Detox

Before my leave started, I decided to do a 'detox' near the beginning of my time off. Having never done one before, I did a little research and learned about how giving your body the opportunity to purge build up toxins and other effects of the sometimes poor lifestyle choices we make can lead to feeling dramatically better. Not knowing any better, I picked one a pretty rigorous program (Martha's Vineyard Diet and Detox) and started it on December 26th (so I wouldn't miss out on all the Christmas goodies).

Talk about an interesting experience. For three weeks I lived on nothing but vegetable juice, pureed vegetable soup, tea, whole-food supplements and water. At first it was hard and sometimes I would get intense cravings, but after a while I stopped being hungry and fell into the rhythm of it. Part of the detox is having colonic hydrotherapy to purportedly cleanse the large intestine of any accumulated debris, plaque, excreted toxins, etc. Certainly not my favorite part of the program but I decided to be a stickler and follow the plan to the letter (except for the so-called gall bladder stone purge which makes no sense whatsoever from an anatomical, physiological or gastrointestinal perspective). At times my energy level was very low and at others quite high. They warn of something called a 'healing crisis' which is the body's reaction to having a hard reset done to it. I think I had at least one of those.

Side effects? Few really but I did notice that I had a lot of secretions on my tongue. Think of what your tongue looks like the morning after a night of heavy drinking. Now imagine that happening three times a day for a couple of weeks. From what I can reason and have read, the tongue is a place where toxins are excreted when given the opportunity to purge. I am glad to say that towards the end, the level of excretion tailed off dramatically. Also, my breath had a septic, ammonia-like smell. My research has led me to conclude that this is the result of metabolizing proteins and my body's attempts to process and eliminate the excess nitrogen (ammonia is NH3). This has basically gone away now that I have ended my detox and am consuming protein again.

Net results? I feel better than I did before the detox. I have lost 20 lbs or so (didn't weigh myself before or after but my clothes are definitely fitting better). I have also developed a new-found appreciation for food and how I consume it. Before, I tended to wolf things down which robbed me of really enjoying them and led to me frequently overeating as well as poor digestion and other GI distress like IBS. Now I chew more slowly and have a better idea of when my body has had enough.

I have made and am sticking to some resolutions about food and eating. First, I only buy organic food now unless there is absolutely no other alternative. I also try to buy food where I can identify where it was grown. For example, recently I bought some buffalo meat from a local rancher where I could see the buffalo and where they range. There is something profound about having such a tangible connection to one's food.

Second, I have instituted a 'single ingredient' rule. At the store I won't buy anything that has more than one ingredient. This helps me assess the healthfulness of each item I consume as well as keeping me away from all processed, prepared and pre-packaged foods. I find that there is nothing that I miss shopping this way. It also has me be more conscious and aware of what ingredients go into what I cook.

Net-net. I feel better, more energetic, more positive and calmer. I am excited by how changing how and what I eat will lead to better quality of life for me.