cleanprogram

“You Are What You Eat, and You Eat What You Are” (Clean, II) Four days ago I started my version of the Clean cleanse. I kept my goals realistic and achievable, which I think is essential in making long-term lifestyle changes. During thes…

You Are What You Eat, and You Eat What You Are” (Clean, II) 

Four days ago I started my version of the Clean cleanse. I kept my goals realistic and achievable, which I think is essential in making long-term lifestyle changes. 

During these past few days, I’ve kept thinking about a sentence in the book: “You Eat What You Are.” And it’s true! The same way that there is a negative cycle of eating, there is a positive cycle. When you feel puffy, constipated, tired, and unmotivated, you crave foods that will give you instant satisfaction, which are usually fast-food and loaded with sugar and fat. When you eat healthier, you have more energy, you wake up easier, sleep better, you poop!, and therefore crave healthier, “better for you” foods. It’s not a diet, it’s simply an instinct. You just have to take the leap of faith and start! 

Here is what I have learned from my simple changes

  • Avoid additional sugars and refined grains. I cooked buckwheat and brown rice, and made some oatmeal cookies. I feel my appetite has subdued and I have more control over my sweet tooth. 
  • Follow the 12-hour rule. Do not eat or drink (except water) for 12 hours: from 8pm to 8am. I can’t tell you how amazing this has felt! I am sleeping better and feel less bloated, and it forces me to eat earlier. 
  • Drink a shake a day- either for breakfast or dinner. My digestion has improved significantly and I can check off at least 2 servings of fruit a day! 
  • Drink more water, especially on workdays. I work in a hospital for three days a week and it can get pretty dry and stuffy. Drinking water has helped lessen my p.m. fatigue and improved my concentration, not to mention my dry eyes!!
  • Limit alcohol beverages. Goal= 3/ week. I am not going to lie, this has been challenging. I now have to think.. “Do I really want a glass of wine with dinner?” BUT, on the plus side, I have taken advantage of the numerous herbal teas (see pic) that had accumulated in my cabinet!  This has also improved my digestion and my sleep pattern. 

What are your goals? 

Inspired by: Junger, A. Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body’s Natural Ability to Heal Itself.   

Go With Your Gut (Clean, Part I)

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I recently read a book called Clean, written by a cardiologist and functional medicine doctor, Alejandro Junger. The book is designed to help you detox and cleanse your body of the toxins we are exposed to in our food and our environment in a carefully crafted 21-day program. The book also incorporates emotional cleansing from our hectic 21st century lifestyle by way of meditation.

The program is based on a few basic principles:

  • Avoid the most common food triggers: wheat, eggs, dairy, peanuts, soy
  • Increase consumption of alkalizing, enzyme-rich foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and superfoods like spirulina, coconut, and flaxseed
  • Trade two daily meals for protein shakes and dietary supplements from The Clean Program (at a hefty price).

In case it hasn’t become apparent by now, I am not an extremist. If I can, I will avoid using the word exclude. That said, Clean brought up many great ideas. One which I found especially interesting was the attention paid to revitalizing our digestive system. Our gastrointestinal tract (GI) is comprised of a group of amazing organs. It not only helps us extract macronutrients from food to use as energy and absorb necessary micronutrients to help the body work efficiently, but it also serves as a physical and immunological barrier to microorganisms, foreign material, and potential antigens consumed in food.

Our digestive system starts with our mouth, which breaks down carbohydrates by mixing with saliva. When the food reaches the stomach, protein is broken down into smaller fragments (peptides) as well as some fat digestion. The small intestine is where most of our food is absorbed with the help of the pancreas and liver. The small intestine is made up of 7 meters, but has a surface area of approximately 200-300m2- about the size of a tennis court! The large intestine, about 1.5 meters long, is where most of our fluid and electrolytes are absorbed, but it’s also where our healthy bacteria resides and where elimination of undigested food occurs.

It takes about 6-8 hours for food to travel through the stomach and small intestine, and then it spends several more hours in the colon. According to the Mayo Clinic, the amount of time it takes for a healthy adult to completely move a meal out of their system (as stool or urine) is between 24 and 72 hours, longer if the meal was composed of high fat and less if it was mostly refined carbohydrates.

Many people in the clinical world believe there is no need to cleanse because our digestive system already does a fine job on its own. And to a certain extent, they’re right. If our liver or kidneys weren’t functioning we’d die from the buildup of ammonia, lactic acid, carbon dioxide, lead poisoning, and so on.

THAT SAID… our diets, our surroundings, and our stress levels have changed A LOT in the last 100 years. Most people today eat out of plastic containers rather than the earth. People may live longer, but they’re also sicker. And most complain of fatigue, bloating and constipation as if this were the “new normal”. Let me tell you, it is not!

Cleansing provides our bodies the opportunity to reduce the workload of digestion, rebuild our inner environment (help with cravings, food sensitivities, acidity of the body), and enhance elimination.

So, if you ask me, I think we could all benefit from a little cleansing!

I’ve written down my goals for next week. What are yours?

  • Avoid additional sugars and refined grains.
  • Follow the 12-hour rule. Do not eat or drink (except water) for 12 hours: from 8pm to 8am, giving my GI a prolonged break. 
  • Drink a shake a day- either for breakfast or dinner. See below for my own special recipe. 
  • Drink more water, especially on workdays.
  • Limit alcohol beverages. Goal= 3/ week.

Winter Smoothie Recipe. Blend until desired consistency. 

  • 2 oz of plain low-fat yogurt (4 TBS)
  • 1 cup of frozen fruit (half  mango, half raspberries)
  • 1 TBS hemp
  • 1 TBS flaxmeal
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
  • 1 cup liquid (half water, half unsweetened almond milk)
The following posts will be based on Clean and other detox programs.