Why Detox?

Today is my first day, out of fourteen, on the Elimination Diet, or my version of the Elimination Diet. AKA a detox. The Elimination Diet removes all common dietary irritants in an effort to detox your liver, give your body a break and feel better. This means no:

• Dairy
• Gluten
• Corn
• Soy
• Eggs
• Grains
• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Sugar

Often times we eat foods for us that make us feel sick but we’re stuck in cycle of feeling like crap that we barely notice that food may be the issue. We blame it on everything except food. I’ve been there.

The first time I did this sort of diet was when I was severely struggling with IBS and really didn’t want to give up anything. I experienced a lot of withdrawal and had a lot of frustrating grocery store experiences, but afterwards I was energized and felt the healthiest I’d ever felt!

Why detox? It sounds impossible!

Okay, detoxing is not supposed to be how you live your life 365 days a year. That’s just insane. The goal is to live a balanced life, not deprive yourself of foods that you love. (yes, that means eating hot dogs are okay from time to time) Doing a detox or cleanse like the elimination diet is useful 1-2 times per year. It helps free your body of toxins, free radicals, and other irritants. Do this 1-2 times a year and your digestive, endocrine, nervous, immune… ALL of your systems in your amazing computer of a body… will be in tip top shape.

But WHY?

If you’re experiencing any of the following, I’d consider doing a detox/cleanse/elimination diet:

• Weight Gain
• Digestive Issues- IBS, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, gas
• Brain fog- general tiredness and inability to focus
• Red, blood-shot eyes
• Acne, rashes, and other skin issues
• Anxiety, depression, moodiness
• Autoimmune Diseases

 

I decided to do it for a couple of reasons.

1. I want to experiment on myself and create a comprehensive Gut Health 2 Week Detox Plan. So I’m going to figure out how to make cleansing not totally SUCK. (hopefully)
2. My digestive system is out of wack, lots of gas and bloating (cute, I know).
3. My eyes are red and blood shot which is a topical sign that your liver needs detoxing.
4. General feelings of tiredness, which may just be the time of year, but this will help.

 

How am I doing?

So far, so good! I REALLY wanted coffee this morning especially since I’ve been indulging in the Bulletproof Coffee trend lately. That stuff is SO good. But, instead of going for the tea kettle right away, I made myself a Lemon Turmeric Ginger Elixirto get the liver detoxing and flowing. I actually do this pretty much every morning anyway, but especially because I’m following a specific detoxifying diet, it’s important to help your body with it’s natural detoxifying process. Because, yes, even if we don’t take measures to detox and cleanse our bodies, it’ll do it anyway. We’re overexposed to food and environmental toxins so there’s no way the body can do it all perfectly all the time. A little help never hurt anyone, right? Why not make it more efficient? ANYWAY. The rest of my day has gone pretty well so far, I haven’t had any headaches or crabbiness!

I’m going to keep you updated with Elimination Diet recipes for the next couple of weeks and chronicle my journey. Today’s recipe is the morning elixir! Even if you’re not ready to do an elimination diet or detox yet, I highly recommend adding this to your daily routine. Do it first thing in the morning before anything else. I promise you’ll notice a difference whether it’s better digestion, more energy, curbed appetite, glowing skin, happiness, or all of the above!

Lemon Turmeric Ginger Elixir

Health Benefits: detoxifies liver, flushes digestive system, rehydrates the body, anti-inflammatory, boosts immune system, clearer skin.

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground (or 1 tablespoon fresh) ginger
• squeeze half a lemon
• room temp/warm water *

Mix it all up and drink!

*this is important! Room temp/warm water first thing in the morning helps your body absorb all of the nutrients in the lemon, ginger, and turmeric.