Detoxification. Super Green Soup Delight!
DETOX. What a trendy new word. This used to be called fasting. There's a huge hype around fruit and vegetable juicing these days as well. And I got curious. I generally think it can't hurt to give your body a rest and a good clean for a few days. Detoxing is all about removing toxins from your body by ingesting healthy juices. I tried it and juiced for three whole days.
So what does DETOX really mean? The word comes from detoxification or detoxication, meaning the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from the body.
What's three days, really - three days of renouncing solid foods and getting some of the pressure off your body - this shouldn't be difficult for anyone. Especially when online provider Detox Delight makes it so easy. You can order your chosen programme from their website and the juices - and depending on the type of treatment, there might be soups as well - will be delivered to your door. A course of at least 5-7 days or longer is recommended. This might prove difficult for a working professional, so it's best to do the detoxing during a holiday, although I managed to do it while working.
I was afraid I was going to be really tired during the detox or feel dizzy from lack of food, but that didn't really happen. The first day was a little bit of an adjustment - I was light-headed and frazzled. I forgot something leaving my apartment 3 times in a row. I also felt a little weak and therefore klutzy that first day, but the next two days levelled out fine. The evenings were difficult - I usually got pretty hungry late in the day.
I often eat very late at night, that's when my system generally calls for food, no matter what time it is, so drinking the last of 4 juices at 7pm and not being allowed to eat past that time was a big adjustment. But during the day, I wasn't particularly hungry and didn't have any sweet or other cravings. Business meetings were a challenge though, and two dinners had to be cancelled due to the juice regime. I even cancelled an evening with Rachel Khoo for this. If that's not discipline, I don't know what is.
My detox regimen was called the Super Green & Soup Delight and consisted of one warm soup and 4 green juices per day. In addition, I had ordered the Beauty Shots Spring Edition, to be drunk three times a day - mornings, noons and evenings. This is supposed to support liver detoxification and make your skin glow. I ordered two gluten-free snacks which would tide me over should I get the munchies. Also, I just wanted to finally test gluten-free snacks. The savoy cabbage crisps with sesame seeds (no oil) were especially delicious as was the slightly sweet gluten-free nut granola. I can definitely recommend both as supplementary snacks.
Fortunately, my recent self-employed existence has been going well, which meant, however, that I couldn't take any time off. I had to take client meetings during which the gluten-free snacks came in particularly handy for a much needed energy boost.
I've been on a gluten-free diet for nine years now and having to pass on a variety of delicious food is nothing new to me. I've learned to deal with it very well. Having this kind of condition teaches you to be extremely disciplined - because you really have no choice. I have no problem quitting chocolate and meat for a month, for example, so this course of juices wasn't really a problem. It was just three days after all; usually detoxing or fasting takes a lot longer than that.
A frequently asked question is if you lose weight on this detox. Classically, detoxing is done, as the name says, to rid the body of toxins. Of course you'll lose one or two kilos on one of these regimens, but they'll be right back on as soon as you start eating normally again.
Many people believe if you only drink juice, you won't have enough energy to exercise or move around at all. Of course while you're fasting, you should avoid extremely strenuous types of exercise, but long walks and yoga are definitely a good idea. Make sure you get enough sleep while detoxing. Also highly recommended to promote your metabolism are daily alternating hot and cold showers and body brushing.
It's important to prepare for this kind of treatment a few days ahead by avoiding stimulants like coffee and alcohol and eating lots of vegetables and little or no meat. After the detox, your body should slowly get used to eating solids again. This is ideally achieved by eating small, light, vegetable-containing dishes like salads and soups. Initially you should avoid fatty and sweet foods entirely. Here are some great and easy recipes for these after-detox days; of course they're also ideal for warm summer days like the ones we're having at the moment. Eat and enjoy!
Mein Favorit - das glutenfreie Porridge!
