Looks good...but issues...
Photo: 46137

Challenges: Restaurant Dining, Social Eating, Diet Fatigue

Beneficial results: Identified food sensitivities, reduced meat consumption

Adherence to the Diet: Completed 28-day plan in 17; continued with good dietary habits

Elimination Diet: Check!

While week one on my elimination diet was a little rough, the remainder of the diet turned out to be easier than I expected.

The plan I followed is called a 28-day diet, but depending on how things go, it can be much shorter than that, or if you take the time to reintroduce every possible food that was eliminated, I calculated it could take up to two months. Foods are reintroduced after the 9-day cleansing period by eating the select food three times a day for three days.

With every food that initiated a sensitivity reaction in me, the reaction was strong enough on day one that I stopped eating the offending food after one or two portions. So in effect, it sped up the process. I waited 24 hours to reintroduce the next challenge food, according to the diet’s recommendation.

Here are my results. I’m sensitive to lemons, not to grapefruit; sensitive to wheat-free tamari; sensitive to beans, corn and all soy. Nightshade vegetables and tree nuts caused no problems (and a chorus of many angels did sing upon this news). Eggs were fine and chicken was fine. Dairy caused my sinuses to clog and puffed up my abdomen like a blimp.

After I followed the diet long enough to gather this much information, and since company was coming, travel approaching and several new social events had been added to my calendar, I ended the diet after seventeen days. The only things I didn’t test according to the diet process were yeast, oats, and of course gluten since I already know that’s a no-go.

Photo: miheco

Several people asked me what I went back to first, after finishing the diet. I ate a few sweets, including ice cream and flavored yogurt; I also drank tea, coffee and soda on vacation (with the pre-packaged creamer and soda causing me to feel horrid) along with a few mixed drinks by the pool. This last week, I cut the caffeine out again except for a cup or less per day of decaffeinated green tea. I’m currently in search of a good caffeine-free tea that I could use to make chai, with homemade nut milk. Hazelnuts are a new friend, providing dosha-friendly forms of snack munch, milk and even flour for baking. Woo hoo!

What will stay with me from this diet is a 60% reduction in the amount of meat I eat – I’m staying steady at six to seven servings per week. I am also focusing more on eating a daily variety of fresh vegetables and fruits. Instead of guilting myself for not eating more leafy-green salads, I’ll be treating myself to more dosha-friendly steamed, baked or braised vegetables. I’ve broken my sugar cravings, and know I can survive on much smaller portions of food if my blood sugar isn’t roller-coastering from empty carbs. I gained two pounds back over vacation (less than the usual five!), but have since held steady with the fifteen I lost.

All in all, I’d say following this elimination diet has been a great success, and I am very glad I set aside the time and put forth the effort to do it. It answered some questions I’ve had for a while about soy and nightshades, and there’s nothing so convincing as feeling embodied reactions to food – I honestly trust those experiences more than I do scientific reports on what is or isn’t good for me to eat.

Of course if we overload our bodies with too many toxins all the time, they may not be able to give us the feedback we need to make good decisions.

Getting the Hamster off the Wheel

I’m also glad I did this for the simple victory of getting the hamster of my eating habits off the wheel of sugar and caffeine consumption. The two fallacies I’ve battled most often on a regular basis are “Eating or drinking this doesn’t make that big of a difference” and “I couldn’t stop if I wanted to.” This endeavor reminds me that it does; and I can.

Participating in the occasional cleanse or diet shakes up our denials and illusions, and gives us glimpses of what’s really going on inside. What we eat makes a significant difference, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually (not to mention ecologically, socially, politically and economically…but yikes! No pressure. Relax.). It’s good to be reminded every once in a while that life beyond the wheel exists. It’s actually a nice place!

Any pattern of eating – even the healthiest one – can become an endless running wheel of mindless repetitive behavior. The occasional jump off this wheel puts us back in touch with our bodies, checks in, says hello, minds the weather, adjusts accordingly. Who knows, maybe in subsequent elimination diets, I’ll find my sensitivities have changed. Life is cyclical and changing; maybe our dietary needs are too.

Sustaining the Change

Here are two key concepts for making and sustaining dietary changes:

Moderation: Life is not all about food. We are whole and complex people. Make small and gradual dietary changes, and build on successes. Keep in mind (and heart) all the areas of your life that are affected by dietary changes, and proceed gently.

Compensation: Exercise a little give and take to make dietary changes more manageable, and less oppressive. If abstinence from alcohol isolates you from family or friends, make a point of finding other ways to connect. If taking the time to prepare your own food digs into your schedule, find a way to free up more time somewhere else. If you resist dessert at a social function, reward yourself afterward with something indulgent like tickets to a sporting event or a lengthy phone call with a dear and willing friend.

Choose moderate changes and compensate to maintain balance. Develop a mindset of focusing on what you can eat, what feels great to eat, what tastes wonderful, etc. Stay away from a mindset of doing without, getting left out or being put out. Focus on what works and forget what doesn’t. You’ll get to where you want to be, as long as you keep trying.

Giving Thanks

Photo: Sara Alfred

One habit I have added in the course of this cleanse and elimination diet is the practice of mindfully appreciating each meal and each snack I eat. I’m fortunate to have it, and taking a moment to recognize the best aspects of the food I eat ensures that it brings my body the best energy and nutrients possible.

In bringing this six-article series to an end, I would like to offer a big thank you to all of the friends and commenters here on Living Holistically who encouraged me, joined me and inspired me during this process.

Congratulations to my friend Shelly, who began her very first cleanse last month and had such great success, she went four weeks instead of three. Thanks to Sylvie Nalezny for providing excellent information on nutritional preparation for cleansing and elimination dieting – true inspiration for my next cleansing effort! And thanks to Dr. Anja Lindblad for outstanding professional support through this process, and for so much education and persistent nudging over the past few years.

Thanks be to all who bring food to our tables, all who eat together with us, all who plant and prepare for seasons yet to come.

View the first five installments of Kendra’s spring cleansing process in Special Detox Series: Spring Cleansing in Action, Special Detox Series: Moving and Shaking through Week One, Special Detox Series: Sacred Rituals of Eating and Cleansing, Special Detox Series: Finishing the Cleanse Yet Beginning the Elimination, and Special Detox Series: The Elimination Drama.

