Welcome to Mimi’s intro to detox.
First, some thoughts on what I think is a manageable approach to detox in recovery. I’ve included a recipe for my Spring Cleaning Detox tea—and some good resources.
Years ago, I took a highly toxic drug called Accutane. During the time I was seeing a nutritionist who was a German woman about 9 feet tall, and she scared the shit out of me. She made it very clear she was disappointed. She decided to put me on a detox plan which consisted of a powdered medical supplement, to be mixed with juice, and thats it!
This detox plan was assigned to me for a two, to three week protocol.
During this time, I was talking with some friends at work and I joked, “thank God I smoke.”
One friend said disgustedly—”then whats the point?” This moment infuriated me then,
and still does to this day.
It’s that all or nothing attitude that keeps us stuck. “Im going to quit drinking, smoking, smoking pot, sugar, do yoga every day, and run 25 miles per week!” So, if you can’t do all—don’t do any of it. You can’t convince me that’s a winning approach.
If you want to do a juice fast, or a medically supervised cleanse, I’m all for it! When you’re ready, by all means go for it. But it’s not actually necessary. I want to encourage you to remember that our bodies are self regulating, and in a constant state of detoxification. That being said—if you live in the world, and have been making less than healthy choices in terms of what you’re ingesting, your body will be craving and needing a little extra support and TLC.
If I add fresh juices to my diet for 3 days, and I’m not talking about a juice fast—I’m talking about adding simply 2 juices to my regular diet. During these times I juice, someone always tells me how good my skin looks.
So, If fresh results are showing on my face, imagine what it’s doing to my insides! Juicing is my top number one suggestion to add into your diet, if you’re looking for an overall good and healthy additive. This is an easy way to get your green vegetables, it also creates an alkaline environment within your body.
You will automatically crave healthier food over time with this continued juice practice.
If you’re like me—stringing together even three juice days can be as challenging as stringing together sober days. Both are so worth it.
I have a juicer, but interestingly enough I can buy a 16oz juice from my health food store for less than it costs to make it at home. I can call it in, and just go straight to the juice bar to pick it up in under 5 minutes. Most likely for the same amount of money and effort as choosing a fancy coffee drink, which will pick you up and then cause you to crash.
Honestly—I’m not a fan of the green smoothie.
It was actually my pain management doctor who got me juicing after my neck surgery. I was trying to choke down green smoothies and he told me, you can’t absorb all the nutrients when your body has to work so hard to digest the fiber. I said, “but when you blend it, isn’t it then pre-digested?” He informed me—”no, it’s not enough. That’s why cows have two stomachs!”
A friend was telling me what she puts in her green smoothies. She began listing ingredients, then took a breath and kept going. It must have been 15 things! A large ingredient list isn’t going to hurt you, but you’ll be wasting a lot of money because it’s just not possible for your body to absorb all of it at once. Instead, drink your green juice by itself on an empty stomach.
This way the nutrients will pass easily into your blood stream, and nourish every cell in your body. Drinking juice on an empty stomach reduces the amount of energy your body needs to use for digestion. This will give your cells a chance to repair and rebuild. Along with the live enzymes, which will give you an instant boost—and sustained energy.
I’m not including juice recipes here, but I can if you need some ideas. Let me know in the comments section below, and I’ll be more than happy to pass over some juicing recipes that will nourish your body from the inside-out.
What I will give you right now is what I think is a good guideline that I use:
3 parts vegetables to 1 part fruit.
Another super easy addition to your detox support plan is—Teaonic.
The only thing I don’t like about this product is, that I didn’t think of it myself!
The “I Love My Liver” blend shares ingredients with my, “Spring Cleaning” detox tea. They have many beneficial formulas for your adrenals, gut health, and brain health.
Another step you can take right now, is to ditch your antiperspirant and replace it with a natural deodorant. Antiperspirant has all different kinds of nasty stuff in it that you don’t want absorbed into your body. But also, perspiration is one of the ways your body eliminates water soluble toxins. It might take your body a little bit of time to adjust using a natural deodorant—but the benefits are worth a few smelly days. An additional benefit is that it’s the anti-perspirant that causes the stains on your shirts, not the sweat itself! Who knew, right?
Water soluble toxins are processed by the liver, then eliminated through perspiration, and also urine—another reason to stay hydrated. A good rule of thumb is to drink as much water in ounces equalling 1/2 your body weight.
Enjoy your very own Intro to Detox drink—
My recipe is down below just for you!
Love the recipe?
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Intro to Detox Recipe
Fat soluble toxins, (pesticides, metals, preservatives, food additives) require optimal bile flow to move through our bodies without overwhelming the liver. Eating a whole food diet with plenty of fiber offers much needed support to this process.
I’ll cover this section in detox no. 2—
See you there!
