And I'm super lethargic lately. I feel so sluggish. I haven't had any hard exercise in a few days. I don't count the brief walk I took last night as hard exercise haha. Although, the walk last night was beautiful. I appreciated slowing down a bit to really enjoy my surroundings.
But I know it's just my body's way of slowly beginning the detoxification process. I don't crave sweets as much as I did a few days ago. Honestly, eating a handful of cherries curbs my sugar cravings for the night!
And allowing myself to slow down a little lets me spend more precious cuddle time with one of my kittens! Steve is 14 weeks old now and he's such a Mama's boy! Rue, coincidentally, is a little Daddy's girl. She loves Mike.
I'm also slowly beginning to understand and re-define hunger.
Dr. Junger talks a lot in his book about real hunger and emotional hunger. I felt that I've been an emotional eater for probably the majority of my life.
I'm not talking crying over a bad day and cramming cake into my face until I pass out. (Although that may have happened on one or more occasions--LOL!)
But the kind of hunger that occurs suddenly, almost out of the blue. Immediately we're craving some type of food, and then we go for it!
Before I thought this was my body's way of telling me what nutrients were depleted and needed replenishing.
However, I know now that this notion is one which is sadly mistaken. Because even after we've eaten the thing that we crave, we're still hungry. Or we may be full for a short period of time, and then hungry again minutes later.
Real hunger is the kind that slowly escalates. It's not a feeling that needs immediate satiation.
More often than not if you're suddenly "hungry" you might just be thirsty. Or you may just need to let the feeling pass. Like any craving, it won't last forever.
I experienced this on the bus ride home today. Out of the blue I was starving! And then I thought, "Gee, starving is a little extreme." I sat there and took a minute to become more present in the moment, connecting with my body. The feeling subsided a few moments after that.
I've enjoyed eating solid meals the past five days and I'm mentally preparing myself for the cleanse this Sunday when I'll be replacing two solid meals a day with liquid ones. For breakfast this morning I had a berry shake with a shot of mangosteen. I'm going to try to do the same tomorrow to get used to having only liquid for breakfast. Oy vey...
For lunch I had my usual quinoa. I really can't get enough of this stuff. This and avocado is where it's at, people!
I added blueberries to the mix today.
And for dinner, one of my favorite meals (I know I probably say every meal is my favorite--I can't help it, I'm a foodie!), pistachio-crusted salmon with brown rice and avocado. To add a little kick I put goji berries in the rice. This meal is actually inspired by the executive chef I used to work with.
Again, I cannot get enough avocado. Love, love, love it!
So I said in my last post that I would talk about the dietary supplements I'm taking now. I actually bought a weekly pill holder to organize the supplements I'm taking on a daily basis. I used to think people who took this many supplements were insane. I thought, "Why don't you just get the nutrients from the food you eat, dummy!?" Sadly, much of our food in the modern world is heavily nutrient deficient. (PS: Did I just say the word supplements enough times?)
Anyway...
There are certain nutrients Dr. Junger recommends taking during the cleanse. I've decided to implement these during the elimination phase both so I get in the habit of taking them and to expose my body to them for a longer period of time. I plan on continuing to take them after the cleanse; I might just change the way I do so... Mostly because they're wicked expensive.
Alright so here goes:
In the AM before I've had anything to eat I take a tablespoon of Bentonite and wash it down with water. The stuff doesn't taste that great but it does wonders for your body's natural detoxification system.
It binds with all the yucky harmful chemicals that get into your body from the food that we eat. All the non-nutritive substances such as herbicides, pesticides, and anything else you can think of.
Also in the AM I take a probiotic with 50 billion organisms. From what I've read, a good probiotic should contain a minimum of 15 billion organisms. Read your labels, guys! Especially since these are so expensive. You wanna make sure you're getting your money's worth!
During the day, often after I've had lunch I'll take half of the remaining dietary supplements. (I take the other half with or after dinner.)
These include:
Concentrated Oil of Oregano.
Ginger Root.
Milk Thistle (1000MG).
Fish Oil (1000MG).
Flaxseed Oil.
And every other day I'll take a shot of Mangosteen as well.
Once I begin the cleanse, I'll also be taking 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil before bed each night. I'm really hesitant about this aspect of the cleanse because, who in their right mind swallows just EVOO?. However, it's supposed to lubricate the intestines and aid the body's process of eliminating toxins. I'll let you know how it's going once I've started!
I'll explain the supplements in the next post. Trust me, there's a purpose and a wonderful benefit to each one! The point of this cleanse is to restore the intestinal flora to a healthy state. Our gut is basically the epicenter of our healthy functioning. Go ahead and do an internet search on "leaky gut" or "intestinal health" and see what you find.
I hope this was helpful and/or gave you some ideas for tasty meals!
Continue to take good care of yourselves, my friends. xoxo
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