Disclaimer: Kendra Mellinger is not a healthcare professional, and therefore does not prescribe or recommend any treatment for disease or health concerns. Any cleansing program should only be done under the supervision of an experienced healthcare practitioner.

Photo: Mara ~earth light~

“Close your eyes and follow your breath. If your mind wanders off, just come back to your breathing.”

Some of us are familiar with this type of encouragement being voiced during a guided meditation session. Developing awareness about our sometimes entertaining and exasperating stream of thoughts is one benefit of a meditation practice. To experience the peace, joy, and well-being found in the present moment, we can simply follow our breath and allow our thoughts and feelings to fade into the background.

Like meditation, the practice of intuitive eating allows us to become familiar with a host of vital body signals, which most of us overlook, override, or suppress. Returning to our breath helps us regain clarity in meditation. Similarly, our body’s hunger signals offer centering in our eating life. If you are interested in experiencing a radical sense of wellness in the relationship with your body, then intuitive eating is for you.

Listening to Your Body Gets Results

I discovered intuitive eating in December 2007, as it was the top result of a web search for “listening to your body.” I soon learned that intuitive eating is a non-dieting approach consisting of a set of 10 guiding principles. These principles help create a healthy relationship with food, mind, and body. The originators of this approach, Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD and Elyse Resch, MS, RD, FADA, provide a holistic path to wellness in their ground breaking book, Intuitive Eating.

Here are the 10 Principles:

• Reject the Diet Mentality
• Honor Your Hunger
• Make Peace with Food
• Challenge the Food Police
• Respect Your Fullness
• Discover the Satisfaction Factor
• Honor Your Feelings Without Using Food
• Respect Your Body
• Exercise–Feel the Difference
• Honor Your Health–Gentle Nutrition

You can get an intuitive idea about what will be explored within each principle based on the headings alone. Or, you can read a description of each of the 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating.

My mission is to help increase awareness and adoption of this sustainable approach to getting off the giant hamster wheel of dieting. I will offer some insights into the discoveries and challenges that may emerge on your personal intuitive eating journey, and will address the number one question posed by the non-dieting curious.

Eating as a Self-Discovery Practice

Eating is one of the most basic methods that we use to care for ourselves. Therefore, our eating behaviors have a critical impact on our sense of well-being. Through practicing intuitive eating, we become familiar with the unique sensations that our body offers when physically hungry.

Photo: BruceTurner

Each of us has heard and felt gurgles or growls, and may have experienced faintness or a sensation of hollowness in our stomachs. While investigating my unique body hunger process, I discovered a growing sensation of heat in my abdomen immediately before I’m hungry. Previously, I had no awareness of that indicator.

Interpreting your unique body signals helps you optimize your ability to respond properly to your body’s needs. Being clear about your true hunger signals allows you to know when you are truly hungry versus when you are using food to meet or suppress deal with emotional needs. Knowing your true hunger will help you minimize overeating. Additionally, this process helps reveal your own distinctive experiences of satisfaction during and after you eat. The signals for when your remarkable body wants to move and express itself will also become much clearer.

There are invaluable and numerous insights on the intuitive eating journey. What wonders will you discover? Start practicing and let your body take the lead.

Moving Beyond Fear

Of course, the shift into a life beyond dieting has its challenges and pitfalls. Many people have fears of uncontrollable weight gain should they liberate themselves from the controlling diet mentality. However, according to Carol Munter & Jane Hirschmann, authors of Overcoming Overeatingand When Women Stop Hating Their Bodies,weight gain is actually the last stop on the dieting/binge cycle. In effect, people diet, rebel and binge, and then gain the weight back.

A fundamental transformation in my awareness occurred when I began to understand the dieting/binge cycle, and my ability to care for my body was enormously improved by reading When Women Stop Hating Their Bodies. I didn’t actually hate my body. It was my ability to care for myself that was underdeveloped.

Avoiding a Tricky Trap

One pitfall on the intuitive eating path occurs when some people misinterpret the 10 principles as a strict set of rules and then turn the process into another diet. As a result, rebellion arises and intuitive eating gets thrown into the pile with all of the other “been there, done that” diets.

Photo: helgasms!

Remember that it is impossible to fail at intuitive eating. Why? As you continue to practice, you get a clean slate with each new meal. You can always simply come back to honoring your body’s hunger and fullness signals.

I began my intuitive eating journey with the intention of “finding balance”. I had lived for decades with a chronic fear of gaining weight and noticed that I did gain easily. So, finding that sweet spot of not losing or gaining was good enough for me.

Like any person living in this weight obsessed culture, thoughts of “losing weight” do surface regularly. When thoughts arise in meditation, we notice them, sometimes name them, and let them go. I remind myself that “weight loss” is just another thought and I come back to my hunger and fullness signals. Any time I eat in a non-intuitive way, I know that I have an opportunity to come back to my hunger and fullness signals at my next meal.

Consistency over perfection is an attainable goal. Making peace with food and your body is possible.

An Answer Revealed

So, what’s the number one question voiced by those curious about a non-diet approach?

“Does intuitive eating really work?”

What people are really asking is, “will I lose weight?” Authors and practitioners in the non-dieting field will tell you that your body will find its “natural weight.” Some of their clients have lost weight, some have gained weight, and some have experienced no change in weight at all. My answer to that question is that you will experience a variety of life-enhancing results from practicing intuitive eating.

Dieting creates an ongoing war between your mind and your body. Ultimately, when you choose to end that war and make peace, you will discover that only your body can reveal the answers. In response to your growing ability to care for your body in nurturing ways and to respect and honor its signals, your body may choose to shift sizes. Dieting forces a shift. With intuitive eating, you allow your body to determine if and when a size shift happens.

That’s radical wellness.

Created by Philip H. Howard, Assistant Professor, Michigan State University

Check out other interesting information graphics on the Organic Processing Industry Structure.

Photo: suez92

The Obesity Epidemic. I admit I don’t always know how exactly to respond to this…phrasing.

Sometimes, I think it gets thrown around with me more than other people. Those who know I went to nutrition school, or even those who spend more than five minutes with me, know that food – quality food – is an integral part of my life. Elbows are nudged when a fat person walks by, or someone who is overweight orders a large plate of meat (with a side of meat) at a restaurant where we eat. Some who don’t know me well, but have been around me a bit, expect that I’m vegetarian. There are people who’ve known me for years that forget I’m no longer a vegetarian.

