And now for Part 2 of my “Adventures in Cleansing” saga.

Thanks to all of you for reaching out to me after last week’s post ~ I love hearing your stories, so please do keep on sharing!

Phase 2 :: CLEANSING DIET

After the 8-days of raw milk, I entered into phase two of the cleanse; eating a modified low-fat diet for the next four weeks.
Before we move on to that, I have one surprising thing to report :: I was sad to leave the milk phase behind.
Say what?!
You’d think that I’d be anxious to eat a meal again. But I wasn’t really all that excited.
It was so easy to not have to plan and prepare meals everyday.
To not have to stand in line at the grocery store.
To not sift through the array of edible choices.
There was something incredibly freeing about having a simple regiment to follow everyday.
In fact, it was awesome.

Ok, back to food.

The modified low-fat diet is designed as a liver and gall bladder cleansing program.
It’s not as harsh as the popular gall bladder “flush” programs out there. But is still detoxifying.

I had to eliminate all dairy products (including butter + eggs). All fats and oils (with the exception of raw, cold pressed olive or flaxseed oil). All fried foods or heated oils. Yeast (so no pastries, cookies, bread, etc.). All alcoholic beverages. Nuts. Seeds. And no sugar.

So what CAN I eat?
Unlimited meat, poultry, fish, beans, gluten-free grains and fruits + veggies (cooked or raw).
And it’s also required that I drink 2 quarts of purified water daily.

Based on the list above, it would seem that I’m not lacking for much on this “cleanse”.
In fact, it’s rather generous.
However, the preparation of the foods is what has made the process a little more challenging, at least for me.

I didn’t realize how many dishes I cook (or that I eat out) are prepared using oil of some kind.
Almost every dish that I’ve ever prepared at home, uses heated oils. I’m conscious of not using the “bad” oils, but we always sauté with extra virgin coconut oil, pastured butter or even olive oil (on low heat of course). I never realized how much I heat oils until I couldn’t any longer.
For a great breakdown on what oils to use when peep this great article via the NY Times.

So, how am I preparing my foods?
Low and behold I’m using the oven again! My favorite methods right now are baking, roasting, poaching and making soups and stews in the crockpot.
Surprisingly it’s rather easy to cook your greens and veggies without heated oil. I put a bit of water in the bottom of the pan and let them steam away.
I do miss butter (who wouldn’t), but I’m committed to this 4-week process (and haven’t strayed once).

What I most looking forward to after this program is completed?
Without question, eating out.

I’ve only been able to eat out at one restaurant so far – Cafe Gratitude – which is vegan and mostly raw.
They are more than willing to accommodate my many dietary restrictions right now, in fact, they don’t even blink twice.
It’s refreshing to actually sit at a table, across from a dinner date, with people all around you and share a meal. I’ve missed that. Through this process I’ve realized how important the community aspect of food is to me. I want to be around other people who are eating, enjoying, socializing. It makes the dining experience so rich.

What I plan to carry forward with me after the cleanse, is cooking the majority of my meals at home – and making eating out a treat. I know this is easier said than done. Both my boyfriend and I work insanely long days and eating out is often the easiest solution at dinner time. But with a bit of planning and a strong commitment to my own health and well-being, it’s definitely possible.

How am I feeling on this restricted diet?
Well as of today (I’m 18 days into the 4-week diet), I feel great!
I like what I’m eating. The planning portion is a little annoying. But after I cook the meals and eat them, I feel great. Full but not heavy. I’m no longer bloated 24/7. And my digestion is definitely on the mend.
I’ve lost about 10 lbs since starting this journey. Though losing weight was never my goal, I must say that fitting into my Rag & Bone jeans again is definitely a perk!

The biggest change? I don’t have cravings anymore.
I still have lustful moments of wanting to eat at my favorite restaurants. And certain dishes sound mouth-watering good. But I don’t CRAVE them.
This was a big issue for me before the cleanse. Especially with sweets. And potato chips. And pasta. And ice cream.

