Since I finished the detox diet I was on, I have lost another 8 pounds. The permanent changes I made to my diet are
1) eating five servings of fruits and vegetables per day;
2) one of those five to be raw apples, pears, carrots, or berries (for the high fiber content);
3) one of those five to be deep leafy greens (kale, chard, watercress, parsley, dandelion, mustard, or beet greens, cilantro, collards) or from the crucifer family (broccoli, broccoli sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts) – for their detoxifying and purifying properties;
4) one or two of those five to be deep red, purple, or blue fruits or vegetables (for their high antioxidant and bioflavonoid content, which I was deficient in);
5) avoiding gluten, which I discovered I was allergic to;
6) avoiding the liver stressers, such as caffeine, sugar, alcohol, over the counter drugs, processed foods with added preservatives, dyes, etc., trans fats, fried foods, and processed fats such as margarine or shortening;
7) shopping at Wild Oats for their organic produce, dairy, meats, and many gluten-free products (I bought pasta made from quinoa flour, and I can’t wait to try it!);
8) taking supplements of flax seed oil (I was deficient in essential fatty acids), probiotics (I had a yeast overgrowth), betaine hydrochloride with pepsin (I didn’t make enough stomach acid), and my usual vitamin and mineral supplement.
I am trying to read Dr. Gittleman’s Fat Flush Plan, but haven’t gotten through more than the introduction. So far, though, obeying the Lord, when He told me to eat the food that He made and less processed and refined food (“fake food”, He called it), has been working great for me.
I read a warning that flax seed oil goes rancid so quickly that the oil, even when refrigerated, loses its benefits and actually can be harmful. After reading that, I now buy whole flax seeds, store them in the freezer, and grind just what I use each day. I freeze the flax seeds so that they can withstand the heat of grinding. I use a grain grinder, but a coffee grinder can be used as well. Sometimes it’s difficult to sort through what all I hear about natural foods, but I thought I’d pass bit of info. for what it’s worth…
I am taking capsules. I do not think they go rancid nearly as fast as the straight oil does. Thank you for letting me know about the oil, though. I also have whole flax seeds, I grind mine in a coffee grinder. (Might as well use it for something now that I am not drinking coffee anymore!) I add ground flax seeds to my baking. I have found a baking mix made from rice flour, and also muffin mixes without gluten.