There is often more than a moment of shocked silence when I finally express my feelings around the words “fat” and “obesity” (and not being vegetarian).

The politics of food, and more importantly, of being fat, are skewed at best. What was once ignored has now become public enemy number one, making any person of size the equivalent of being a person of color pre-1970.

Yes, I see this as a civil rights issue. As a society, emotional-lynching of fat people is the last safe haven of prejudice and hatred.

A View From the Outside

A friend, his son, and I walked around the North Carolina zoo on a sunny Saturday afternoon. My friend whispered to me, “It’s when I come to places like this that I really see the obesity that’s happening.”

Photo: Ed Yourdon

The night before, we had watched an episode of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. In Huntington, West Virginia where the show is filmed, we obviously noticed many people of larger size, but the thought crossed my mind that this focus might about making good TV. At the NC Zoo, there was no denying that we were surrounded by more large people than average-sized ones.

So I’m not denying there is an issue. I can also see that to a certain extent, I live in a bubble of health-conscious reality. Large cities and smaller, progressive towns tend to be more natural food focused and movement oriented, and for the last 10 years of my life, these are the only types of places I’ve lived. These cities are filled with people who like their organic apples and green smoothies. The rest of suburban and rural America is dotted with chain restaurants and the main outlet for exercise is walking from the parking lot into the front door of Target.

Still, as I look around the Whole Foods where I’m currently chomping on some green salad and a free-range burger, I see a diversity in people shopping for health food that didn’t exist ten years ago. I believe when given the choice, people want to do right by their health. Yet it has to fit into a lifestyle that is faster than the human race has previously known. Where I sit at this moment, there is a choice to easily purchase quality food. But the only thing available in most places is crap, nutrient-deficient food made by some of the largest, and most profitable, corporations out there.

The Blame Game

I wrote a bit about my view of fatism in an article at Brave New Traveler called Overweight Charged For Second Seat On Airplanes: Is “Fatism” To Blame?, comparing this form of discrimination to the accepted discrimination of yesteryear against women, people of color, and the handicapped. I should have guessed what the flavor of the comments would be before they came pouring in:

“Comparing fat people to one’s sexual orientation or race is not right. Except in very few cases, most people choose to become fat.”

“Only through discomfort will they actually try to get rid of the deadweight; widening doors and allowing them two seats in the name of PC or equality is just wrong.”

“I think the equivalent of trying to justify larger people paying the same price for first class or two seats is the equivalent of demanding that two gay people can naturally have a child together. It’s not a prejudice thing, its just is what it is.”

A PC issue? Hmm. More like a simplistic judgment that easily prompts the masses to jump on board, stones in hand.

Mixed messages anyone?
Photo: vlauria

But that’s all a part of the American Dream, isn’t it? Blame the individual. It’s your fault you’re not rich. It’s your fault you work at a job that doesn’t pay you well. It’s your fault you couldn’t afford to go to college. It’s your fault that for survival purposes, you joined a gang or started to sell drugs. It’s your fault you aren’t beautiful enough. It’s your fault that you’re not skinny. If you are not “successful” in the land of opportunity – don’t forget to shield your eyes from those systemic oppressive forces at play – it’s all just your fault.

There’s a lot of money to be made with the blame game. It doesn’t take much to realize who benefits from each of us blaming each other, or even more tragically, ourselves.

War and Peace

Yep, I have a lot of fire around how easily we blame fat people for the drain on our healthcare system, their “unsightliness”, their “disgusting” ways. It doesn’t necessarily make a lot of sense – I’ve never been what most would consider overweight. Yet I spent plenty of years believing I was, in some ways, too fat. I also know that most women in the West spend their lives thinking the same thing.

My insides bind up in a tight knot whenever I hear people’s commentary about obesity, which is never, ever forgiving. I wonder, what defines obesity exactly? Sure we have BMI’s (body mass index) and weight goals, but really, being fat is in the eye of the beholder. One person’s overweight is another person’s just right, and until you get into the morbidly obese category, it actually is not a reliable indicator of health issues (in fact, studies like the one conducted by Katherine Flegal, PhD and published in JAMA show that the overweight group had fewer deaths per year than the normal weight group, and many less deaths than the underweight group).

Some of those judgments? Let’s see if these sound familiar:

• No will-power
• Lazy
• Pig
• Disgusting
• Pathetic
• Gross
• Sad
• Just stop eating junk food already

Imagine that what hasn’t worked for establishing peace between countries – war – is the same thing that doesn’t work when dealing with obesity. “Attacking” the issue doesn’t breed love, compassion, or peace, with that last one being the most important. Don’t we all want peace in this life?

Achieving peace is never an easy thing. But the path to peace is NOT through war on other people, lands, or belief systems. And it is definitely, definitely not through war on your own body or the body of another.

Begin With Acceptance

This is a human issue, discriminatory in its basis through not fitting into an ideal developed by the ruling class of beauty. People can argue until the cows come home that it is about the healthcare costs of being obese, but in truth, it is about how we perceive larger people.

The Undressed Project
Photo: basykes

I’m not saying that taking care of yourself isn’t one of the most important jobs you have in this lifetime. Without a doubt, it is. Eating quality and nutrient-dense food, moving your body, getting enough sleep, and fitting in some reflective time makes your mind work better – period, really – and helps to keep your emotions steady. Life feels more worth living when we feel good, and it’s hard to feel good without loving yourself in these ways.

But we have a chance here to look at the “problem” in a different way: what is at the root of this “epidemic”? Is it really laziness, or is it depression? Is it lack of will-power, or is it pain? Can we provide the tools to people to reconnect to their bodies and spirits, filling the void that is currently being stuffed with food? Can good food be easily found in more than just cities and liberal towns?

Can we look at the whole picture and reach for compassion instead of condemnation?

Alright, I’m admitting it here first that I have yet to watch Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.

I know, bad, bad me. But don’t worry – I’ve been a fan of his ever since I saw a BBC special he did a few years ago, going into schools in Britain and finding similar results to those in the US:

I’m also relatively impressed ABC gave this show a go. And in the food circles in which I run around, people seem to be digging it. But I haven’t heard much in the way of specifics.

