-you can have 2/3 decaf and 1/3 caffeine
Day 4- only decaf
Day 5&6- you switch to green tea
2. Sugar- Starting today you should also begin to cut out sugar. That means all natural and artificial sweeteners.
3.Meat- I suggest cutting out all meat and fish. If you absolutely have to eat meat I would go with white meat (chicken or turkey) and cut it out completely by day 4.
4. Dairy- This means cheese, yogurt, milk, ice cream and anything that is made with cow, goat or sheep milk. You will be surprised how cutting out dairy will have an enormous and positive effect on many us. Many of us, unfortunately, are lactose intolerant (a lot of times without even knowing it). This means that we can’t digest the sugar in dairy. The effects of lactose intolerance can be as minimal as feeling bloated, gassy or fatigued after eating dairy. More times than not we don’t think of these as symptoms. Rather, we adjust and accept it as something that just happens without having an explanation why.
5. Soy- There are many on-going conversations whether there are any benefits to eating soy. I would advise that for the purpose of the cleanse and getting clean that we cut this out too. Especially soy milk as it is highly processed and can increase levels of mucus in your intestines.
6.Gluten- This is another thing that is very difficult for many of us to digest. Over the years more and more people have developed a gluten intolerance which also means that it is much easier to find gluten-free substitutions. If you must have some bread or pasta in days 1-4 I would suggest whole wheat, whole grain, spelt or rye.
7. Alcohol & Nicotine- We all know neither of these things are ever good for us and so I’m sure many of you have already guessed that alcohol and nicotine will have to go as well.
After getting through this list you are probably asking what am I supposed to eat?
Just pretend that you are vegetarian and vegan for a week and dive into the unexplored world of new foods. When I had to go on my very strict diet to get rid of the parasite I discovered a new world of things I had never eaten. I always connected vegan, vegetarian and gluten free things as restrictive and thought that it was not as satisfying but, I was so wrong. I actually bought an amazing gluten free and vegan baking book and each recipe I have made has astonished me as they are all amazing! So be adventurous and you may surprise yourself at what you discover.
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