Here's how to do it.

People keep asking me how I do it, or what's involved in detoxing. Remember, I had the perk of attending a seminar and learning SPECIFICALLY about me and my body's nutritional needs, and having a detox plan given to me, so, other than adhering to it, all the work was done for me! And having seen the success and changes in my body, I now know exactly what I should be doing to maximize my own potential.

I will admit, as closely as I follow the detox plan, I don't do it exactly. There's a whole LIST of foods I'm technically "allowed" and crazy rules like no nuts after 2pm, and a plethora of vitamins and supplements you're supposed to be doing while strictly following the 14-day protocol.

To me? It's insanity.

No, changing my diet to the general rules the detox protocol - more a spirit of the law than letter of the law kind of thing - is enough for me to yield amazing results, leaving me feeling fabulous and keeping my body in tip top condition for all the things I love to do.

So, as I've said before, I eat meats, vegetables, and nuts. I DO eat root vegetables, minus potatoes. I DO eat squash and corn, even with relatively high carb content. I DON'T watch the clock to know if it's too late to eat some nuts, and I don't care if there are carbs in crab meat.

Especially this time around, while I'm nursing, it's very important not to take out a EVERYTHING or I won't be getting adequate nutrition to keep up my milk supply for Mini Miss.

I have great success with my slightly laid-back detox when I'm on board (THANKS for giving me an outlet to keep myself accountable so I COULD get back control of myself again! What a difference!) so, here's how I do it.

First, I find eating well for myself and my family almost always ONLY works if I plan ahead. It's a pain, but it's essential. Whether I plan exact meals and what day they're going to be served on (the easiest way to get thru my week, I find) or just brainstorm meals to have prep stuff on hand for so I work more day to day, I HAVE to plan. Otherwise when I hit the grocery store I'm just grabbing whatever I see/think of while there, and I often end up without anything I can put together in a cohesive meal for anyone, detox especially.

So when I shop, I shop for all the ingredients for whatever recipes I'm using during the week, plus lots of my favourite veggies for snacks, and I always have oodles and oodles of eggs. I buy meat when it's on sale or being cleared out and freeze it so when I'm doing my weekly planning I look at what meat I have in the house, instead of having to run out and spend a fortune at the butcher counter to meet my plan. (Salmon was on sale last week...there's lots of salmon in the house! Hahaha).

I buy things that are detox friendly and take no prep for snacking - crab meat you can eat right out of the package, shelled nuts are ready to go. I try to pop my own air popcorn because its more natural than whatever goo is in those microwave bags, but even that is pretty low maintenance. And veggies, especially the ones Little Miss likes, I try to chop up when I'm already chopping something and put in containers in the fridge for easy grab-and-go snacks I.e. while dicing onion and pepper for my breakfast this morning I yanked out a cucumber and sliced up the whole thing so it's ready for lunches, salads, dinner sides, whatever. And I have lots of prepared salad/coleslaw on hand so I can quickly supplement whatever I'm eating with loads of varied greenery, topped with oil & vinegar dressings.

I ALSO buy things that go with my meals that HAVE those essential nutrients in them for my kiddo, especially. She's five, she does NOT need to detox. So when I make salmon and veggies for me, I throw some rice on the stove for her. Or steak night she adds pierogies. She eats toast with her eggs at breakfast, and has a ham sandwich or granola bar with her lunch. She eats what I eat, but with grains.

Then, all that's left is cooking or preparing!

This week I've been bad and HAVEN'T planned out every day, but I have enough of what I need that it's been easy. Tonight I pulled out a pork tenderloin from the freezer and will do up pulled
pork in the crock pot - DELISH! Last night we had baked salmon, I think I said, seasoned with lemon juice, butter, and salt and pepper. It was DIVINE. Breakfast this morning I had a whole onion and probably about a quarter of a pepper fried up with two scrambled eggs.

You can find recipes to follow, or just slightly alter what you regularly eat anyway - your fave spaghetti sauce on spaghetti squash instead of noodles, for example (I make noodles for the kiddo, FYI.) or even try corn pasta or something! Switch from your "healthier" whole wheat nachos back to the plain corn ones for a couple of weeks (but don't top them with cheese until detox is over!) and add salsa, guacamole, ground turkey/beef with taco seasoning, lettuce.... Ooooohhhh that sounds GOOD!

If taking fruit out of your daily diet sounds ridiculous, then don't! Make it something you can do, you can accomplish if it's something you want to do. Maybe keep dairy in and just limit yourself to a single small serving per day instead of nixing it all together for two weeks. If you do take it out eat LOTS of dark green vegetables like spinach and broccoli - calcium isn't just important for your bones, it's arguably MORE imperative for the reactions inside your muscle cells that allow you to move, so it is a must must must by SOME means!

Okay, so, that's it, basically! Now whatever you do START TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF. Stop putting it off or making excuses. I do that all the time. But you know what? There will NEVER be a convenient time. There will ALWAYS be a reason not to. Give up that instantly defeatist mentality and just do it already. You are MORE than worth looking after.

Soapbox speech, done. ;-)

Over and out!
Red

Breakfast; yum!