Could Oliver actually stimulate a change in the school lunch system in America like he did in his home country? Now THAT would be impressive.

Alright, those of you that have watched the show, I’m dying to hear your thoughts. Talk it up or down in the comments.

Feature Photo: really short

Photo: rusvaplauke

Challenges: Dramatic cleanse response, exhaustion.

Beneficial results: Insight into bodily well-being, connection with other cleanse devotees, release of heavy addiction to meat.

Adherence to the Diet: I out-dieted the diet.

Weighty Decisions

Last week, after completing a three-week cleansing program, I began a 28-day elimination diet. The elimination diet begins with two days of a liquid diet more strict than the cleansing diet, followed by a solid diet of rice, beans and fresh produce. Potential allergens such as citrus and soy are then systematically added into the diet to determine what does or does not cause sensitivity reactions.

I’m tracking my experience through this series of articles to share some of the ins and outs of cleansing, and to encourage readers to eat more intentionally, whether cleansing or not.

Along with that encouragement comes the necessity for being honest. Cleansing is not easy; the results are not always immediate or even comfortable. Sometimes the process requires a willingness to interpret your own bodily responses and intuit self-care needs beyond the scope of western medicine.

With cleansing, you’re venturing into uncharted territory – yourself – and while doctors can offer perspective, research and knowledge, your best care sometimes requires your own difficult decisions, based on gut instinct, pun intended. In reality, that’s the true nature of all healthcare. Cleansing just makes it more obvious. My first week on the elimination diet brought on major discomfort, and presented me with tough decisions and unknowns.

As much of a proponent as I am of alternative and holistic medicine, when I was in crisis this week, I wanted concrete answers, research data and explanations. Those never came. Fortunately, unexpected help and relief did.

Meat Elimination Fever

I began the elimination diet last week with two days of drinking nothing but green smoothies – blender shakes made from an apple, a pear, fresh ginger, kale and spinach – in addition to my eight daily glasses of water and other fluids. I got the idea to continuously make a new shake after finishing the last glass from the previous batch in order to avoid any hunger stress. There would always be something ready in the refrigerator to drink. It worked well, and I never felt hungry.

Photo: frakokot

On day one, I felt a momentary kick of nausea immediately after my first sip of lunchtime shake. I thought I was going to be sick, but it passed, and I finished the shake just fine. It tasted good and all was well.

On day two, I had some sneezing, a runny nose and a sore throat. Much of that went away after I did my morning pranayama breathing exercises. In the evening I had a bad case of chills – the kind that comes from the inside. Even after a hot bath, I couldn’t maintain any body heat. It took over an hour to get to sleep.

Early the next morning, around 4 a.m., I woke up warm enough, though feeling vaguely thirsty. I took a big drink of water from the bottle sitting on my nightstand, and everything suddenly changed. Immediate nausea and dizziness kicked in. My heart and head were both pounding. The thirst welling up in my chest became stronger no matter how much I drank. I assumed I was severely dehydrated, which was odd given how much water, soup broth and coconut water I had drank the day before.

After half an hour, it was still getting worse. I could only describe what I felt as a whirling vortex of wrongness going from my lower abdomen up through my head. It was miserably uncomfortable. Finally I vomited at length, and felt a humble bit of relief. My husband drove to the 24-hour grocery to get some Pedialyte. On the advice of my doctor, I wrapped a castor oil pack around my abdomen – more relief.

Worried that I was still dehydrated, we called the paramedics. One of them took my blood pressure and did a quick exam, and to my utter amazement and confusion, said I was showing no signs of dehydration. Whabba wa?

Then, something totally unexpected and rather miraculous happened. The paramedic shared with me some of his experience in treating people who had cleansing responses. He surmised that I was experiencing a detoxification reaction that my body would eventually resolve on its own. He himself was in the middle of a cleanse. The universe had hooked me up!

Photo: Venturist

He had a lot of questions about what kind of cleanse I had done, and what resource I was using for the elimination diet. Unfortunately, I was too out of it to remember my phone number. I was not my usual beacon of nutritional encouragement! In any case, I felt relieved that my openness and honesty about what had possibly caused my condition was met with respect and sincerity. It was a breath of fresh air.

Having had all my vitals checked, I decided I would heal better at home than at a hospital, so I declined transport. Before talking to this paramedic, I had never considered the possibility that my body had just released an overload of toxins into my system. I wouldn’t have thought that, after the three-week cleanse, there could have been that much left to detox. Considering how I felt and what had happened, along with the paramedic’s perspective, it made sense.

A few hours after the paramedics left, the vortex phenomenon dissipated, and the only remaining symptoms were exhaustion, occasional shortness of breath, and a powerful lack of hunger for any food at all. I’d never gotten so sick before during a cleanse; now I knew it was in my repertoire of possible reactions.

Don’t get me wrong – I plan to never revisit that reaction again; I’ll do whatever it takes to avoid it. It was just an eye-opening experience to witness the toxic load that remained post-cleanse, utterly jolted out of my body once it was simply able to do so. I slept most of that day, and into the next.

Regaining Balance

The difference between my body’s reactions to the cleanse and the elimination diet had to be the absence of meat. That is not to say that meat is toxic, but perhaps to say that the quantity I was eating may have put enough of a digestive load on my system that it kept it from completely engaging its natural detox processes.

Photo: Tambako the Jaguar

It’s good to know that I’m not as dependent on meat as I thought. I literally feared I would be dysfunctional after one day without it. Remarkably, I never missed it all week, even when my husband cooked it for himself. I felt like an accomplished superhero on my rice diet – ok, well, relatively speaking.

While the elimination diet returns to eating vegetables, fruit, rice and beans on day three, I ate only brown rice through day four, adding in vegetables on day five. I refrained from drinking any more green smoothies on the advice of my naturopath. She suggested I wait to return to those until they taste good to me and seem intuitively right. So far through week one, that hasn’t happened.

I’m going forward with the diet plan, assuming I’ll get back to the green smoothies eventually. I have found new love for my short grain brown rice. It feels like hearty comfort food now, no matter how frequently I eat it. If more health problems arise, I will of course prioritize my own well being over following the diet.

