The 10 Day Detox for me, has shifted my perspective about food immensely. To my own fault, I often times found myself driven to eat foods not because I was hungry, but because I was addicted to it. I wanted to eat food not because it was nourishing to my body, but because I was rewarding myself with that cupcake. Or three. Or, it was a really tough day! I just wanted to sit down and snack on some chips. It's sounds terrible to put that out in the open for anyone to read, but quite frankly I was addicted to food! Driven by food. If I exercise really hard this week, that will cancel out the bad food I ate, right? Wrong.
Becoming healthy again has never been a matter of "if," but "when." When am I going to stop buying macaroni & cheese for the kids? When am I going to stop buying Schwan's frozen foods because they are convenient? When am I going to stop buying Diet Coke? When am I going to start cooking again? WHEN?
I completely by accident stumbled upon this Detox, and it has answered every one of my questions. It is time to get healthy again, now.
The 10 Day Detox Diet by Dr. Mark Hyman is a book. I bought it off Amazon after accidentally finding it on Pinterest a couple weeks ago and it has addressed many of the reasons why it was so difficult for me to find a path back to a healthy lifestyle. The name of the book itself? Yuck, I don't like the title, to be brutally honest. It sounds like a fad diet. It should be titled, "The Road Back To Health." Yet, I am clearly not an author so my idea doesn't even count! lol
Also, what in the world sounds appealing about the word detox? Not a dang thing.
I have done detoxes before. I absolutely do not like the nagging feeling of being hungry all the time. The appeal of chewing off my arm does not necessarily motivate someone to say, "yes, let's go ahead and starve ourselves for a month and see how well we do."
No.
But this detox? This detox was the first time I stepped away from addictive foods that had somehow crept into our lives and made themselves at home. And these addictive foods weren't cookies and brownies. They were bread, granola bars, cheese, chips, crackers, noodles!!
Of course I still crave things, of course I would love to snack on chips or something sweet. Yet, I've learned that my brain is no longer hardwired to demand those foods because I literally detoxed my body from them. I can actually use willpower to make decisions that my brain was hardly giving me the chance of doing prior to this experience.
Detox. This literally was a detox. I experienced headaches and fatigue the first couple of days. My body ached, I felt edgy and moody. My body was recognizing that the addictive foods were no longer being presented. It's shocking to read through my journal entries in the first couple of days, because there was a degree of discomfort. Not hunger. Not starvation. Physical discomfort from not eating addictive foods. Then, like a cliche romance novel, after two or three days into it a cloud was lifted from my head and it all felt immensely clear.
Willpower works for me now, because I no longer "need," the foods that were preventing me from being healthy. The book helped me to let go of the guilt and punishment I was giving myself for not being strong enough to just stop eating bad food. The book helps you every day through the detox, and provides recipes, resources and ideas for doing more than just adjusting your food intake.
There are supplements that Dr Hyman sells through his website, but he also outlines what each supplement is suggested, so you can find your own if you so choose. There are also daily baths each night during the detox using Epsom salts, baking soda and Lavender essential oils. The first few baths I sat there, putting in my time, trying to figure out what in the world these were for. Fast forward: Now I look forward to my bath. It's a form of meditation, healing, relaxation. Something that I wasn't allowing myself to do in our fast-paced lives. This book is so much more than just food.
The food itself? What does the detox involve? I have eliminated the following from my diet entirely: gluten, dairy, sugar, artificial sweeteners, fruit, sodas and juice. If you are asking yourself, "what's left to eat?" after reading my list, you are not alone. I was TERRIFIED to try this detox. (previous blog post: I Am Terrified To Try This Detox) So many things were flying through my head. How will I be able to feed my family? How am I going to stay full from eating vegetables all day? What in the world am I getting myself into?
I say with 100% confidence that it is worth every moment. I am now eating some of the healthiest and delicious foods I have ever eaten - mostly because my tastebuds now taste a smoothie with blueberries and strawberries and recognize it as the sweetest and delicious thing possible. Instead of eating a blueberry before this detox thinking it was a little sweet, bland or bitter in comparison. Well no kidding. A blueberry in comparison to pure chocolate? Or to the sweetest of sweet artificial sweeteners? Poor blueberries don't stand a chance. Not unless you reprogram your tastebuds. Healthy food simply tastes better after this detox. I lost 8.5 pounds during the ten days. That floored me. I wasn't expecting it.
This detox also made the connection for me - one I've heard a million times. We are what we eat. I truly believe that. My mood, my energy, my outlook, my attitude, my physical existence are all exponentially better because of the foods that are nourishing my body, instead of foods that were draining the life out of me.
This detox has made quite the impression on me, clearly. I can't seem to stop talking about it! Yet, another gigantic change has not only been for me. But for my family. To smile when my son asks me each morning if he can try my shake or smoothie I'm making that day. To watch my kids gobble up green salads and chopped peppers on their plates before even touching those remaining baked french fries that will never be purchased again. To have my husband tell me that he looks forward to every meal now, and that he feels great. To see him stop drinking Diet Coke - HUGE. HUGE HUGE HUGE.
Life is feeling very good. :)
The detox doesn't end here, either. The book suggest three options for a 6-week transition phases back into the real world. 1) You can keep going with the same detox diet. 2). You can do the same detox diet but re-introduce legumes. 3). You can do the detox diets with re-introducing non-starchy fruits and legumes back into your life. Then, after those six weeks, you can start to slowly re-introduce gluten, dairy and other foods back into your life, if you so choose. This book doesn't leave you hanging. It is truly designed to help.
I think that about wraps it up! My conclusion feels like I am only touching the tip of the ice berg. There is so much more I could talk about it in detail, but I think this post is starting to turn novel-worthy.
Please come and check back to this blog soon. I am so very excited to share photos and recipes of some of the foods I've been eating and making. I hope that I might somehow help or inspire someone else out in this big world to simply think, or try something different that could potentially change something big in their lives.
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