Why I fast.

Today is day 12 of my Juice Fast (or juice feast as I'm trying to call it).  Juicing has really improved my health in the last year.  My digestion has improved; less bloating, gas, all that fun stuff has diminished.

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Internal Body Cleansing: The Final Cut; Part V

Thanks for your patience as I got my poop in a group this month.  I wanted to start a cleanse sooner but I suppose everything is as it should be.  It's better to do a cleanse in the spring or the fall (although it's not quite in the air yet) it is on the horizon, cooler mornings, shorter days...

So just to break it down for you, here's what you need to buy:

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Internal Body Cleansing: It's all in the details:) Part IV

What else can you do to enhance your cleanse?

Drink detoxifying herbal teas.  Green tea, black tea and white tea are not herbal they all contain some or alot of caffeine. Go to a natural food store and ask for some assistance. The people in there usually are so helpful. If you encounter someone who's a Grumpy-Gus or doesn't seem knowledgeable- try some one else! Detoxifying Tea is best when it's strong. Use 2 tea bags and drink it every day at least once. These are NOT laxative teas (although I do recommend those too) but I just want to be clear. Detox herbal teas will not make you go poo more. They prompt the blood, organs, lymph, skin etc to detoxify very gently. They are often mineral rich and very nutritious as well;) If your taking vitamins- you can continue to take them (unless you are fasting) but we'll get into that later.  Here's a really popular Detox Tea we used to sell at Whole Foods.

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Internal Body Cleansing: Foods that Must be Avoided during a Detox; Part III

Most of the foods below are acid forming.  This is only part of why they made the naughty list but it's very important to become aware of the difference between acid forming foods and alkalizing foods.  Here's the short version of the explanation: The body requires pH balance to function.  The blood for example is ALWAYS between 7.35 and 7.45; side effects of varying outside of that pH window are death.  Since the body creates acid naturally (all the cells of the body do); our bodies (in their infinite genius ness) also have procedures to eliminate the acid.  For example, breathing.  Just the simple act of exhaling eliminates acid.  The body also requires minerals to buffer the acids and get rid of them safely.  If you didn't, every time you urinated you would be burning out the lining in your urethra with acid urine- ouch!  The body buffers the acids with minerals to safely eliminate the wastes we create and control the pH of the body 24 hours a day. These minerals MUST come from foods. If your body doesn't get them from foods, it pulls minerals from places like bones (which is bad).  Mineral rich foods like fruits and vegetables are the answer.  For a complete list of Alkaline and Acid Foods; click here.

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Internal Body Cleansing Part II: The Scoop on Dairy & When NOT to Cleanse.

Let me give you just a little background on dairy so you can fully understand why this is a no-no for cleansing purposes.

Dairy: First and foremost Dairy is acid forming food in the body. There is much to learn on the topic of pH balance but to keep it simple all the bodies organs (accept the stomach) work BEST in a slightly alkaline environment. Also Dairy, yummy as it may be, is mucous forming in the body. So that cold you can't kick or the phlegm in your throat you just cant seem to shake can sometimes be dairy related.

But then you say, "What about my Calcium?"

What's interesting about that (and what the milk industry doesn't want you to know) is that when milk is pasteurized, precious HEALTHY bacteria and enzymes needed for calciums absorption are completely destroyed. Milk IS a good source of Calcium; Unfortunately the milk we have access to commercially (whether it's organic or conventional) contains calcium that is NOT accessible by our body because it lacks the enzymes necessary for us to process it.

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Internal Body Cleansing; Live longer, Feel Better, Look Amazing!

"First Cleanse: Cleansing for Beginners" Part I

Hey there Hippies! I just want to say THANK YOU, for giving me the opportunity to help you begin a cleanse. And if your not there yet, that's OK! Below is a description for what I call "First Cleanse: Cleansing for Beginners".  It's going to break down what to eat during a cleanse & what not to eat and why.  Most importantly I explain how to ease into the cleanse to mitigate the PAIN that detoxification can sometimes bring.  Take it slow! Keep it simple. Buy a juicer!

First I want you to ask yourself;
What do I intend to accomplish with this cleanse?

• Weight loss?
• Better Health?
• Mental Clarity?
• Renewed Energy levels
• Cleansing of environmental toxins?
• All of the Above?

Cleansing and fasting are different paths you can take to accomplish similar goals to renew your body, heal sick or diseased tissue or just get more pep in your step.  

When you eliminate foods that convolute the body's functions, you give it a chance not only to work efficiently, but allow the body to heal itself,  repairing damage done over a lifetime. With this comes some difficult days and some amazing days. No matter what though- your body WILL thank you for it. 

 

So how do you start?

There are so many ways to cleanse. You don't have to fast! Although I have fasted many times and have always loved the results. Everyone is different! Below I will describe Part I of "First Cleanse for Beginners" with more to follow:)

If you have any questions, just shoot me a message on Facebook.com/modernhippielife or email me at desiree@modernhippie.org

The easiest way to transition into a cleanse is to PREPARE!
For 1 week (or two if you want to go slower) prior to beginning any cleansing program you must systematically remove the following foods from your diet.

• Dairy
• Alcohol
• Refined Sugar (table sugar)
• Bread and most grains
• Meat
• Caffeine or Tea ( herbal teas are acceptable)

I know you must be thinking, What am I going to eat?
First of all, don't quit these things cold turkey (pun intended). Each day remove one food category from your diet. Start with the easiest for you. Maybe you hardly drink, or almost never indulge in sugar; Start with those.

Each day that you remove something from your diet, shift your meals to include more and more vegetables and fruits- Especially the veggies! Try to eat vegetables with every meal. If your already eating alot of fruits and vegetables try to eat as many RAW vegetables as possible. Raw fruits and veggies are completely uncooked. The following are wonderful examples of vegetables and fruits to eat raw;
 

• Spinach
• Romaine lettuce or ANY type of lettuce except iceburg
• Kale
• Tomato
• Carrot
• Cucumber
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Onion 
• Garlic
• Apples
• Pears
• Grapes
• Oranges
• Sprouts

This should get you started. If you want some ideas for homemade raw dressings; I can help you out there too.
 

Just to reiterate, in that first week you are removing the above Six Food Categories;
dairy, alcohol, sugar, wheat and most grains, meat and caffeine.

In Part II of this blog post I'll tell you WHY you should systematically remove these ingredients from your diet for a cleanse.  I'll put that out tomorrow to get you rolling for the weekend!  :)

Happy Cleansing!

My First, My Last, My Everything

Ok, so this is my very first ever blog post.  whew- feels good!  I think this morning I'll talk about what's at the forefront of my mind.  Breakfast.  They say that Wheaties™ are the breakfast of champions. Or maybe it's bacon and eggs?  

From what I'm learning at school and in my own adventures in eating, it's neither.  The true breakfast of champions is a bit on the boring side, maybe even a bit further to the granola side.  And no it's not granola either. 

It's juice.  100% freshly squeezed vegetable juice with a small amount of fruit.  If you don't have a juicer but you've thought about the investment even once,  put down your half-cafe soy latte and go get one!  It really doesn't matter the brand at first,  I got mine at Costco about 5 years ago and she's still juicin' strong.

Juice IS the breakfast of champions for 3 main reasons. 

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