DIGGING DEEP-ANATOMY OF A CLEANSE

When googling the phrase “What is a cleanse”, the first thing to pop up is the definition of a cleanse. There are actually two. The first definition says a cleanse is meant to make something (like your skin, for example), thoroughly clean. The second definition says that a cleanse is meant to rid (a person, place or thing) of something seen as unpleasant or unwanted. If you scroll down further, there are hundreds of different cleanses you can read about and try. LITERALLY hundreds.

Many people in the nutrition world, including myself, feel that cleanses are silly. Many of them are expensive, full of remedies and supplements you really don’t need. Some are extremely time consuming and leave you hungry, tired and irritable, and who wants to feel that way? I was the last person who would ever recommend a friend or client to do a cleanse.

I work in nutrition. Not only do I work in nutrition, but I also live a better than average healthy lifestyle. I go to the gym or do an outdoor activity of some sort 6-7 days a week. I cook 90% of my own food. I drink a ton of water, usually more than 8 glasses a day. I don’t smoke and I drink pretty minimally. So most people would think, yea, she has got to be pretty clean inside. This is what I would think as well. But, like most women, as much as I do feel I take care of myself, there are those nagging body issues that I wish would disappear. That little pooch in the lower abdomen I would like to get rid of, you know, normal female stuff! I never realized that as “healthy” as I was, there was still a lot of blockage and build-up inside of me.

HOW I DECIDED TO DO THIS CLEANSE
So, recently I befriended a guy who was a professional athlete and is now a certified yogi. One evening, he was teaching me some meditation breathing exercises and he told me that I had “blockage.” I was a little confused, but he pointed to my midsection and told me basically that I am “full of shit.” Some might be offended by hearing something like this, but I was interested to hear more. He told me that although I eat healthy and exercise, I have never cleansed and it is something that I needed to do. When I found out I could eat on this cleanse, I decided I would give it a try.

HOW IT WORKS
No matter how healthy you may be, or unhealthy, throughout time, your body has built up toxins called mucoid plaque that line your intestinal walls. Some of these toxins have hardened, and can be difficult to remove. These toxins are getting in the way of fully metabolizing the nutrients we consume, which is why cleansing is a necessary process 1-2 times a year. Then, my friend referred me to this 8-day colon cleansing program through a company called Blessed Herbs. Basically, you can eat on this cleanse (which is why I agreed to it, because I cannot stand starving myself!), but each day there are pills and a toxin absorber powder packet, ALL ORGANIC INGREDIENTS, you must drink before bed. This is supposed to guarantee to flush out all or at least most of the toxins in your system, IF you follow the program.

During the first 3 days you eat breakfast and lunch, then you take a set amount of the pills before dinner, then you drink the toxic absorber powder in organic apple juice (IT HAS TO BE ORGANIC) before bed. The next 5 days, you take the toxic absorber powder in organic apple juice 5 times a day, every 3 hours from the time you rise. Then you take a set number of the pills before bed. During these last 5 days, you can eat, and it should NOT be more than twice a day. It should be more for energy and not just for the sake of eating (which many of us do, including myself), so it can be something light.

All your eating during the cleanse should be light. It should go without saying you SHOULD NOT consume any meat, dairy, refined sugars/flours, processed junk…you know, stuff you want to eliminate from your body anyhow, right? I was also told not to eat any brown rice during the cleanse. I stuck mostly with fruits, veggies, salads with olive oil and lemon juice, fish, a little bit of chicken, quinoa and sweet potato. The less you eat, the better, because you want your body to focus on cleansing and not digestion. Sounds crazy but towards the end you will find your hunger has diminished anyhow so it won’t be all that hard. Plus you get calories from the juice shake.

So maybe you are asking right now, why am I telling you about this? We all do cleansing procedures in our lives. Some of us cleanse by cleaning our homes, getting rid of toxic friendships/relationships, cleaning out our cars and our closets. Why not cleanse YOUR gut and have a more functional digestive system? Incase you did not know this, your digestive system, has a direct impact on YOUR total health and wellbeing.  

To be honest, I should not be sharing this information for free, but my friend did, and it was the best gift he could have ever given me. I feel like a different person, inside and out and maybe by reading this I can teach you something about eliminating toxins from your body for better digestion and overall health.

