The whirlwind that has been my life over the past two months has not been kind to my body; I've been taking advantage of my free shift meals at work (which generally involve an abundance of meat and cheese, with hardly a vegetable in sight,) hardly finding time to exercise and sleeping restlessly. I need to get back on track, and the best way to do so is to give my body a break from the insanity I've been putting it through. This means avoiding everything that takes hard work to process: wheat, dairy, soy, meat, caffeine, alcohol, and preservatives and other chemicals. What does that leave, you ask? Fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes, nuts, eggs and quinoa. You'd be surprised how much variety you can squeeze out of this list!
Make no mistake: the Beyonce lemonade-and-cayenne-pepper "cleanse" is not my style. This regimen has gained a lot of popularity lately, much to my dismay. Supposedly, drinking nothing but water with lemon, maple syrup and cayenne can flush out toxins; I know people who have done it for a week or longer and swear by it. I can't get beyond the scientific fact that when you don't consume enough calories, your body goes into emergency mode to conserve its resources. How is telling your body that you're dying a cleanse?? No, no, I can't get behind that at all; it looks far too much like anorexia to me. My cleanse is about achieving satiety from the highest-quality, easiest-to-digest foods. Consuming organic, locally-produced food is always best, of course.
This week I'll be sharing my notes as I collect ideas for cleansing recipes and meal ideas. Next week, I'll create a week-long meal plan and shopping list that you can follow if you want to do your own cleanse. I'd love to hear all your thoughts and questions about cleansing!
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A few months ago I created my own little list of concoction staples after researching all those "fad" cleanses. It was meant to be a temporary thing, but I found that I liked it so much it's now a ritual of sorts... I try to have a hot "tea" of these items in the morning before a meal, sometimes all of them, sometimes just what I have available. The combinations are completely up-in-the-air though, so one can adjust to what tastes they like and don't. I'm a cayenne freak, for one, not everyone is.
ReplyDeleteThe staples:
- cayenne pepper (metabolism ass-kicker)
- ginger root (overall good for digestive system, but I find that the bite wakes me up.)
- honey (Sooo many benefits. This is my one "gem" item if I had to pick one.
It's a good source of "quick" energy especially if you work out early mornings. I mainly love it for it's antibiotic benefits. When I was sick as a kid, my super-European parents reached for the honey before they even *thought* about the Tylenol Flu. Also, it softens out the taste of the cayenne if you decide to add it.)
- lemon (there's been so much hub-bub about hot-water-and-lemon being good for digestion and the processing of fats... not sure if the latter is true, but lemon tastes awesome anyway.)
- cinnamon (tastes great with the honey... Good for blood sugar control, digestion, car sickness and nausea... oh, and libido :)
Did it make a difference? Well, I'd like to think so. My digestion, overall, has become more balanced. My body feels cleaner just from the increased fluid intake. And I feel as though I have less cravings throughout the day for things when I'm not hungry.
-Aa
wow, awesome!! i can't wait to try different combinations of your tea...i love the idea of reaping the benefits of these ingredients without going so far as to fast on nothing but. thanks for your descriptions, they're fabulous!
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Can't wait to read these blogs Hillary!
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