I have recognized over the last month that most of these cravings are emotional ones.
For my whole life, food has been my go-to when I’m feeling down, depressed or less than stellar. Somehow, by doing this cleanse, I’ve become more aware.
I no longer crave stuffing my feelings down with a bag of Spicy Thai Kettle chips (even though they are damn good).
I’m taking better care of myself. Sleeping longer. Trying to stay positive, present and focused. And celebrating my wins each day.

The only area that I know still needs to be finessed right now, is exercising + doing some kind of meditation regularly.
These two things alone would take this cleanse to the next level. But just like everyone, I’m a work-in-progress.

“If you pay attention to when you are hungry, what your body wants, what you are eating, when you’ve had enough, you end the obsession because obsession and awareness cannot coexist.”
~Geneen Roth from Women Food and God

I’ll report back in a few weeks, once I’m finished with all of this and let you know some concrete results that I experienced. In the meantime, I hope this story has inspired you to examine your own health, and also your emotional wellness.

It’s the perfect time of year to evaluate your life, your health and your dreams.
What do you want for 2013?
How can you start taking small steps towards better health? I’d love to hear your plans!

xo

P.S.
Did you hear?
I’ve got a brand-spankin’ new site launching in a few weeks. I’ll be moving all of my consulting + coaching work over to that site.
If you’re a filmmaker, musician or creative-minded entrepreneur and want to get the scoop on making $$$ doing what you LOVE, then be sure to get signed up on my NEW mailing list to be the first to see my 2nd home (and get a few FREE goodies to boot)! Click here!

How I survived on milk-only for 8 solid days!

This is a story of health.
Of change. Healing. Curiosity. And desire.

I grew up in meat + potatoes country.
Though I may be ½ Japanese and grew up with plenty of raw tofu and sushi, I still grew up in the Midwest.
Which meant, lots of Imo’s Pizza, roast beef sandwich’s and toasted ravioli (if you’re from the ‘Lou you’ll know what I’m talking about).
The stuff of my childhood still comforts me to this day.
Even when it sends me into multiple days of digestive distress, it still comforts.

As I’ve gotten older, my diet has gotten “cleaner” – less refined sugars, mostly organics and no more hormone filled meats. But even still, my health has always remained rather . . . “touchy”.
I relate this to a poor diet growing up. Along with large amounts of stress. And also being an HSP.

I’ve suffered from IBS, severe PMS, gluten sensitivity, seasonal allergies, recurring sinus infections, leaky gut, depression, acid reflux, adrenal fatigue, thyroid & endocrine dysfunction and an immune system that’s virtually non-existant at times.
I feel like for most of my life, I’ve had “something wrong with me”. Always feeling low on energy. Or just flat out moody and not well.

Since 1999, I’ve been on a quest to heal myself.
I’ve tried just about every different kind of healing modality you can imagine (and then some)!
Ayurveda. Naturopathic medicine. Western medicine. Chinese medicine. Acupuncture. Herbs. Homeopathy. Chiropractic. Energy work. Body work. And too many diets and cleanses to count.

It would seem that I had tried everything.
Exhausted every option.
But, there was one woman that I hadn’t consulted with yet.
A naturopathic doctor who had been on my radar for the last 5 years.
I had heard she was a miracle worker (of sorts).
No non-sense.
And filled with knowledge.

Fast forward to October 2012.

I made my appointment with Dr. Linda Lancaster.
I saw her in person in NYC.
And within 2 minutes she was able to tell me what she believed might be going on – that I had parasites, adrenal + immune system depletion, heavy metal and mercury toxicity, residual radiation toxicity and deep stress rings (a.k.a. a lifetime of heaviness that was weighing me down and in part, causing me to be sick).
I mean.
Woah.
After looking at my blood she confirmed all of the above and put me on a deep cleansing and healing regiment for at least 8 weeks.

Now, for anyone who is reading this that might be a critic of cleanses, healthy diets or the the like, I want you to think about something . . . a simple quote that made me start to take my health seriously.

