Hi All,
I have created this blog post so that we can all have a forum for discussion as the detox program goes forward. Please use the comments option at the bottom of this post to leave your questions and comments. I will reply daily and post a little something myself. Please do share your cool food ideas so that we all my benefit from what you are doing.
Also if you go back a few blog entries you can also check out the comments from the detox I helpd last month. And one before that was an article on detoxing. They may be of interest.
Happy cleansing and have fun!
Jim Chialtas, L.Ac.
This first comment goes out to you three week program people. You should be in day 2 or 3 now and on the one shake a day part of the program. Besides eliminating the basic core foods we spoke about this week should be pretty easy. Chime in anytime and share some recipes if you have found something particularly yummy!
ReplyDeleteBye for now, and Happy Cleansing!
-jim
Hi Jim,
ReplyDeleteHere are some questions.
I am using topical bio-identical hormones, which you are opposed to.
How can I eliminate them without eliminating their benefits?
Do you know of any non-toxic dishes and pans?
All the best,
Paul
Hi Paul,
ReplyDeleteIn my experience getting off of these medications can be really tough. It will always come with withdrawal symptoms. This is a topic better discussed together. You should get some free hormone testing done to see exactly where your hormone levels are and I can tell you more about what best to do from a functional perspective.
As for healthy pots, I go for any high quality cookware that does not have a non-stick coating. Cast iron pans are ok, but I have seen people come back with elevated iron levels from using them too much. But as for actual brands I don't have any ideas for you. Just think non-stick!
Hope that helps! Let's chat soon about the hormone cream.
Hi Jim
ReplyDeleteExcited to start the cleanse! I was reading the lil' book and also your posts from your last one in January. For the first 2 days, it seemed from your posts that you added stuff to the shakes (banana, spinach, etc.) and ate with the shakes too (avocado)... but the book makes it sound like a fast where all we have are the shakes for days 1 & 2 (doesn't say if we can add stuff or not). Please clarify! Thank you!
Christine
Good morning Christina,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the question. It was something that I had intended on bringing up at the meeting but spilled my mind. For you one the 3 week program this concept is moot. Don't worry about it. The two programs are designed slightly different. But for those on the 7 day program there is an option for the first 2 - 3 days to be a lemonade fast where there is no food at all consumed... Only sip the lemonade (made with lemon and/or lime juice, grade b maple syrup and green tea if you like. All made to taste.) every 15 minutes. After a couple of days of this then the program begins with the shakes and pills. and foods on the "ok" list.
Now having said that, I want to leave this lemonade fast as an option only. It really becomes important when tackling larger health concerns. I don't really intend for these general group programs to include this part, but can certainly be an option.
Thanks for the question. I will also send out the 7 day folks an email explaining this because I understand that it is confusing and I didn't cover it the other night.
Bye for now,
jim
Thanks Jim,
ReplyDeleteThere must be some general principles involved in eliminating bio-identical hormones.
How long does it take to eliminate bio-identical hormones?
Do you just reduce the dose and discipline yourself to accept the withdrawal symptoms?
Do you take supplements that will help the body to make more of its own hormones?
Do you take another form of hormones?
Is there anything I can read?
With your approach to elimination of bio-identical hormones, how many people have you successfully treated?
Can I talk to any of them?
How many have you treated that were not successful?
All the best,
Paul
Paul,
ReplyDeleteGreat questions, though I would rather discuss it personally since it does not exactly address the group. But regarding hormone clearing you will need increased Methyl donors such as methylcolbalmin, betaine, MSM, Trimethylglycine. Sex hormones require the Methyl- group in Phase II to be eliminated.
One of my reasons for participating in the cleanse is to eliminate a rash.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that the rash resulted from bird mite bites.
An owl was living in a tree about 10 feet from my bedroom. The owl left. Around the time that the owl left, a small rash appeared on my wrist. Later, it grew to cover much of my legs and arms.
According to a number of sources, bird mites hang around birds and bite the birds in order to consume their blood. If a bird leaves, the mites go looking for a new source of blood, and often infect nearby people.
As part of my treatment, I have just started consuming Sonne #7 which is a liquid form of purified bentonite clay. According to some internet sources, mites like clay. After they eat the clay, the parasites and clay are excreted through the feces. Some sources say that bentonite clay increases pH which also helps to get rid of parasites.
It appears that everyone's body contains millions of parasites. Therefore, my rash may be advantageous because it has caused me to focus on getting rid of parasites.