So initially, I was going to keep a daily blog of how this cleanse was going, but now I neglected to do that and keep a diary at home instead. I wrote down each day what I ate, how I felt, etc…and I want to share that with you.

INGREDIENTS IN THE CLEANSE

“ There are ten times the amount of bacteria in the intestines than there are cells in the human body”

“Over 100,000 Americans have a colostomy every year”

“Problems with the colon can be a problem of holding onto the past, a fear of letting go”

“I easily release that which I no longer need. The past is over and I am free.”

These are the quotes are found at the bottom of each page of the daily calendar in the Blessed Herbs Colon Cleanse Kit I received. Interesting enough, but of course I did not fully understand the message until I finished with the cleanse. 

The glorious box that holds the cleanse

Behold all the components of this cleanse, minus the food and myself! The pills, powders, shake jar and user guide

Close-up of the DIGESTIVE STIMULATOR pills

What the organic apple juice and TOXIC ABSORBER powder look like all mixed and ready to drink

The TOXIC ABSORBER powder in the juice ready to be mixed

Oh, organic apple juice, I don't care if I never see you again after this cleanse!

Fortunately enough, the people behind Blessed Herbs figured anyone who is health conscious enough to want to partake in this highly involved cleanse would also want to know exactly what they were putting into their bodies, and therefore they designed a handy dandy little user guide, complete with all the ingredients in the pills and powder mix. After reading over these ingredients, I can see why this cleanse is effective;

DIGESTIVE STIMULATOR- the pills taken every evening, has 14 ingredients

1. Cape Leaf and Aloe Vera Leaf-this is a tonic for the liver and stomach, an anti-inflammatory, supports normal bowel function and helps to cleanse blood.

2. Cascara Sagrada bark- is basically an herbal laxative. It stimulates digestive secretions of the liver, gallbladder, stomach and pancreas.

3. Triphala (consists of Amia, Chebulic Myrobalan and Belleric Myrobalan fruits)-is an herb originating in India known to be a body cleanser. This also supports normal bowel function, nerves and brain and provides liver detox.

4. Chinese rhubarb root-this is a stimulating tonic for the liver and gallbladder ducts and mucus membranes. It promotes removal of toxins from the bowels and the blood.

5. Barberry root-supports the liver, gallbladder, spleen and bowels. It is an antipyretic, which means it reduces fever/disease.

6. Dandelion root- this supports liver function, stimulates bile flow and helps release and absorb toxins.

7. Fringe tree root bark- provides tonic action on the spleen and pancreas and is a liver stimulant

8. Meadowsweet aerial parts-helps calm an overactive digestive system.

9. English Plantain aerial parts-soothes the intestines, breaks up mucoid plaque, which is mucus like plaque (or often rope-yikes!) and food residue that is said to coat the gastrointestinal tract of most people.

10. Ginger root-alleviates gas, bloating and nausea.

11. Fennel seed-alleviates occasional gas and cramping.

12. Peppermint leaf-stimulates liver and gallbladder, cleanses colon and improves digestion.

13. Fenugreek seed-is a soothing herb that promotes healthy bowel function. This herb is also said to treat hormonal and reproductive disorders and increase libido. Good times!

14. Licorice root-is supposed to harmonize the whole formula. It is said to help various ailments from sore throats to ulcers to arthritis. It is also said to have anti-depressant compounds.

TOXIC ABSORBER- the powder you mix with the organic apple juice, has 4 ingredients. This powder is considered a gentle, bulk-forming stimulant that helps to draw that fabulous mucoid plaque off the intestinal walls. It is supposed to absorb toxins, heavy metals and excess fatty acids in your intestinal tract.

1.Psyllium seed husks-these are absorbing fibers that scrub intestinal walls and move toxins and materials through the colon. These are said to help maintain regular GI (gastrointestinal) transit/movement.

2. Apple pectin-used for treatment in digestive disorders, this compound binds fatty acids and triglycerides and blocks their absorption from the gut.

3. Bentonite clay-this clay is known for magnetically taking hold of “junk” in your body and removing it. It draws toxins to itself and absorbs more than 40 times its weight in toxins.

