detox finished!

Yesterday was my final day on the Fast Track detox diet. Now that I am finished, the hardest part was not the one-day fast, but going off of caffeine; even though I was only drinking one cup of coffee per day. But I have not had a headache since finishing the caffeine withdrawal, and I used to get them all the time. So I am very thankful for that, and I am not going to go back to drinking coffee or sodas. I feel too good now.

I did lose 6 pounds. Some permanent changes I am making to my diet since doing this detox include making sure I get five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, two of which to be high fiber choices (apples, pears, berries, or carrots, raw), and two of which to be high flavonoid choices (deep-colored red, purple, or blue fruits and vegetables). Berries count in both groups; cranberry juice has become my breakfast juice of choice.

Another change is the addition of crucifers and leafy greens; even though I was used to eating salad almost every day, the leafy greens on this diet don’t figure regularly into most salads. So I am going to try to get something from one of those groups into my diet every day. I am hooked on juicing my own veggies; I want to find more recipes for a little variety. And on this diet I had to drink eight glasses of filtered water per day, and I am going to keep that up, now that I am used to it.

I have also altered my shopping habits; since we are eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, I am buying just enough for a few days at a time; and stopping at the market more often. I throw out less wilty and moldy food when I buy smaller quantities. So I am saving money too! And we have switched to buying organic fruits and veggies if possible. We have always had an organic garden at home, but since organic is so much more expensive at the market, I never paid money for organic. But not anymore. Since I feel so much better getting toxins out of my system, I am going to be much more careful about putting toxins back in again.

Benefits I am seeing right away from detoxing, include the swollen lymph glands I used to get have gone away; my energy level and stamina have greatly increased and I really like that; no more headaches; and oh! I noticed last night while out with my husband at one of our regular restaurants, that I could only eat half of my favorite meal before getting full. Dr. Gittleman did say in her book that after detoxing, you will probably need to eat less food every day than before, since your body, once it loses its toxic overload, can digest and process nutrients more efficiently. It is nice not being hungry all the time.