my do-able detox.

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i haven’t talked much about this subject on the blog, but for the past year i have been working with an acupuncturist (along with a western medicine doctor) to correct some hormonal imbalances, make my monthly female friend more regular, and prepare my body for baby.  while matt and i are not pregnant (yet), we hope to start a family in the relatively near future and i wanted to be proactive in ensuring my body is in tip top shape when that happy time does arrive.

for the eastern medicine portion of my treatment plan, i have been seeing an acupuncturist, who specializes in female and fertility issues, one to two time per week.  while i have not, up to this point, been prescribed chinese herbs (a common supplement to acupuncture treatment), i do follow her recommendation of a comprehensive vitamin supplement routine.  each morning i take the following over the counter supplements:

• coenzyme q10
• vitamin a, c + e
• l’arginine
• dhea
• natural fish oil

over the past couple of months, i have noticed changes from the combination of acupuncture and daily supplements: more energy, sounder sleep, less aches + pains, and my hormones have returned to closer-to-ideal levels. this is not to say acupuncture (or western medicine for that matter) is a cure all (my body still struggles with certain “issues”), but i have most certainly seen improvement.

{if you are interested in learning more about acupuncture, caitlin has a great acupuncture 101 post with lots of info!}

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the detox

why do i tell you this?  primarily it is background to introduce a program i will be embarking on for the next 10 days.  under the supervision of my acupuncturist (and with the support of my primary care physician), beginning tomorrow, i will be following the metagenics ultra clear plus 10 day detox program.

before we get details of what it entails, a few notes:

• we are constantly exposed to toxins from both internal (bacterial and yeast naturally occurring in our bodies) and external external sources (pesticides in food, chemicals in water, that new car smell, etc.)

• detoxification is “the elimination of toxins from the body that we are exposed to externally from environmental sources and internally from products generated by the ongoing, normal daily cellular processes”  {source}

• the purpose of this program (for me) is to cleanse and regenerate the processes within my body that nutritionally support its detoxification system (or its ability to rid itself of the toxins we all ingest each day.)  theoretically this cleansing will allow my detoxification system to function more efficiently.

• this program is not a calorie-restrictive or food-devoid plan and is not used (in my case) for weight loss.

the details

this detox program is widely used by acupuncturists across the country and a comprehensive guide can be found here.  in a nutshell, the 10 day program involves 3 phases:

• elimination phase
  • day 1: eliminate refined sugars, caffeine, artificial colorings/flavorings/sweeteners and flesh foods (meat)
  • day 2: eliminate dairy product and eggs
  • day 3: eliminate gluten grains
  • day 4: eliminate all grains, nuts and seeds

• detoxification phase
  • days 5 – 7: eliminate all foods from days 1 through 4 as well as legumes.  eat cruciferous vegetables, raw greens and fresh apples or pears

• reintroduction phase
  • day 8: add back fruits, vegetables and white rice
  • day 9: add back non-gluten grains, legumes and nuts
  • day 10: slowly reintroduce those foods in your normal diet

the questions

initially i had the following concerns:

• what will i eat and how will i stay full?

easily!  as you can see, up until day 4 i will continue to enjoy many of my current staples: vegetables, beans, quinoa, fruit and nuts (through day 3.)  the hardest part of the elimination phase, for me, will be sugar (duh) and caffeine (bye bye morning misto!)  i truly love vegetables, though, which will make it easier to center my meals on green.  despite the daily eliminations, it still will be fairly easy to get in healthy carbs, protein and fats.

• where does protein come from?

as a meat eater, this was a big question for me.  of course, the obvious answer is the same places most vegetarians get their protein from — nuts, beans and vegetables.  additionally, this particular program is supplemented with a brown rice protein shake consumed anywhere from 2 – 4 times/day (more during the detoxification phase.)  1 shake has 160 calories and 15 grams of protein.

• aside from the detoxification benefits, is it healthy?

well, in my opinion, yes.  for one, i trust my doctors and do not believe they would ever prescribe something that could be detrimental to my health.  additionally, even in the elimination and detoxification phases of this program, i will be consuming more than adequate amount of essential vitamins and nutrients.  i am going to keep close track of my eats to ensure i am consuming an adequate number of calories for my body (again, weight loss is not a goal with this program.) i have done research and learned that the most common “negative” side effects from traditional detox programs are: dehydration, fatigue, dizziness and nausea.  i plan to make a concerted effort to increase my water intake and make sure to fill up on plenty of apples and pears to avoid fatigue and dizziness.

• what if i can’t do it?

while i do believe this program is absolutely manageable, i will not allow it to severely interrupt or disturb my day to day life.  i have every intention of following it through, but if i notice unwanted side effects, feel uncomfortable, or frankly just need a spoonful of almond butter on day 6 (or a decaf soy misto), i’m going to do it!  this is about progress, not perfection.

so there you have it!  i debated mentioning this on the blog seeing as “detox” and “cleanse” can carry such negative and unhealthy connotations, but figured y’all would notice something was up with my eats early next week!  i’m also excited to keep tabs on this journey and share my daily meals and reflections.  while i’ll be more than ready for a piece of carrot cake and glass of wine by day 11, i’m excited to see how i feel with this new way of eating and cleansing.

do you have any experience with acupuncture or eastern medicine?

thoughts on detox / cleanse programs?