According to one report, parasites multiply rapidly. Eggs may hatch in as little as three days. Decreasing transit time through the bowel can help to get rid of the eggs, before they hatch.
I’m normally a big meat eater. However, I am currently avoiding meat and eating nuts. This seems to decrease transit time.
I’m also eating less fruit than usual in accordance with the theory that sugar in the fruits might be excellent food for parasites.
According to one report, de-worming used to be a common practice, but has become far less common since the age of pharmaceutical medicine.
It may be desirable to use the above approaches at least a couple of times per year. Alternatively, one might consume Sonne # 7 every day. According to Sonne, this product may be consumed for as long as desired.
Please comment on the above.
Do you favor or disfavor using Sonne #7 as part of the cleanse?
Do you know of any better product for the same purpose?
All the best,
Paul
Good morning everyone,
ReplyDeleteIt is day one for all of your 7 day cleansers. Rise and shine, and make that first shake. By now I hope that you have made it to the store and are all stocked up on things like rice milk, frozen berries, veggies, etc. I really like the Whole Grain milk from Trader Joe's. Yummy!
For your shake this morning try blending in some frozen berries and a handful of fresh spinach with the powder and some rice, hemp, almond, or whole grain milk.
Have a great day and happy cleansing!
jim
Hi!
ReplyDeleteChad and I didn't quite make it to the store before we started the cleanse like we intended, but we did make it out this morning to buy everything we needed.
I just have to say-it wasn't pretty! LOL. Chad said all he could think about was meat, meat, and meat. Of course, the more we talked about food, the more I got hungry.
Honestly, the shake didn't taste amazing, but that was just the shake mixed with water. We'll try adding some fruit juice this evening. It filled us up for a little while, but since we're used to eating 5-6 times a day, we got hungry quickly. We snacked on berries, fruits, and rice crackers.
An afternoon nap helped to get the mind off food.
Feeling good after the first day...
Any ideas on making the shake taste better? Jim mentioned adding spinach-any other ideas I can use with fruit juice?
Thanks,
Anna
Well I was happy to find that the shake was not disgusting at all! Mine was actually yummy. Here's what I did:
ReplyDelete1 packet of frozen acai
then I just filled up the rest of the glass with pomegrante juice. That's it.
I hadn't read Jim's posting about the milks, and I also haven't been to the store yet (but the gluten is the biggest change for me here so I already have a lot to eat at home). So will try adding some rice milk and greens tonight or tomorrow then.
I have added spinach to my morning juices before and it's not bad at all, especially when there is something sweet in the juice like carrots.
Question for Jim: the book has high sugar juices on the NO list. How much sugar is high sugar? Like did I blow it already with the pomegrante juice? It doesn't have added sugar but a lot of these fruit juices are just naturally sweet.
Anna, Yes, I understand that the powder and water is a bit blah. SO definitely add the berries and I like Christine's suggestion of using the acai if you can find that out there in South Carolina. I also like to use a scoop of almond butter to the shakes which has a strong flavor and makes for a more filling shake. And tell hubby not to worry... You can add back the meat Monday. Just remember to try and keep it to a minimum. Smaller portions and organic if you can find it. The cleaner the better!
ReplyDeleteChristine, I don't have any strict rule of thumb for the juices just remember that fruit juice is the sugar part of the fruit minus the fiber! So I would keep all juice to a minimum as well. And definitely no juice that has added sugars or heaven forbid high fructose corn syrup!Pomegranate Juice should be fine if you didn't get the kind with added sugar. It can be quite tart unsweetened, but it is ok, and packed full of antioxidants which is great!
And overall... Keep eating lots of snacky foods on the ok list. Anna, do keep eating your 5-6 meals per day. That is great! Eat a lot of veggies like celery and hummus or nut butter. Fresh fruit, etc.
Great questions! And I will check in again soon.
-jim
Hi Jim,
ReplyDeleteI thought that I was exchanging one rice protein powder for another and purchasing a bottle of methyl SP, which I did. However, I now have a bottle of Bilemin and no longer have the AlphaBase and Phytocore capsules.
Do I have the correct supplements?
All the best,
Paul
Hi Paul,
ReplyDeleteYes, the two companies have a slightly different formulation for their programs. So the Clearvite powder basically contains the same stuff as the Core Restore Powder and Alpha Base pills all in one product... More or less at least. Then the Bilemin pills perform the same function as the Phytocore. We added the Methyl-SP to help with the hormone clearance.
