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keifenitreal-blog · 7 years

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DETOX

When Dillan and I first started eating cleaner, not even the WFPB diet, we experienced detox symptoms and it was not pretty. One person detoxing in the family is bad enough, but two?! Goodness, it was tough! Grumpy and whiny, we forged ahead with our new eating lifestyle and after a rough couple of weeks we started to feel better and better. The top-two detox symptoms for us were brain-fog and lethargy, but there are so many to be aware of. I don’t tell you this to discourage you, but instead to inspire you to keep going when you feel this way. These are signs that your body is ridding itself of the toxins it has been holding on to for years and probably dec

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Think about what is built up in your body for just a second… of course food is going to be a huge source of the toxic stores in your body. From the added chemicals (preservatives, flavorings, pesticides, etc.) in our food, to the carcinogenic meat that takes such a long time to digest, food is something we give ourselves willingly each day so naturally. If you aren’t watching what it is that goes in, you don’t know what’s not coming out!

Secondly, our past habits are a major contributor to toxins as well. Do or did you smoke (yes, cannabis too!)? How about any other street drugs? Prescription drugs, perhaps? And most commonly, did or do you consume alcohol? These are all things that our body will suffer from and you will very likely feel the side effects as those come out of your body!

Thirdly, what we are willingly putting on our body in the name of “hygiene”? It’s our daily house cleaner, the laundry detergent, shampoo/conditioner/body wash, perfume/cologne, lotions, and makeup… you get the idea. If you haven’t already, take the time to look at the back of your shampoo bottle next time your in the shower. Can you pronounce everything? When you are out of the shower, take a second and just search the ingredients on the internet and do a little homework about where it comes from and ask yourself if you think that’s good to be lathering yourself up with each day. Our skin is our largest organ and we just douse it each day with awful chemicals and it can only detoxify so much at a time.

Lastly, your environment you live in is a huge contributor. What are we breathing in the air lately, or do we even want to know? You see that car or truck just cruising down the freeway in front of you with a billow of black smoke trailing behind it? You just have to know it cannot be the best thing to breathe. The factories in your town or city are polluting the skies at enormous rates too and you are breathing it!

Okay, so now that I’ve basically made it impossible to live on this planet without running into something that is harmful, let me share the good news! Our bodies can handle it and they can handle it very well. If you take steps to cut the exposures down each day and then on top of that, guide yourself through a detoxification plan, you will be doing yourself a gargantuous favor! Our body, try as it might, can only sort through so much at a time on its own. Our organs are amazing at cleaning, if only we would allow them. Instead, we overload them and toxins get stored in our liver, kidneys, lungs, fat and skin. If it gets bad enough, a huge array of health problems await us. It’s really no mystery that autoimmune diseases are such a huge problem in the young, old and those in between.

So when we detox, you are ridding an enormous amount of nasties that were built up for a very long time. When you have that horrid hangover, you know it was from what you put in the day before, right? You sweat, you are nauseous, you shake and you are just so dang tired. If that particular horrid hangover is just from one day’s worth of toxins, it makes sense that you would feel similarly while doing a detox. Some of the most common symptoms that you should expect are:

“Brain-fog” which just means you are feeling easily confused and forgetful. It’s a super-frustrating symptom because you feel like an idiot while trying to hold a simple conversation with someone who isn’t detoxing.

Headaches are the worst, but expect a lot of them. But please if you can at all avoid it, do not reach for the pain reliever. We are trying to rid your body of chemicals, not add to it. It’s a dull and nagging thing, a headache, but drink some water and try to rest when you aren’t working.

Fatigue & lethargy were my worst nightmare. Waking up and staying awake throughout the day was a victory that we celebrated each day. Getting anything done besides work was also a fete, especially while chasing a newly independent baby.

On the flip side of fatigue and lethargy, were the ridiculous jitters & sudden energy right at bedtime. Tossing and turning throughout the night did nothing but frustrate us and make us worse the next day.

Why are you jittery and sleep deprived? Because you are sweating like a hog at night! There were nights when Dillan and I were cold because of the sweat that was pouring out of us. And when we covered up, we would sweat more! We can detox via sweat and it’s not pleasant, so change those sheets often and drink plenty of water.

Another symptom that was unpleasant and lasted for a long time was digestion problems. You may go back and forth between diarrhea and constipation and I know it is so annoying to deal with but I promise it will one day pass (see what I did there?).

Skin breakouts are extremely common. You may wake up one morning and see the pimply skin of your awkward 16 year-old self. The toxins just cannot get out fast enough and you are also changing diet and possibly hygiene routines so it is only natural that you will break out. I had acne problems as a young adult so I understand the embarrassment here, especially when you are well past the age that acne is expected.

Cravings are the worst, are they not? I could have eaten the most hearty and delicious meals that day and not five minutes later, wanted cookies, chips and a big fat juicy burger (sorry if you’re detoxing and that last sentence was cruel, but don’t do it!).

Irritability was quite fun. Hubby and I had our fair share of tiffs that we can look back and laugh about now. The things we get irritated at are so ridiculous and stuff you would normally not think twice about. I am not one to get angry quickly, but dropping my water bottle could have thrown me into quite the rage for a good hour until something else annoyed me. Just apologize in advance and then apologize again later. Chances are, you are going to get some eyebrow raises from family, friends and co-workers.

Body aches weren’t something that I suffered from, but hubby definitely did. He already had some psoriatic arthritis that was painful, but this really added to that existing pain. If you suffer from arthritis or joint pain, please expect this as a symptom. I’m sorry for your pain in advance- we feel for you! Please shoot us an email if you need some extra encouragement and advice. Dillan suffered so much from this that he nearly stopped the diet several times. But you know what? He didn’t stop and his joint swelling has drastically decreased and is nearly pain-free.

What can you do about it? Keep going with the clean food, drink plenty of clean water and then drink some more. You need rest and I know it seems impossible to get any because the moment you lie down you are wide-awake, but if you can even sneak in 10 minutes of shut-eye, do it. It’s torture to take a 10-minute nap and then have to wake up, but get what you can! If you workout, take your workouts down a notch, just for a couple of weeks. Working out helped me because my symptoms were irritability and lethargy, so forcing myself to get out some frustration and being active by cycling or strength training helped a lot, but this will vary from person to person. Be inspired by motivational quotes or pictures or meditation. Talk it out with people and let them hear you. They might say something that gets your spirits up or just distract you for a little from your symptoms. You can do this and I know it because I did it! You will feel so light and efficient afterwards and your body is going to just change right before your eyes. Good luck! Now go eat some detox soup!

#detoxification #healthylifestyle #healthyfood #healthybody

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