The end of the cleanse? Not quite. .

Greetings,

Nathan and I are now officially done with the cleanse! Or so we thought. The last day of the cleanse was our first anniversary - we celebrated with a night out. We enjoyed bread slathered in butter, a couple glasses of Cabernet, and a flourless torte. Oh yeah, and snails. Six hours later, we were both wide awake with stomach pains, racing hearts, and the sweats.

The next morning, we had our follow-up with Dr. Martinez. Apparently our anniversary dinner didn't completely negate the last 3 weeks. She said that we're in the 99% of people who celebrate the end of the cleanse, somehow - and not to worry.

After a few days of doing the cleanse diet again, we're now ready for reintroduction.  Now that our gut flora has had a nice vacation from common inflammatory foods like gluten, dairy, sugars, caffeine, and more -- it's time to begin the real work.

Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be re-introducing foods individually, followed by a two-day return to the cleanse diet and so on. We even have diet journals. Geeky, yes, but this helps pin-point exactly which food causes which symptoms. Taking an allergy test can produce similar information, but does not reflect the actual experienced sensitivity like a cleanse diet followed by a reintroduction does.

Sounds laborious, but as I said in the beginning, this is like a chemistry experiment with my body. Like any scientific experiment, its fascinating, frustrating, and jaw-dropping all at once.

The celebratory night was full of many culprits - one of them (or all of them!) caused all sorts of havoc in my body. Not surprising, but now it's time to track down which one.

Stay tuned. . .

What NOT to do during a cleanse

The final stretch of the cleanse is upon us! By week two, the cleanse routine has really become a routine - breakfast smoothies, olive oil flushes, supplements, roasted roots, salads, breathing, baths, and loads of water are part of my day by now. However. . . Dr. Martinez did recommend doing the cleanse during a semi-quiet time - no big trips or social events - but alas, this isn't quite how my cleanse worked out.. and it has been challenging. Believe me.

This post is dedicated to what NOT to do during a cleanse.

                                          Road trips

Last weekend, as I cruised down I-90 in route to Bozeman to visit a good friend, I noticed a few of my well-grooved habits. One, road snacks. Carrots and water don't go as well with road-trip music and a blue-sky snow-draped landscape like a pastry and coffee do.

Another of my habits is wanting to eat rich food when with my good friend. After getting my first sunburn of the year during a hike in the Spanish Peaks followed by a dip in Norris Hot Springs, I wanted pizza and beer. BAD. Remember, I'm on a road trip with one of my best friends!

                                   Eating at a new acquaintance's home

While I was in Bozeman, we ended up at my friend's brother's house for dinner. Not knowing what was for dinner, I grabbed some kale, a squash, and a few slices of turkey. I cringed at the thought of cooking my own meal while I was a guest in someone's home.. luckily, my friend's brother's wife cooked a delicious all-veggie medley meal. I could eat EVERY bit, except the strawberry and ice cream dessert. Afterwards, she said " I heard you were on a cleanse, so cooked one of my favorite South Korean meals". This opened up an entire dialogue about American diets, along with South Korean meals such as stuffing rice into a giant mustard leaf and dipping it in hot sauce. Now I have a whole new idea of what a burrito can be. So this adventure turned out great, but I can see how it would be awkward considering the hosts. I got lucky.

                                 Concerts and Roller Derby's

 

It's spring time in Missoula and another friend is visiting this week. We went to a great concert last night followed by a Roller Derby this Friday. For me and many others, concerts bring out the indulger within. Pre-concert, I meagerly ordered the beans and rice, topped with lettuce while friends ordered Pacifico's with Taco Del Sol Burritos. We'll see what challenges the Friday night Roller Derby brings up.

Why even put myself into so many tempting scenarios?

Partly out of naivete. I didn't realize how ingrained my eating habits were around spring-time events like concerts, road trips, and more. So during the cleanse, I carried on with life as usual. It's been revealing, humbling, and quite empowering.

In the end, carrying on with life as usual during the cleanse has sparked my creativity as well as some other ideas for 'indulging' beyond delicious rich food. And, I feel noticeably better than I did two weeks ago -- no caffeine headaches (to my dismay), no afternoon energy lulls, and deeper sleeping.

 Until next week. . .

The cleanse adventure continues

Nathan, my husband, and I are now officially one-week into the Golgi Clinic cleanse. Here are some of the adventures we've had so far:

Stay out of the middle aisles!!

Why do off-limit items hold such appeal? Middle-aisle items like chips, piles of pasta, chocolate bars, beer, juices, and more are all off limits -- and suddenly more alluring than ever. Our tactic: we fill our cart with side-aisle items like pears, apples, asparagus, kale, chard, almond butter, coconut milk, frozen fruit, seeds, fish, and squash, then quickly exit the building.

A spoonful of honey

 The first day of the cleanse, I made a big batch of the Master Cleanser drink - lemon, ginger, cayenne, honey, unfiltered apple juice, and water. "This Master Cleanser is awesome - it tastes like a lollypop!" Nathan said as he poured himself a second cup. When measuring the honey, I "misread" teaspoons for tablespoons. Since then, the Master Cleanser just hasn't been the same.

Gentle exercise...kind of...

 I started the cleanse the day after a grueling trip back from the East Coast. I'd been sick the week before. So, when Dr. Martinez said to minimize exercising during the cleanse, I literally squirmed in my seat. Without over-doing it, I have continued biking, hiking moderately, and practicing Aikido. Oh yeah, and dancing ... If I get over-zealous, an Epsom Salt bath (one of the recommended hydro-therapies) is super soothing to sore muscles.

Is it all in my head? 

It's been a week without coffee. I did have mild headaches the first few days of the cleanse. Lots of water and naps have eased the dull ache (s). Cranio Sacral Treatments do alleviate headaches & are conveniently 20% off during the cleanse. Nathan had his first treatment with Dr. Friess yesterday -  he came out a little bleary-eyed and more relaxed than I've seen him in a while. . Guess what the theme was during his treatment? Hunger. Of course.

Z-Z-Z-zzzzz's, the best medicine

                                             photo by Gene Wilburn

Since starting the cleanse, I've gone to sleep earlier - and sleep longer. Bug, our cat, loves that we're catching on to his way of life.

Last but not least 

Last note is that my mother has decided to do the cleanse long-distance (she lives in Miles City). She had her first visit with Dr. Martinez this week, over the phone - so know that this is an option for those of you who live outside of Missoula!

Signing off..