In retrospect, I’ve thought a lot about the sanity of making such drastic dietary changes as I’ve done in such a short amount of time. Is the benefit worth the risk? The conclusion I’ve come to is this: In a perfect world, we would all make moderate, gradual changes toward desired benefits and outcomes. In the real world, eating is complicated and messy; food addictions are gargantuan and pandemic, and to break them, drastic measures are sometimes required. To be smart, always get a complete examination before beginning a cleanse, and confirm that you are able to accommodate any risks associated with drastic dietary changes.

Where eating and everything else is concerned, we tend not to disturb the status quo until the results of our habits become unbearable. What many of us don’t realize is how unbearable our diets are for our bodies. Even the “little things” – diet sodas, caffeine, aspirin, prescription drugs, and sleep deprivation – can add up to profoundly influence our standard of living, our experience of health. Getting old may not be the problem so much as getting overloaded.

In committing to a three week cleanse, we catch a brief, powerful glimpse of how our bodies are meant to feel and function. We need a fast-acting, discrete, highly-structured, supplemented and documented plan to succeed. Gradually sustaining this type of dietary change for months on end would be impossible the first time around.

No immediate success would be experienced, and people would give up. That is why we cleanse; that is why I try drastic changes like the elimination diet. The more I succeed, the more moderate, gradual and sustained I hope to become (if not in all matters of life, perhaps with food).

Finally, I wrote last week that feeling is believing. Yet believing is not the end of the story. If that were the case, one three-week cleanse would change our habits permanently. Stay tuned for my last piece in this series to read more about sustaining change, and turning nutritional realizations into sustainable practices and behavior.

In Three Weeks: Look for the final article of this series, where I’ll report on what food sensitivities I found, and how I completed the diet. In the meanwhile, take care, be good, and eat well.

View the first four installments of Kendra’s spring cleansing process in Special Detox Series: Spring Cleansing in Action, Special Detox Series: Moving and Shaking through Week One, Special Detox Series: Sacred Rituals of Eating and Cleansing, and Special Detox Series: Finishing the Cleanse Yet Beginning the Elimination.

Disclaimer: Kendra Mellinger is not a healthcare professional, and therefore does not prescribe or recommend any treatment for disease or health concerns. Any cleansing program should only be done under the supervision of an experienced healthcare practitioner.

There's even joy in cleansing
Photo: Lel4nd

Challenges: Monotony of diet, occasional lethargy.

Beneficial results: Improved senses of taste and smell, radiant skin, relief from chronic hip pain, stronger singing voice, cleared sinuses. Lost two pounds in the third week, for a total of nine pounds during the three-week cleanse.

Adherence to the Diet: Complete

That’s a Wrap!

Week three of my 21-day cleanse has come to a joyful close. I am guilty of several outbursts of happy dancing, a nine-pound weight loss and a significant improvement in the stress to relaxation ratio; but no glitches in following the diet. It’s the first time I’ve achieved complete adherence, after four tries!

Yeah, there was the accidental banana bread ingestion, but my intention remained consistent. I’ve renewed my commitment to eat mindfully, choose quality over convenience, and prepare food with love, creativity and enthusiasm. For however long it lasts, it’s an improvement.

In review, here’s what I did: I eliminated caffeine, alcohol, cigarettes and all other non-prescription drugs, processed food, dairy products, all forms of sugar, all grains except brown rice, potatoes & tomatoes, shellfish and chocolate for three weeks. Each day I ate up to two 4-oz portions of lean organic beef, poultry or contaminant-free fish, unlimited fresh organic vegetables, unlimited fresh organic fruit (keeping the fruit/veggie ratio to 1:2), one serving of organic brown rice or quinoa, and one or two organic free-range eggs. Two protein shakes and two doses of fiber drink rounded out the program.

Some amount of exercise each day helps the cleanse move and clear toxins, but vigorous exercise is not recommended. I played hockey during my last cleanse, and ended up with a bad electrolyte imbalance. This time I walked and did Qigong, with only two trips to the gym for my regular workout & sauna. With the elimination diet next week, I’ll start running again.

The Report

By the time week three began, I have to admit I was bored with the cleansing regimen. The breathing exercises, oil massage and skin brushing were producing some great results, but the dietary monotony was wearing on me.

Photo: thedabble

I lost some of my original enthusiasm over food planning and preparation. You can only do so many things with rice, and in the end, it’s still rice! So I made large portions of everything and ate a lot of leftovers, which worked fine.

The wonder food (dare I say “comfort food?”) of the week was Brussels sprouts. Who knew?

Even better than the tasty oven roasting technique is this recipe from The New Best Recipe cookbook:

Combine one pound small Brussels sprouts – stems trimmed and discolored leaves removed – with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ cup water in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover and simmer eight to ten minutes. Drain and serve.

Delicious! No bitter taste, tender, yummy and nutritious. Add a touch of olive oil, and soak in the brilliance that is you. One of these days I will try the recipe for braising them in cream…yum.

What worked well: putting a raw egg into the blender with my morning protein shake—this gave the shake enough umph to keep me going through the morning without eating anything else until lunchtime.

What didn’t work so well: Caffeine’s last stand! My doctor ok’d drinking a cup or two of green tea per day during the cleanse, but even that small amount of caffeine disrupted my sleep (yep, even drinking it at 9 a.m.) and ramped up my heart rate in the afternoon, leaving me slightly anxious and shaky. The lesson: pay attention to things that don’t work well for you, even if your doctor or another expert says it should be fine.

During a trip to the gym I felt disappointingly lethargic. I’ve been doing ok with low-key exercise like walking or Qigong; but running, abs and light weightlifting made for a long haul. I’ve lost the energy boost I had in weeks one and two. I’m not sure why – my protein intake has remained high with two servings of meat each day in addition to protein shakes and eggs.

I continue to wonder how much of my cleansing process is due to my dietary changes & support practices, and how much is due to the cleansing elements in the protein shake I’m drinking twice each day. Could I do a cleanse without the shake mix? Would it have any beneficial effect? The elimination diet may address that question.

In previous cleanses, I’ve always taken at least one herbal supplement. This time my doctor wanted me to use only the shake, with no supplements, since I cleanse relatively easily. I’m beginning to figure out that the cleanse process for me is not so much about getting rid of toxins or garbage that’s been in me for a long time, as it is to simply quit eating things that are hard on my body; quit piling on the junk. I seem to move things out pretty quickly, once I stop piling them in.

