Clean

On January 11, I embarked a new journey with my health and wellness. For the first time in my adult life, I started a thirty day gut cleanse and body restoration protocol. I researched the protocol for safety, and felt really comfortable with it because it's quite gentle. The protocol includes three ten day cycles - the first being a preparation period, which includes herbal support for the filtering organs and digestive system. Many people pair this cleanse with a very strict dietary guideline, but I decided on just limiting white - refined sugar and salt, flour, and grains. I wanted to be able to be successful, and was afraid a very restrictive diet would sabotage my success. 

I'm accustomed to taking supplements, but this is just the morning capsules! 

The first two days, I was hungry all the time. This is the usual state of affairs, but unlike usual, I was being forced to make better food choices, instead of grabbing the first crunchy snack I could find. I woke on the third day and wasn't really craving my morning cup of decaf. I didn't feel as hungry throughout the day.

This was the quote in my Passion Planner during week 1.
It's surprising to me how often there is a bit of magic - a bit of kismet - in my planner quotes.

My first real revelation was on day 7, when I ate sweet potato pancakes with honey on top, and the honey was almost too sweet to eat. By a week in, I had started to notice some other things too. The low sugar, low gluten diet was positively affecting E's behavior, or my reaction to it. I seemed to have more patience, and he seemed to have more capacity to regulate his emotions and avoid a meltdown. 

Sweet potatoes were a staple during the cleanse - we ate them at least twice a week!

Salads are always a part of my diet, but I bet
I ate a cubic ton of greens during my cleanse!

Day 11 marked my first day with the GI cleansing agent. I was nervous to start this one, because so many people report having issues with it. Thankfully, I had only a little bit of cramping, and no other detox symptoms, such as headache, irritability, rash, fatigue, or upset stomach.

DH made sweet potato fries one night for dinner, and I GORGED myself !

The end of January brought some challenges - we had little e's birthday party and served some sweets, but I allowed myself a small amount, and didn't feel bad about it. Our grocery budget was woefully small for the last week of the cleanse, but I managed to stay creative and not fall off the wagon.

Smoothies are always a part of my diet, but during the cleanse
they were a great way to beat the mid-afternoon munchies! 

By the last week, I was feeling really good. My mood was good and I'd lost some inches and some pounds. But mostly, I had gained. I had gained better control of my sweet tooth. I had gained a healthy respect for my body. I had gained some insight into my "food triggers," the circumstances that cause me to make poor food choices.

ALL the salads. I took so many pictures of my food
during the cleanse, because healthy food is beautiful!

I'm excited to do this again next year, and hopefully it will be my New Year's ritual for a long time. In cleansing my body, I also cleansed my mind and my soul, and I found a lot of room for growth!

Eggs were a staple as well, and I filled them with
whatever was left over from the night before

These sweet potato and black bean burgers were SO good - they
will be a part of our dinner rotation from now on!

Just another beautiful meal!