Now having said that, I put all three of those supplements for your assistant to pick up the other day in exchange for the Core Restore Kit. She should have delivered to you not only the Methyl-SP pills, but the Bilemin pills and Clearvite Powder as well.
And this is a good type of question for the personal emails. It does not concern the group. But thanks for checking in on that. Let me know by email at jchialtas@gmail.com if you indeed have all three products in hand.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteThanks Christine for the suggestion, I will look for frozen acai. :)
I found that adding blueberry pomegranate juice helps with the taste. I think a full 8oz of the juice is too tart, so I tried it this morning with 4-6oz of juice, and the rest water. It more palatable this way.
The shakes are pretty filling for me, so I'm not sure I could drink it all at once with heavier foods added.
Is green tea okay to drink on day 2?
Good morning everyone... Day 2! Still avoiding animal products today. Today if any you may feel a bit off. Take today as a relaxing rest day. And drink plenty of water. Remember water is the way all the junk gets out of us. So drink up! It also helps you stay full feeling.
ReplyDeleteAnna, do try and use some rice milk, or other non dairy or soy based milk. It really goes well with the shakes. And yes, a little green tea is ok the whole way through in my opinion. Just remember that there is a little caffeine in green tea so try and keep it down to a minimum. But green tea has so much antioxidant power that it is worth it to consume.
Have a great day everyone!
I just re-read that above comment. Let me just clarify that you should avoid soy based milks.
ReplyDeleteI think it sounded like I was recommending them. I had meant to get across that you should avoid dairy and soy based milks.
:)
Hi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteDay 3.... Tonight is half way there! I have been hearing a bit about headaches. Caffeine withdrawal is a real thing unfortunately. At least that is the most common reason for headaches early in the program. If you are getting headaches,hang in there, they should pass soon. And it is ok to have a little green tea in the mornings. That should help with the headaches.
Other than that, today is the day that you can start to re-introduce animal protein. Just remember to keep it clean, and keep it small. I really like to boil up those good bone broths. GO ask the butcher for bones and boil them down for approx. 60 minutes with carrot tops, onion tops and skins, celery tops, etc. I even throw in a couple of lemon wedges. Strain this broth and make any kind of soup you like that is on the ok list of foods. Perhaps make a chicken, rice and veggie soup with this broth. What we are looking for is for the broth to be jelly when in the fridge. That is the good stuff!
Have a great day, and let us all know what you are eating!
Ciao,
jim
The broth sounds yummy, I'll have to try it! I also tried the TJs whole grain milk to replace some of the pom juice, that was good.
ReplyDeleteWell today was my first day with the adventure of lunch at work, and it turned out to be decent considering I just grabbed stuff and flew out the house this a.m. Here's what I did:
black beans (Eden makes canned ones BPA-free) in a bowl
season with S&P, cumin, oregano
microwave for 30 sec (I had to! I couldn't eat cold beans!)
then I threw on top:
1/2 an organic avocado
1/2 an organic heirloom tomato (People's has delicious ones now)
spring mix
and a brown rice tortilla on the side. It was good! Especially with the tomato.
So far the biggest thing I've had to be careful of is not overdoing the grains and nut butters, and eating enough fruit/veg to balance textures, flavor, and the dryness of the grains. Even with all the water, my brain's been feeling a little thick like oatmeal, but it's better when I snack on strawberries and eat salad. Tonight, maybe some sauteed greens with beets I roasted last night.
Christine...
ReplyDeleteCongrats! You seem to have this down. If that was your idea of throwing together a quick lunch, I think that you are doing great! Thanks for sharing all that with the group!
I really like to eat avocados on programs like these. They are high in good fats and offer a lot of energy for the day. They also by the way will blend into a shake if you care to do something like that.
How is everyone doing on increasing their water intake? I find that this simple thing is one of the easiest things to forget to do! I like to fill up a large bottle and drag it around with me as my goal to finish it within a certain time period. Remember, try to shoot for around one half of your body weight in ounces per day. This will give your body plenty of water to flush out all the unwanted junk!
Bye for now and have a great day!
Good morning,
ReplyDeleteMan, I just had the most wonderful pear! If you don't have any pears go out right now and get some. Yummy...
So you folks on the 7 day program should be on day 5 today. It is all down hill form here. You should have your routine down and hopefully are over any side effects of the detox. I would love to hear your experiences.