The Elimination Diet

Now that my cleanse is over, I’m beginning a 28-day elimination diet. I first read about this diet over a year ago. It sounded like a great – if nearly impossible – way to get a better handle on what foods trigger adverse reactions in my body.

Dealing w/ food allergies can help enviro allergies
Photo: brookenovak

I’ve never had severe allergic reactions to food, but I’ve lived with a good share of stomach growls, rosacea, bloating, and other medical problems that now look to be food related. Having gone through the transition to eating gluten-free last summer, the elimination diet doesn’t seem so impossible anymore. It seems like a great idea.

My chief concern is that I won’t be eating any meat for a long period of time – a month or more. I crave meat often, especially red meat; but my Ayurveda practitioner advised a reduction in my meat consumption, cutting out red meat altogether. So maybe it will be a surprisingly great thing. I just don’t want to rehash the weak, anemic person I was during my two years of vegetarianism in my early twenties. Of course, my idea of vegetarianism back then meant I only ate french fries & soda pop from my favorite fast food joint – no burgers. Not the ideal attempt! So there is hope.

The elimination diet begins with two days of drinking green smoothies only, made with kale, spinach, ginger, pear and apple. I was originally going to purchase a Vita-Mixfor the occasion, but have since decided to wait and see how my current blender does. When putting greens into a shake, texture can be an issue. Spinach is the best I’ve found in both texture and taste categories. But keep this in perspective – I like Brussels sprouts.

Days three through ten return to a diet similar to what I ate with the cleanse, minus the meat, citrus, bananas and eggs, all of which are eliminated at first as possible allergens. Lemons and limes are added in day eleven, then wheat-free tamari. The idea is to eat the test food three times a day for three days and watch for a large assortment of sensitivity reactions, including nausea, fatigue, congestion, headaches, muscle aches, skin rashes and irritability.

The idea is that you won’t have any of these symptoms regularly by the time you reach day ten. If they arise, it will be obvious. If no adverse reaction occurs after three days, move on to add in the next food.

I can’t say I’m super excited about being tested like a guinea pig, with the possibility of getting sick every three days. But I am very excited about getting more information on how all these foods affect me. It will help me make good eating decisions every day in the future, and ward off sensitivity reactions.

The effort is truly worth it, once you realize how good it feels, at any age and in any stage of health, to eat food that works well with your body. Feeling is believing!

On the Agenda for Next Week: I’ll report in next Tuesday, after week one of the elimination diet, then finish the 28-day plan and write the last article in this series with a summary of results. In the meanwhile, may your choices be easy and your stomach aches few.

View the first three installments of Kendra’s spring cleansing process in Special Detox Series: Spring Cleansing in Action, Special Detox Series: Moving and Shaking through Week One, and Special Detox Series: Sacred Rituals of Eating and Cleansing.

Disclaimer: Kendra Mellinger is not a healthcare professional, and therefore does not prescribe or recommend any treatment for disease or health concerns. Any cleansing program should only be done under the supervision of an experienced healthcare practitioner.

Photo: stevendepolo

Challenges: food prep time, a bad tension headache, occasional lethargy.

Beneficial results: Relaxation, increased stamina, stable moods, improved skin, balanced blood sugar and no food cravings. Lost two pounds in the second week, for a total of seven pounds during the cleanse.

Adherence to the Diet: All the way, baby!

Deep Cleansing Thoughts

The sacred ritual of eating food binds us to a place and time, and binds us to the company we keep. It’s why we loathe eating in hospitals, and love eating at celebrations. In Greek mythology, Persephone eats a pomegranate given to her by Hades, and becomes forever bound to the underworld. Eating connects us to the values, conditions and processes that created our food – ideally not from the underworld.

Many of humanity’s sacred texts articulate rules on abstaining from some foods and carefully preparing others. In researching biblical texts, talking with friends, and doing a little soul searching, I concluded the message behind all of this is simply that food choices matter.

The who, what, where and when of eating all matter. I’m not convinced that any one set of rules is right for everyone; I am convinced that the journey of finding our own way, and developing a disciplined approach to eating what seems right for ourselves, is a worthy lifelong endeavor.

Our values might limit the food we eat, and the food we want to eat might push the boundaries of our values. One of my values for a long time has been to enjoy the freedom and self-given permission to eat whatever strikes my fancy. I think that’s finally changing.

Experimenting with food limitation over the course of years has been an enlightening process. I often assumed that people who ate with discipline did so because of external pressures to stay thin, or to follow the latest fad (even scientifically proven fads), or worse – the notion that all sensual pleasures are shameful, costly, or ill advised. I adore pleasure, and exercise caution in limiting it.

Photo: eye of einstein

The paradox here is that, where food is concerned, limitation can heighten pleasure. Narrowing the realm of choice tends to clear the culinary clutter.

Following a cleanse diet has increased my appreciation for food and decreased my interest in shoveling down sugar and caffeine while fearfully ignoring my body’s (and soul’s) true needs.

The more I limit myself to foods I know work well for me, the better I’m getting to know myself – my true, uncaffeinated, non-craving and de-stressed self. That’s been a deterrent in the past. I haven’t always wanted that intimate glimpse.

During week three of my first cleanse, I felt so much spiritual and emotional self-loathing that I binged on fast food for two days just to make it stop. This time around has been one of spiritually cleansing my inner self-image, with forgiveness, compassion and love. To finally have reached this point in the process has been both humbling and euphoric.

The Report

In all aspects, week two of the cleanse has gone well. My energy is up, my mood has been good with no swings, and the cravings are still gone. I went to the gym Friday and wanted to exercise a lot harder than I did. I wanted to be careful with my electrolyte balance. When I came home from the gym, I was ready to hunt down my husband! Did I mention that cleansing can increase your sex drive? It’s true. So be ready. Just in case.

I had two evening headaches – one was pretty intense and involved a lot of tension throughout my shoulders and neck. Deep thanks to my husband for the shoulder rub! I also had a couple nights where I was tired at my regular bedtime, went to bed, then lay there for at least an hour, too awake to get to sleep. No racing thoughts or lingering worries; I just wasn’t sleepy. I had one more foot cramp, but drank an entire carton of coconut water (electrolyte drink) the next day and have had no more.

