Cleanse

When beginning something new, it helps to research everything you can before starting that new thing.  

If you can...

Sometimes we're thrust in to new things without reading about potential issues, so we're essentially "flying blind."  But not in this case...

When I began my cleanse last week I had read and researched periodically for a couple years before taking the plunge.  It wasn't a constant obsession with cleansing, but when the topic came up I read or listened.  No biggie. 

I carefully chose a few supplements that I knew would be beneficial to my body and potentially my husband's issues (more on that later) for the future "just in case."   For a list of the ones that I used, please feel free to read the post Preparing for a Cleanse.

I also chose smoothies because I like them.  I knew using specific ingredients would give me the needed fiber and nutrient denseness that I was looking for all while my body worked to cleanse itself. 

I am so excited to feel better!  Since needing to take the antiobiotics in June and July for my ear infection, then the upper respiratory infection, my whole system has felt "off".  

So, I've decided to add a few things to my monthly Wellness Box to help with the process.  You can look at Preparing for a Cleanse and Shopping to Get Ready for a Cleanse to see more about what I've done to prepare ahead of time for this.

This morning began with my usual coffee and Bible Study, so nothing has changed there.  I went out to feed and water the dogs, and began putting together my breakfast smoothie.  As of this writing, it's been almost 30 minutes after finishing it and I'm feeling quite satisfied, so the protein has helped with that!

Ok for the recipe, I didn't follow anything, but what I felt would be good to begin with.  You can find these items at your local grocery store, except for 2 that came in my wellness box.  I'll add links for them below. 

This seemed like it would work for me this morning and it did.  It was quite satisfying and not bitter at all, so it worked! 

Water is so very important when doing a cleanse!  Every day, I try to drink 4 quarts of water within a 24 hour timeframe.

Why only 1/4 cup?  The natural sugars in the berries, if using more than this, will make this smoothie carb heavy and I didn't want that. I wanted the cellulose and vitamins from the raspberries. 

This chopped kale worked very well in my smoothie.  I didn't have to chop anything, but just grabbed 2 handfulls and rinsed them.  Hardly any effort at all! 

This powder adds multiple types of protein in to my smoothie that I need:  Pure Protein Complete-Vanilla Spice

This is the highest antioxidant drink on the planet, so I added it to my smoothie this morning: NingXia Red Packets

The finished smoothie had some texture to it, so if you want more smooth, just blend longer.  

So far this morning I've taken Comfortone Supplement.  I have a plan for the other supplements throughout the day and my timer will be set to remind me to take those at the best time possible.  

Now, I'm sure there are questions you may be asking about this particular cleanse.  One may be:  Why the focus on protein?

I have been diagnosed as a diabetic and if I just included all things cellulose in these smoothies, my blood sugar would be affected.  I've done smoothies before with very little protein and my blood sugar bottomed out pretty much telling me the benefits of the smoothie are good, but need more protein for my own needs.

Love & God Bless,

Regina

Many times cleansing is touted as a way to just get attention...

Me?  This is my first official cleanse.  I've read quite a bit about cleanses and have determined this is the best way "for me" to tackle cleansing my body of the toxic yuck.  

What toxic yuck?

*Sugar--this particular item reaks havoc on your brain and your body.  Google the affects of sugar on your body.  

*Processed Food--This particular item is artificial ingredients, man made, machine made or otherwise that are unnatural.  These things cling to your colon and need a good scrubbing!  

*Anything that is synthetic medications--We'll discuss this more at length in the future, but suffice it to say that anti-biotics mess with your colon, disrupting the healthy bacteria that needs to live there to help you thrive.

So, what do I buy?

You're going to see some usual "I thought so" kinds of things, but bear with me.

*Kale--This nutrient dense food has been used on salad bars as a garnish for years.  It's truly one of those foods that are super high in fiber and wonderful vitamins.  But why kale of all things?  The wonderful stems in the kale contain cellulose that acts like a toothbrush in our colons to scrub the gunk!  

Like with kale...

*Spinach--specifically baby spinach.  The larger spinach is more bitter in my opinion and makes things taste not so good.  And, yes, because it's Popeye's favorite food!  LOL  It's got some wonderful iron and vitamins as well as cellulose.

*Carrots, celery, apples, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries...all things to sweeten smoothies and add more cellulose and vitamins.

*Collagen because it contains protein and wonderful things to help your skin, hair and nails.

There will likely be more added, and I will update after a few days to let you know all that I feel and am going through.

Why am I doing this?

I'm clearing out the affects of 2 rounds of anti-biotics in June and July from my colon.  I've covered the items I'm using as supplements in Preparing for a Cleanse, so I'll encourage you to read that.

Also, all health for our bodies begins in the gut.  If our colons are not clean and balanced, then we're going to be sick more.  If you have some time, and are interested, look up on Youtube "Unhealthy Colonoscopy Videos" and see what you see.