4. Peppermint leaf-this herb helps eliminate digestive discomfort and bloating from the psyllium.

FOOD

Since I am not the most internet-savvy person, I have attached my ENTIRE eating and supplement regimen for the 8 days here. Perhaps in the future I will find a way to attach the spreadsheet I created, but for now, here it is;

DAY ONE

8am-1/4 cup of oats soaked in water, stevia and cinnamon, two whole eggs, a handful of plain blackberries

12pm-one broiled chicken breast with lemon pepper, 1/2 c quinoa with Trader Joe's mirepoix (chopped carrots, celery and onion), steamed kale, Bragg's liquid amino acids and olive oil

3pm-1 nectarine, 1/4 c raw pumpkin seeds

7pm-took DIGESTIVE STIMULATOR pills

8pm-4 oz. broiled ahi tuna with lemon pepper, salad of arugula, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, lemon juice and olive oil, 1/2 plain baked sweet potato

1030pm-8oz.organic apple juice with TOXIC ABSORBER packet

DAY TWO

8am-two eggs, one whole and two egg whites, 1/4 cup of oats soaked in water with 1/2 a banana, cinnamon and stevia

10am-one plum

1230pm-one broiled chicken breast with lemon pepper, 1/2 c quinoa with Trader Joe's mirepoix (chopped carrots, celery and onion), steamed kale, Bragg's liquid amino acids and olive oil

4pm-one plum

6pm-took DIGESTIVE STIMULATOR pills

715pm-4 oz. salmon, salad with spinach, arugula, tomatoes, cucumbers, pomegranate seeds and olive oil and lemon juice, 1/2 sweet potato.

1030pm-8oz.organic apple juice with TOXIC ABSORBER packet

DAY THREE

8am-two eggs, one whole and two egg whites, 1/4 cup of oats soaked in water with 1/2 a banana, cinnamon and stevia, handful of pomegranate seeds

1pm-one broiled chicken breast with lemon pepper, 1/2 c quinoa with Trader Joe's mirepoix (chopped carrots, celery and onion), steamed kale, Bragg's liquid amino acids and olive oil

4pm-1 nectarine

8pm-took DIGESTIVE STIMULATOR pills

juice and olive oil

11pm-8oz.organic apple juice with TOXIC ABSORBER packet DAY FOUR 8am-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 11am-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 12pm-one grilled chicken kabob with pepper and onion, 1/2 cup green salad with tomatoes and no dressing mixed with 1/4 cup tabbouleh (bulgar, parsley, tomatoes,onions and olive oil) 1pm-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 4pm-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 5pm-one plum 7pm-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 830pm-arugula, spinach, tomato, cucumber, blueberries, and broccoli and lemon juice, olive oil and rice vinegar, 4 oz. grilled halibut with lemon pepper, 1/2 sweet potato 1030pm-DIGESTIVE STIMULATOR pills DAY FIVE 730am-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8 oz. Organic apple juice 1030am-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 1230pm-spinach, quinoa with broccoli, garlic and red peppers cooked in coconut oil, 3 oz. chicken marinated in Braggs liquid amino acids 130pm-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 430pm-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 730pm-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8 oz. Organic apple juice 830pm-4 oz. chicken, 2 tbsp.homemade hummus, 2 tbsp.homemade baba ghanouj, 1 cup salad with greens, tomatoes, cucumber, artichoke hearts and avocado, 4 dried prunes(from a meat ball dish), 4 pieces of cooked and marinated zucchini, 1 cup of grapes and strawberries DAY SIX 7am-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 10am-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8 oz. Organic apple juice 1pm-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 230pm-sautéed veggie mix of swiss chard, kale, tomatoes, broccoli and garlic with olive oil, apple cider vinegar and Braggs liquid aminos plus one can of water-based tuna 4pm-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 5pm-1 plum 7pm-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 9pm-2 cups of watermelon, 1 cop vegetarian chili made with assorted vegetables and beans 1am-DIGESTIVE STIMULATOR pills DAY SEVEN 8am-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 11am-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 1230pm-stir fry broccoli, carrots, garlic and tomatoes in olive oil and Bragg's liquid amino acid with 4 oz. ahi tuna, tossed over arugula and spinach with lemon juice and more olive oil 2pm-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 5pm-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 8pm-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 930pm-stir fry broccoli  and carrots, 1/2 cup quinoa and 1/2 broiled chicken breast 11pm-DIGESTIVE STIMULATOR pills DAY EIGHT 7am-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 10am-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 12pm-4oz. wild Alaskan salmon with Dijon mustard and garlic on top served over a bed of sautéed swiss chard, kale, and tomatoes and 1/4 cup of quinoa, handful of blackberries and blueberries 1pm-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 4pm-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 6pm-4 oz. wild Alaskan salmon with Dijon mustard, salad with arugula, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, lemon juice and olive oil, 1/2 baked sweet potato 7pm-TOXIC ABSORBER with 8oz. Organic apple juice 10pm-DIGESTIVE STIMULATOR pills Just so you can see, the food was far from disgusting, maybe repetitive, but all whole and fresh. OF COURSE, I took pictures of some of my meals so you could see. The point of this cleanse is to CLEANSE and not eat too much. You want your body to focus on the cleanse and not on every day food digestion. I was still able to attend a Shabbat dinner and a party and keep within my food limitations. Food limitations go without saying- NO Dairy, fried foods, breads, refined sugars and flours, NO red meat and minimal animal protein in general and no brown rice. Also, NO artificial sweeteners and NO chewing gum, which bloats your stomach anyhow. I limited my fats to olive oil, and some hummus my girlfriend made at her Shabbat dinner. I suppose you could have avocados and the like, but I feel like nuts can be rough to digest so I just left them out of the equation for the 8 days.