Cleanse Support Activities

In addition to following the detox diet, I do several activities daily to support the cleansing process:

• Ayurvedic breathing exercises (pranayama)
• Skin Brushing
• Sesame Oil Massage
• Practice Qigong with a DVD
• Trigger Point Massage
• Skin Cleansing Herbal Tea 3x /day

One nice thing about this list is that the materials for all of it cost less than $100, including the appointment with my Ayurveda practitioner.

I scheduled an Ayurveda appointment mid-cleanse to get long-term advice on my food choices, and advice on which oil to use for daily massages. My practitioner gave me printouts of recommendations for specific foods in every food group.

These recommendations advised that I not eat red meat, cheese, butter, or chocolate sweetened with refined sugar. That accounted for about 40% of my diet prior to the cleanse! She also advised that I reduce my meat consumption altogether, if only slowly. She graciously suggested cutting down to six servings per week instead of seven. I didn’t have the heart to mention I was closer to 18 servings per week pre-cleanse.

When I begin the elimination diet next week, I’ll be eating vegetarian for a month, so we’ll see how that goes. In the meanwhile, I’m using the Ayurvedic information to further limit the foods I eat during the cleanse. Thank goodness potatoes were recommended. I don’t eat them during the cleanse, and will be testing them along with other nightshade vegetables during the elimination diet; but they are certainly one of the foods I miss the most. Must be my Irish ancestry.

No Whining in Napa

Photo: yashima

The week before I began my cleanse, I received an invitation to attend a dear friend’s birthday celebration in Napa. I was momentarily crushed, and later conflicted about whether or not to go. Why would someone abstaining from wine go to Napa? For a rare opportunity to celebrate friendship and enjoy a day away. Why not?

Wine country is so relaxing. Sitting on a nicely appointed veranda, sharing stories with good friends, and looking out over voluptuous green rolling hills is a good thing, whether you’re holding a glass of zin or a bottle of water. We had a delightful day, and my Hacked Chicken Salad at the Rutherford Grill was delicious without the dressings. Our designated driver wasn’t tasting either, so we kept each other company.

This brings me full circle, back to what I mentioned at the beginning of this article. Sharing food (and drink) together is a significant ritual. For that very reason, abstaining in a setting where others are not can cause confusion or even insult. There is a fine line to be walked between food choices and the nurture of social relationships. Having gone through periods of vegetarianism, organicism, and now eating gluten-free, I’ve put my family through the gamut during the holidays and visits home.

I don’t expect others to cater to my choices. I provide my own food if need be. Yet I also feel honored and cared for when others work to accommodate choices they know I have made. My cousin researched a gluten-free Irish Cream for her flourless chocolate lava cake last Christmas. How cool is that?

I don’t judge anyone for what they eat or drink, and I don’t want to be judged. So it’s important to me, when I am abstaining from anything, to pull the focus toward how much it means to me to be together with friends and family, how much I love the things we have in common, and how thankful I am for their company or hospitality. If someone cooks for me, I will always eat what is prepared, with gluten being a necessary exception.

Having said that, during this cleanse I’ve turned down several invitations to drink or dine out. It’s tough to make these decisions and respond gracefully. I’ll be doing more of it in the future. How do you handle these situations, and what have you found to be helpful?

On the Agenda for Next Week: Preparing for the 28-day elimination diet. Which works better, cleansing with a protein shake & herbs, or cleansing with simple diet modifications?

View the first two installments of Kendra’s spring cleansing process in Special Detox Series: Spring Cleansing in Action and Special Detox Series: Moving and Shaking through Week One.

Disclaimer: Kendra Mellinger is not a healthcare professional, and therefore does not prescribe or recommend any treatment for disease or health concerns. Any cleansing program should only be done under the supervision of an experienced healthcare practitioner.

Photo: Nikki L.

Challenging symptoms: sugar & caffeine cravings, brief headaches, brief muscle cramps, two exhaustion crashes.

Beneficial results: Relaxation, reduction in anxiety & stress, increased energy, improved skin, balanced blood sugar and relief from cravings. Lost five pounds in the first week.

Adherence to the Diet: Excellent, except for some accidentally ingested banana bread batter.

In my experience, there are two groups of people who really, truly love to talk enthusiastically about their bowel functions for hours on end: preschoolers, and people doing a detox cleanse. While I’ve never had an amazing must-tell-the-world experience in this arena, I do agree that if you’re going to do a cleanse, you need to be able to talk poo with your doctor (if no one else).

Think of it like the scoreboard at a baseball stadium, in a game of you versus the undesirables. If you don’t keep an eye on your stats, you won’t play your best game.

So all that is to say that in checking the scoreboard this week, I noticed my fiber mixwasn’t having much of an effect. Drinking it left me feeling a little nauseous at times, and then one morning I felt some cramps and general malaise. I’ve had occasional cleanse cramps and nausea, but this felt “off” enough that – given the scoreboard – I thought we might need to pull the pitcher, so to speak.

The fiber I was using has inulin and stevia in it; both of those have given me digestive problems and headaches in the past. Many fiber drink mixes have flavors and sweeteners; the capsules usually don’t. PaleoFiber is available without flavor or sweetener, but the one I happened to have was tasty berry flavor.

My doctor gave me ground slippery elm bark to use instead. I prefer simple plant-based supplements to highly technical powdered mixes anyway, so this fit the bill. Once I got past the idea of guzzling tree bark, all was well – it has a pleasant, sweet taste. The scoreboard reflected my success! My husband is using my leftover PaleoFiber now, with great success. What works for one person may not work for another.

Approach and Outcome

This is the fourth cleanse I’ve done in the past three years. Each time, it requires less mental preparation and logistical effort. I go into it feeling more prepared and enthusiastic about the results I know I will get – my skin improves, my stamina increases, and the focus on eating a limited variety of food actually relieves the stress of constant choices and decisions.

I’ve also had better success the more times I cleanse. Let’s be honest – the first cleanse, I ate chocolate in week one, and fast food several times during week three. I don’t recommend that.

Even though it gets easier, each time around there are new experiences, new results and new challenges. The more I do it, the better I know what to expect from myself, which is a good foundation for any challenging endeavor. Although I may not stick to the diet or even make significant changes immediately to my long term diet, the cleanse has a lasting mental effect. Feeling that good for three weeks makes you think. It makes you more aware of the food choices you make, and more attentive to the results of your choices.