I'm going to begin this on Wednesday of this week.  I don't expect to lose weight from this, but anything is possible.  I'll update and let everyone know  how things go next Monday. 

Until then, have a wonderful evening!

Love & God Bless,

Regina Graham

Everybody cleanses, right?

So, what is a cleanse?

A clease is when you take certain supplements and foods in liquid form to purge your body, specifically your colon, of unhealthy "gunk".

When we have been sick, or traveling, or even when we feel a bit sluggish, it's time for a cleanse.  When having taken an anti-biotic, or any medicine for a cold or flu, those medicines affect our colon.  Anti-biotics are not selective when they go through our gut, so they pretty much kill good and bad bacteria, making room for yeast to grow at any opportunity.  This is why taking a probiotic while taking an anti-biotic is good to help keep the good gut flora in check.

So how am *I* preparing for a cleanse?

I am planning to do a 3 day cleanse.  I know some people do cleanses longer than that, but I feel that 3 days is long enough for me.  I am going to begin with--YUP!  You guessed it!  Spinach and Kale smoothies!  But, I'm going to be adding some pretty awesome ingredients to not only help it to taste good, but to help my body have nutrient dense foods as my colon is cleansed.  

Why Spinach and Kale?  

With spinach and kale, especially organic, they help with the "scrubbing" factor in the colon.  They are rich in fiber and nutrient dense, so they make the perfect smoothie foods!  Another good one I'll be adding is celery for the scrubbing factor alone.  When we eat good nutrient dense veggies we get a wonderful benefit from the nutrients for our bodies, but also the fiber acts like a toothbrush, scrubbing the inside of our colon.  Cellulose which comprises the fiber in plants, is not digestible by humans, so the benefit of eating veggies is simply what I like to call the "toothbrush effect".  Does this have scientific back up?  Somewhere, probably.  Go ahead and look up the benefits of fiber on your colon--not the synthetic stuff you get at the big box store in a bottle...

What kind of nutrient dense foods?   

I'm glad you asked!  I'll be adding Young Living's Protein Complete powder to my smoothies for added protein.  I'm also adding chicken bone broth for the collagen to help my joints and skin, as well as a 2 ounce sachet of NingXia Red to my smoothies.

Is this all I'm doing for smoothies?  

No!  I'm planning to use my Trim Healthy Mama cookbook for some nutrient dense smoothies, too.

Additionally, I'm planning to take a few supplements to help with the cleanse itself.  

*ParaFree soft gels just in case while I was traveling I may have picked up an unwelcome guest in my digestive tract.  This will naturally help with the eviction process.

*Detoxzyme to help get rid of any toxin build up in my gut.

*Life 9 to help keep the gut flora in balance.

*Digize Vitality in a Vegetable Capsule just in case I get some tummy upset and need help wtih that.  I can also use 1-2 drops of this topically (right on the tummy) with 1 tsp of NingXia Red to help with tummy upset.

Now, there are other things I could use to help with my cleanse, but honestly, this is all I feel that I need right now.  

Will this be my last cleanse, like a "one-and-done" kind of situation?  

No!  It's important to listen to our bodies and cleanse when our bodies tell us it needs cleansing.  How can I tell I need to cleanse?  Are you feeling tired, sluggish, and how does your bowel movements look?  Google "unhealthy bowel movement pictures" and you'll get all you need to see for comparison! Trust me!

It goes without saying that this cleanse will include lots of water.  On a normal day I drink 4 quarts of water, plus 1 cup of coffee, and maybe tea of some sort.  So getting enough fluid in me, personally is not an issue.  I would highly recommend everyone look at your own water intake and adjust accordingly.  If you're not getting enough water, you probably need to increase that.  Our bodies are made of 80% water, so it's important to replentish that supply! 

Now, when am I going to start this cleanse?  

Super easy!  When my Loyalty Rewards order comes to my doorstep!  I like to call it my "Wellness Box".  I started out the first 3 months getting 10% back in points on everything I ordered with Loyalty Rewards.  At 4 months, I started getting 20% back in points on everything I ordered.  Then at 25 months, I started getting 25% back on everything I ordered in my Wellness Box.  I was able to change the processing dates as needed, I made changes to what came each month as needed and it works so well for me!  PLUS!  I get everything at a 24% discount for LIFE!  

If you'd like to do this too, just go to Young Living and "sign in".  When that page appears, scroll down to create an account.  You can save 24% immediately with an order over $100, AND free shipping!  You can also get 24% off by clicking "Subscribe" on any product!  You can adjust anything to receive it every 1, 2, or 3 months.  That's the Subscribe-to-Save Loyalty Rewards program!  It's awesome!  

I'd love to share a sample with you, so if there is anything you've been wanting to try, let me know!  

Are you thinking of doing a cleanse, too?  Let me know in the comment section!  I'd love to hear which Young Living products you're using to help with your cleanse!

I hope you have a wonderful week! 

Love & God Bless,

Regina