Detox Q & A with Nurse Holly and Mommy Holly

I could write a whole lot about my little detox/cleanse over the past couple of days, but then you'd probably get bored and never read my bloggy-blog ever again.  So maybe a little question and answer session would be less boring/more informative.  (And you can skip the questions that do not interest you whatsoever.  And if none of this interests you, pretend that this post doesn't exist and I'll write something more entertaining soon.)   

Nurse Holly will answer some questions, and Mommy Holly will answer others. So here goes.

Q:  Why detox/cleanse and how does it work?
A:  We eat a lot of processed foods in our day to day diet....even if we think we eat relatively healthy: cereals, lunch meats, pastas, store-bought breads, desserts, etc.....most of that is processed.  (And I enjoy these foods a lot!  French toast, chicken alfredo, chocolate cake! Yummy, yummy!)  Luckily, our liver is built to process all this food that we eat so that we can store it and utilize it.  What an amazing organ!  Well,  just like a car engine can build up gunk in the process of working so hard to take us from place to place, the liver can also build up and store toxins over time as it works hard to process the sugar, fat, proteins, and other nutrients that we take into our body.  By taking the supplement shakes (composed of very basic amino acids, carbs, and omega-3 fatty acids) and eating vegetables for a whole week, you give your liver a much needed break, thus allowing it to get rid of the built up toxins.  (PS. During this time, it is very important to guzzle water like crazy to flush these toxins from your body.) 

Q:  So......does this mean I should never eat Oreos or Cap'n Crunch or In N Out ever again!?
A:  Of course not. (Heck no!)  As Americans, we probably should make a better effort to eat less processed, fatty, sugary foods overall, but there is nothing wrong with indulging every once in awhile.  Our liver was made to break down and process even our sugary, fatty food.  (Personally, I think God put such delicious food on the planet because he loves me.)  But just because the liver CAN handle a Big Mac and double fudge sundae (yum!!), doesn't mean that eating these foods all the time is GOOD for the liver.  So yes: please still enjoy the junk food at the State Fair (yummy fried cheese curds!.....don't judge), just don't have State Fair food all the time. 

Q:  How do you feel when you're on a cleanse/detox like this?

A:  Personally, I felt like a pile of poo for the first few days.  Remember how I heard the chocolate cake in the garbage begging me to eat it?  Yeah, I had cravings.  By day four, the cravings were gone and I wasn't feeling wretched.  By day five, Garrett and I were starving and had zero energy to perform well at school and work......so we modified our program a little and ended the veggies-and-supplements-only week early and began the second phase of the detox: eating a Mediterranean diet for the rest of the month.  (A Mediterranean diet consists of vegetables, fish, rice, chicken, fruits, legumes, and nuts.  This diet is "easy on the liver" and will allow the liver to continue to detoxify.)  

May I just say that last night was like Christmas when instead of another veggie stir fry for dinner (which was getting SO SO old), we had salmon, coconut rice, and veggies dipped in hummus.  Being reunited with food made my little soul sing!!

Q:  So after this initial part of the detox, does Holly feel better?
A:  Well......not really *sad face*.  But that may not be the detox's "fault".  As it turns out, I talked to my doctor yesterday about some test results and there may be some stuff going on with my body that a detox can't "fix" and may need further testing and looking into (nothing major, though)....regardless, I feel confident that I'm giving my body the best chance possible to regain health by helping my liver detoxify and by eating a good diet. 

Q:  Would you recommend this detox program to others?
A:  Yes....and no.  After doing a little research on how the body detoxifies, I think that doing the initial veggies and shake supplement diet would be sufficient for 3 days (after 3-4 days, it just feels like the body is starting to starve.  I can't operate on 1200 calories a day, people).  The first 3 days allow the liver to begin its major "spring cleaning", if you will.  Following that, I would recommend 2-3 weeks of a Mediterranean diet to allow the liver to continue and finish cleaning itself out.  It's not easy.  Definitely not.....but it has opened my eyes to how I can treat my body better by the things I put into it.  So I would recommend a cleanse/detox of some sort, yes.  (And personally, I kind of like my "modified version"!)
 
I believe our bodies are temples and should be treated as such.  This is why I don't smoke, drink alcohol, or graffiti-ify my body with tattoos.  Well, if I really believe my body is a temple, then I should strive to put the best foods into it as well, right? This whole little experiment with the detox has helped me to see that I do need to treat my body better by putting some healthier foods into it.  Not so many homemade cookies and cinnamon rolls. Cut back on cooking so much with butter and cream (but, oh, how I LOVE butter!).  And this has awakened a little adventurous bone in my body for trying out new recipes and foods.

Tonight, I'm making something new: 15 bean cajun soup with chicken.  Hopefully it's yummy.  Somehow, just knowing that it's not another veggie stir fry....I'm pretty sure I'll love it.  I do, after all, love food a whole, whole lot!