The good folks at The Yoga Space in SE Portland are hosting a week-long cleanse to prepare for the seasonal shift from spring to summer, or in Ayurvedic terms, from a kapha season to a pitta season. I happen to enjoy cleanses, and try to do one every 4-6 months. This will be the first time, however, that I follow a program of some kind. This detox, designed by Heather Harahan, a Kundalini teacher, just requires discipline and good organic food. It isn't a starvation detox, although some might think eating only fruit, raw vegetables, mung beans, and a little rice for 5 days is equivalent to starvation.
Caffeine, alcohol, processed foods such as tempeh and tofu, bread, starch, sugar, dairy, eggs, cereals, acidic condiments, salt - these are all off the table for the week. And meat, of course. The aim is to make the body more alkaline, since acid in the body is a breeding ground for illness, discomfort, and even (eventually) disease. A seasonal detox revitalizes the organs, cleanses the liver and kidneys, and re-balances the nervous, circulatory, and digestive systems. I'll track my progress here and let you know how it goes.
Caffeine, alcohol, processed foods such as tempeh and tofu, bread, starch, sugar, dairy, eggs, cereals, acidic condiments, salt - these are all off the table for the week. And meat, of course. The aim is to make the body more alkaline, since acid in the body is a breeding ground for illness, discomfort, and even (eventually) disease. A seasonal detox revitalizes the organs, cleanses the liver and kidneys, and re-balances the nervous, circulatory, and digestive systems. I'll track my progress here and let you know how it goes.
Today is Day 1.
Breakfast: Grapefruit & orange, water.
Lunch: Raw kale & pumpkin seed salad w/ Annie's Green Goddess Organic Dressing, large mug of miso soup.
Snack: Blueberries.
Snack: Banana, grapes.
Dinner: Grapefruit.
Yoga: 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
The quality of the food is very important. Conventionally grown fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, etc. are full of toxins, including pesticides that can damage the nervous system and reproductive system, and have been linked to various kinds of cancer.
Artificial ingredients are literally dangerous: blue 1 & 2, red 3, and yellow 6 caused brain, adrenal gland, thyroid, and kidney tumors in lab rats.
Canned foods need to go: BPA (found in the lining of tin cans, some water bottles, and in baby bottles) can wreak havoc on a woman's reproductive system by disrupting the hormones that let the ovaries know when to produce an egg. It has also been linked to birth defects.
Note: I know not everyone can afford to buy organic produce all the time, and I resent the people who make it out to be some moral deficiency if you do not eat organic. But, if you can afford it, then buy organic. And if you can't, then seek out local CSA options that will cut the cost and make organic food more accessible. Also, many health food stores now take food stamps.
*Also, today's meals were more measly than necessary. The cleanse can include juices and mung beans with rice. I just didn't have time to cook, and I don't have the equipment to juice.
Artificial ingredients are literally dangerous: blue 1 & 2, red 3, and yellow 6 caused brain, adrenal gland, thyroid, and kidney tumors in lab rats.
Canned foods need to go: BPA (found in the lining of tin cans, some water bottles, and in baby bottles) can wreak havoc on a woman's reproductive system by disrupting the hormones that let the ovaries know when to produce an egg. It has also been linked to birth defects.
Note: I know not everyone can afford to buy organic produce all the time, and I resent the people who make it out to be some moral deficiency if you do not eat organic. But, if you can afford it, then buy organic. And if you can't, then seek out local CSA options that will cut the cost and make organic food more accessible. Also, many health food stores now take food stamps.
*Also, today's meals were more measly than necessary. The cleanse can include juices and mung beans with rice. I just didn't have time to cook, and I don't have the equipment to juice.
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