Photo: (= dana <3 J.M =)

Having said that, the first several days of this cleanse were an immediate challenge. I was craving sweets all day, just wanting to be eating something, as this is what I have gotten into the habit of doing in the past six months. I work from my home office, and graze all day. I usually have nuts, chocolate, chips, fruit, or cheese and crackers on hand, and a cup or two of tea or coffee. During the cleanse, my desk has been devoid of food or beverage. I go to the kitchen to eat.

I was ridiculously excited about my first morning snack! A boiled egg never looked, smelled, felt or tasted so good. I ate it with a sliced up apple, and wow, was I in heaven.

I only felt true hunger pangs a few times those first few days. More often I just felt a compulsive need to be putting something in my body. I had to keep distracting myself so as not to think about it. I had plenty of work all week, so that wasn’t hard. I did not cave!

By the time day four rolled around, the cravings were gone. My blood sugar evened out like warm bay waters at sunset. That felt GOOD.

The Unfortunate Incident

Then there was the banana bread incident. My last cleanse, I ramped up my steely determination to bake chocolate chip cookies without ingesting a single chip. I did it quite successfully, and hence thought I could do something similar during this cleanse. I was like an accomplished athlete going into a game a little too confident.

Photo: Or Hiltch

My son and I made gluten-free sugar cookies and banana bread for a school brunch. After putting the bread in the oven, he and I did our usual job of licking the beaters and scraping out the bowl. Oops! I didn’t even realize what I’d done until I went to make my shake about twenty minutes later. I was so comfortable with the baking idea, I wasn’t careful enough to bypass our usual ritual of licking the beaters. I had a bit of a headache that night, which may or may not have been related.

It really is a challenge to prepare food you can’t eat, or even taste, during a cleanse. I know a lot of parents think about this as they consider cleansing – they’ll still need to cook the usual fare for everyone else. It’s hard!

Last but not least, here’s the report on the shake mix I’m using: it veers a little toward the chalky and grainy side, as do many products made with processed rice. I did not help the situation by adding veggie broth for the liquid and a half-banana in hopes of improving the texture. Savory banana–not a winning flavor! I’ve had better success adding more flavor to cover the broth – equal parts spinach and cherries are my favorite combination. Spinach adds a nice texture to the shake, and the taste is surprisingly subtle while the nutritional benefits are great. Blueberries work well too.

The good news regarding the shake is that it leaves me feeling awesome! It’s very filling, and I feel great for hours after drinking it. It’s working better for my body than the food-based shakeI used in the last three cleanses (although the Standard Process shake tastes better).

In summary, I feel so much better after seven days of cleansing I am honestly amazed. I didn’t think I was feeling that bad when I started, but I’ve since realized how much general stress and anxiety I was living with, along with constant sugar & caffeine cravings. I do some stress-relief practices while I cleanse, which enhance my results – more on that next week.

For now, I feel energized! I have had a bit of trouble getting to sleep the last two nights, not feeling tired when I go to bed. But when I wake up, I’m in a positive mood, well rested, and ready to face the day. That’s a fabulous improvement.

On the Agenda for Next Week: More information on non-dietary parts of my cleanse routine, an appointment with my Ayurvedic practitioner, and a birthday celebration in wine country!

View the first installment of Kendra’s spring cleansing process in Special Detox Series: Spring Cleansing in Action.

Disclaimer: Kendra Mellinger is not a healthcare professional, and therefore does not prescribe or recommend any treatment for disease or health concerns. Any cleansing program should only be done under the supervision of an experienced healthcare practitioner.

Photo: Mr Wabu

Punxsutawney Phil may have foretold “six more weeks of winter” February second, but in the San Francisco Bay Area, spring is always alive and kicking by mid-February.

Bougainvilleas are one among many blooms, dotting green and fragrant hills. People’s thoughts turn to gardening, spring training and flip flop fashion. My own sign of spring fever? I start scanning the calendar for an optimal three-week chunk of time in which to do a detox cleanse.

Cleansing may not sound so romantic, but for me, it’s become as much a part of seasonal festivities as pink hearts and green clovers. It’s an internal spring cleaning of sorts – a chance to physically let go of last year’s toxins and clear the digestive slate for a new year. It’s also a good way to lose a few pounds, if you’re interested.

Cleaning Up the Details

Photo: Pink Sherbet Photography

This will be the fourth cleanse I’ve done in recent history, and I’m documenting the experience here over the course of the next few weeks. My hope is to introduce the process to people who have never cleansed, maybe draw some advice from cleansing veterans, and have a little fun in the process.

It also never hurts to have some added accountability – so thank you for reading, and I hope you find something that inspires you toward your own spring fever!

The system of products bought for a cleanse usually includes a shake mix, cleansing herbs, and a fiber source. Preparation also requires choosing a specific diet to follow for a set amount of time.

Many cleanse programs available today include specific dietary recommendations, ranging from minimal caloric intake to a more substantial diet. My daily plan allows for two 4-oz portions of lean meat, unlimited fresh organic vegetables, unlimited fresh organic fruit (although the fruit/veggie ratio needs to be 1:2), 1 serving of brown rice and 1-2 eggs. Two to three protein shakes a day and two doses of fiber drink round out the program.

Before I begin, I always schedule an appointment with my Naturopathic doctor to get a check-up, talk over goals and concerns, and flesh out a game plan.

One more detail that will differentiate this three-week cleanse from previous experiences: I’m following it up with a 28-day elimination diet.This is a diet I’ve been eying for over a year now, wanting to get a better handle on exactly what foods work and don’t work for me, and feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the whole thought of it.

Doing it directly after a cleanse makes all the sense in the world, from a purely logical standpoint. Psychologically? It may be psycho. We’ll see.

For the record, I’m not pledging to change my diet forever based on what I learn from the elimination diet; it’ll just be good to know. In any case, I hope you’ll wish me courage and an intrepid sense of humor.

I look forward to reading your comments and responding to your questions!

Check back every Tuesday for the next few weeks to find out how the cleansing process is working for Kendra.

Disclaimer: Kendra Mellinger is not a healthcare professional, and therefore does not prescribe or recommend any treatment for disease or health concerns. Any cleansing program should only be done under the supervision of an experienced healthcare practitioner.