Keep it up, and have a great day! It is sure beautiful today. Try and go for a walk tonight after work. Or if you have some time during the day I bet the beach is just wonderful. Go pay it a visit.
It was rough in the beginning, but like Jim said, it got easier after getting into a routine.
ReplyDeleteWe've been very busy this week, but managed to cook recipes within the diet guidelines.
Chad cooked a simple but tasty risotto last night with some whole grain organic brown rice, chicken, onions, garlic, olive oil, and spices.
Recipes we've tried so far:
stuffed peppers recipe, which was a little dry (possibly because of our convection oven) but we drizzled a little olive oil on which made it better
my favorite black bean recipe (from epicurious.com)
baby bok choy stir fry with mushrooms
We've been eating a lot of apples and berries, as well as rice crackers and quac as snacks in between meals.
We're feeling energized.
Good morning All,
ReplyDeleteDay 6 today. Just two more days... It is the final stretch.
Thanks Anna for the great feedback. I am glad that you guys have been able to pull together and be prepared with great sounding food even in the face of a busy week. It is really great that you are both doing it at the same time. That is one thing that is a nice side effect of doing a program like this with your partner. It often lends itself to some quality time together preparing food! And that is something that I think we often forget to do. And if you are doing this program while single, this is also a great time to have friends over and prepare a great cleanse friendly meal for them as well. There are really great meals that everyone will love. I like Anna's mention of her favorite black bean recipe. I have a black bean soup recipe that I would love to share with friends either on this program or not. So have fun and remember to enjoy the people in your life!
Have a great day today!
Thanks Jim!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to ask, can you please explain the process of introducing food groups slowly back into our diet?
Now that we're getting close to the end, I want to plan ahead...
Hi Anna,
ReplyDeleteYou were one step ahead of me... I had planned to post about it tomorrow, but there is no time like the present! Thanks for asking.
Yes, once you are finished with your program it will be a great time to try and reintroduce key food groups one at a time to see if you notice any reaction from them. You have avoided all of the common offending foods for one week and in doing so you have allowed all of the histamines and other inflammatory chemicals in your body to build up a bit. (The three week folks will be able to feel this in a much bigger way than the 7 day program.) If you then reintroduce an offending food that you are sensitive to you will then be able to feel the effects of it better than if you were eating it every day. It isn't that you have created a sensitivity, you are just more able to feel it after things like this because you haven't been releasing those inflammatory chemicals every day and they have built up more than you are used to.
So here is what you do... On day 8, or the first day after your program, pick one food that you want to eat the most. Let's just say gluten containing foods like pasta or bread. Go ahead and eat those foods for one day while still staying off the others. Eat it only for that day and then remove it again for another day or two and pay close attention to how you feel. Is there any joint pain for example? Is there a headache? Brain fog? Are you feeling run down? Did you get increased sinus congestion or mucus production? These are all examples of what you may experience. If you don't notice anything you can then go back to eating it and try a different food like dairy. Repeat this by eating dairy for one day and then waiting a couple of more days. (You can still eat gluten foods at this point if there was no reaction.) Look for symptoms again. You can then repeat this for eggs and soy as well.
If you do find that there is something obvious with a particular food I recommend eliminating it completely from your diet indefinitely. There are gut repair programs that I can help you with that go beyond the scope of this detox which can sometimes lead to a recovery from particular food sensitivities. But do get in touch with me if you experience anything and we can discuss your options.
So that's about it... It may take another week or slightly more to get through all of the reintroductions of food.
Hope that helps!
Alright... You did it! Well almost. No cheating tonight please. :) And I understand that there are a few of you who started a couple of days late, but regardless, congrats on getting though the week. I would love to hear some of your experiences if you are so willing to share. I have heard of some caffeine withdrawal symptoms, some muscle aches, and some cravings. And then I have heard of some people who after the first couple of days got into the groove and began to feel really good.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you all have read my post from last night about reintroducing foods back one at a time. I recommend giving it a try. You have come this far so why not go the whole way? And I hope that you can use this experience to move you forward in your path to better health. This may be only the beginning.
And as for you few that are on the 3 week program, you have about a week to go. And I will stay with you. Keep up the great work. The hardest part is probably over now. This next week will be reintroducing animal protein after 7 days off. And you can now reduce your shakes from three per day to two for the first part of the week. Hope to hear from you guys soon!
Take good care, and I will be in touch with you all soon.
Thanks for being a part of the group!
-Jim