EXERCISE

During a cleanse, it is best that you keep exercise to a minimum. I thought it would be very difficult for me, being the workout freak that I am. However, since I was eating a very minimal amount of clean food, it was beneficial to conserve energy for work or other daily activities. The first day of the cleanse, since I had not formally started taking the pills and had eaten breakfast and lunch, I went for an hour to workout at an interval training program I attend from time to time. I had no trouble with this workout, but other than that from day two onward, I took daily walks to run errands around my neighborhood. Other than that I did not do any strenuous exercise. The biggest workout I did during the heavy part of the cleanse was meeting a friend at my favorite workout getaway, the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook (aka: Culver City stairs) and doing one, yes only ONE set of stairs, so as to not exert too much of my precious energy.

There was a revelation for me in cutting back my workouts. I noticed I had much more energy in general, felt a lot less sore and was generally in a better mood than I normally am. Is this cleanse telling me that I need to stop exercising? Not necessarily, but cutting back a little might not hurt. It was kind of nice to be less hungry and I felt like I had less sugar cravings. That could be because I was getting enough sugar from the organic apple juice. I am not really sure, but I find as I get back into my normal routine, I am switching up my exercise habits. For any day I have a more strenuous routine, the next day’s workout is less strenuous. I also realize that missing a day of working out is not going to ruin my body. In fact, resting makes my body more productive for the next workout. Who would have thought? Certainly not me.

DAILY LIFE ON THE CLEANSE

As I mentioned before, this cleanse lasted 8 days. I was lucky enough that I started my cleanse on a Monday, and I had Friday off from work and the following Monday. So I had the first 3 days while I was at work, and those are the days you can have 3 meals, so I still had a lot of energy. However, the digestive stimulator pills begin to work from the very first time you take them, and being that they are leeching toxins out more readily in the very beginning, you will have to use the restroom up to 20 times a day, assuming you are drinking enough water. I am not joking. Lucky for me, I was sitting at a desk and could use the restroom whenever I wanted. The 4th day was a Thursday, and that was the first day I had to drink the toxic absorber 5 times a day. I brought the apple juice to work in a cooler and was fine. It was really not that big of a deal. I mixed the toxic absorber powder in the bathroom at work. Days 5-8 I was at home so it was much easier, but if I knew I had something I had to do, I brought the apple juice in a cooler, or in the mixer jar and brought the absorber powder in my purse. It’s like anything, if you want to make it work, you will.