“If you don’t take care of your body, where are you going to live?”
~Unknown

PHASE 1 :: MILK + BATHS

Dr. Linda’s protocol started with the Raw Milk Cleanse.
As you might have read in last week’s post, I got a lot of interest (positive + negative) about the milk cleanse when I posted about it online.
Here’s the deal:

The raw milk cleanse is to rid the body of parasites.

It’s estimated that more than ½ the world’s population (that’s 3+ billion people!) are infected with parasites. Crazy right?
Most of us think that parasites only affect those in rural areas or third-world countries. But it’s much more widespread than that.
Parasites wreak havoc and can even take up residence in organs like your lungs, heart and brain.
They get into your system in a variety of ways: via drinking water, unwashed lettuce or veggies, undercooked meats, sexual contact (even kissing) as well as from something as innocuous as shaking hands or drinking from someone else’s glass who is infected.
It’s super easy to “catch”.
And the worst part? They’re even harder to eradicate.

Hence the raw milk cleanse.

From what I understand, raw milk is sweet and happens to be parasites favorite food.
They are drawn out from hiding by the milk and then killed through a special formulation of ingested herbs.

My daily routine consisted of this:
Drink one glass of raw milk every two hours (taken w/ my herbs) for a total of at least six glasses per day.
I could drink more if I felt hungry. And I could drink moderate amounts of water too throughout the day.
To be honest, I never felt hungry. Not once.
In fact, it was great. I loved the taste of the raw milk (a huge surprise since I usually loathe milk).

For the record, it’s important to drink RAW milk as opposed to pasteurized milk (the kind you find in most grocery stores).
Raw milk contains a lot of bacteria and enzymes, including the ones that digest lactose, which are mostly killed off during the process of pasteurization.
You can find out more of the benefits of raw milk here.
On this cleanse it was preferable to use raw goat’s milk, however the flavor was too intense for me, so I stuck with Organic Pastures raw cow’s milk.

As a sorta side-note, I want to emphasize that this cleanse is Doctor supervised and prescribed specifically for me.
I personally don’t believe that deep cleansing without consulting a health professional, is ever a good idea.
For one, it can be dangerous.
And secondly, I think cleansing is much more effective when you know what supplements, activities or diet will encourage healing and multiply the benefits of the cleansing process.
The prevalence of juice cleanses, the master cleanse and assorted other fasts and diets, might work for some, but in my experience they are band aids that never get to the root cause of most health issues. They make you feel great for awhile, but it’s not a lasting solution.

In other words, please don’t try this at home. Call Dr. Linda.

I digress.

In addition to the milk drinking, I had to take a total of four assorted detox baths each week.
The health benefits of water therapy are well documented and have been used since ancient times.
Therapeautic bathing is used to cleanse and neutralize assorted pollutants that enter our bodies everyday.
Everything from radiation to heavy metals and toxic chemicals.
For an in-depth look at the reasoning behind the baths as well as the exact recipes, check out this article written by Dr. Lancaster.

Though the milk phase is over, I’m still doing four baths per week (as instructed by the Doctor).
The baths are intense, especially at the beginning.
Everyone’s body is different, but mine reacted pretty strongly, especially to the sea salt and baking soda bath.
I felt agitated, incredibly restless, anxious and at times deeply sad.
It was bizarre, uncomfortable and strangely comforting – all at the same time.

I’m into my 4th week of baths and they’re still not a cake walk, but they’re getting a little less intense.
And they’re working. The morning after a bath I feel lighter and more mentally acute.

Next week, I’ll dive into Phase 2 of the cleanse – which involves eating a modified diet for the next four to six weeks.
But before we get into all of that, I’m curious, do you have stories of healing and cleansing?
Have you ever tried a parasite/raw milk cleanse?

I’d love to hear your experiences on your path to achieving good health. Leave a comment below and share your story!

Viva Le Milk!

P.S. There are some changes a-happenin’ here on the blog in the weeks to come. If you didn’t see my announcement on Facebook yesterday, head over now and read all about it.
Thanks for being here and supporting my vision for The Girl Who Knows. xo