BOWEL MOVEMENTS/ELIMINATION

I have gone back and forth debating on if I wanted to cover this topic as part of this article, but to be quite honest, I figure if I was reading this article wanting to know exactly what might come out of my body on this cleanse I would want to read this information. So I will keep this as vague as I can without leaving too much information out. One can assume since this is a cleanse you will experience bowel movements. If you are not used to having bowel movements, you are having problems. A healthy person should have 1-3 a day. I know many people who have 1-3 a week or less. This is NOT healthy, and all the more reason to do this cleanse. During this cleanse, a person may experience anywhere from 3 to 8 bowel movements a day. Yes, I am serious. And it will be a lot. The reason for this is not only is your body having bowel movements due to certain herbs in the pills and fibers in the powder, but your body is also eliminating that mucoid plaque we discussed earlier that is built up on the walls of your intestines from lifelong stress and emotional traumas. So you will see things in the toilet that will not always be what you expect. Is that vague enough for you? But, for the record, you WILL feel amazing once this is over. Remember, this information is coming from me, someone who is active with normal bowel movements. I cannot believe as a normal, healthy person what came out of me, I can only imagine for someone who is not active how beneficial this cleanse could be for them.

SPEAKING ABOUT PROTEIN

On a typical non-cleanse day, I will have a protein source with every meal, at least 20 grams, plus a serving of raw almonds or a greek yogurt, EVERY day. For example, say I have 20 grams in the morning-like 4 egg whites or mixing protein powder in oatmeal (yes, I do this!), a chicken breast at lunch, which is around 45 grams and a piece of salmon at dinner, which is somewhere around 23 grams. A serving of raw almonds is 9 grams, or greek yogurt is usually around 13-15 grams of protein. So that totals around 95-100 grams of protein a day. I weigh 135 pounds, so this calculation would mean I am actually running short on my protein intake. Not to mention that I am usually active when I am not cleansing, spending an hour on exercise 7 days a week. I believe my protein consumption is adequate. If you take my weight and go towards the lower end of the spectrum-.8 x my body weight, you are looking at about 112 grams of protein a day for adequacy. So I can still have this same amount of protein. On this cleanse I am eating much less, closer to 60 grams a day. According to the Centers for Disease Control, women age 19-70 only need about 46 grams a day. How is that possible? Even as a nutritionist, I cannot imagine eating that minimal amount of protein. I know that having a lean cut of chicken and a piece of fish, some nuts, yogurt and maybe eggs or protein powder mixed with my oatmeal at breakfast seems to be working for me. However, on this cleanse I have seen my stomach de-bloat a lot over the past few days. Is that from just eating too much? Or is it from protein? Even I am not positive of the answer.

FEELINGS AND REVELATIONS

How did I feel during this cleanse? Well, my friend told me I might experience a range of emotions. The first three days were difficult. Getting use to not working out and not eating as much left me a little tired, irritable and shaky, but after that I felt great. The apple juice keeps your sugars up, and I felt like the more my body eliminated, the better I felt each day. I was still social, and while it was difficult to be around food I could not have on certain days, I was able to stick to my plan and drink water or fruits and vegetables if they were available or I had packed them.

Also, I am not sure of everything these herbs do, I but I did notice as my system was becoming more clean, when I would cook whole, plain foods, everything tasted amazing. Things would taste incredible in their purest state. It made me appreciate real food more, without a bunch of sauces and dressings. Even a plain baked sweet potato tasted like heaven. Of course, I am back to adding some oils and salts, but I don’t feel like I need as much.

Another revelation I had was while cooking diabetic friendly pumpkin-walnut bread for my diabetes education class. I had to make a few loaves while I was on the cleanse. As I was kneading the dough getting ready to put it in the aluminum tins for baking, I was suddenly disgusted. I realized I was kneading a pile of goo, fake goo with non-fat yogurt and Splenda! And I am feeding it to these people who are so congested inside they won’t really even be able to digest it nor will they absorb the nutrients! I wish I could recommend the cleanse to my clients at work! I realize most of them cannot afford to do something like this, or they will say they cannot. I just suddenly feel annoyed I cannot do something more than make them splenda-fied bread and read information out of a book that many of them may never follow.

As the cleanse comes to an end, I feel completely clean inside. The bonus is I lost 6 pounds I had no intention of losing. I felt a little nervous...would I go back to my old habits of exercising excessively? Would I never eat chocolate or ice cream again? Would I become a vegan? Would I ever have a sugar craving again? Well, I can tell you right now the answer to all of this is, I will probably go back to most of what I was doing but perhaps be less EXCESSIVE, because now I am more AWARE. I think that is the point in all of this is to be aware of what we do to our bodies, what we put in them and how it makes us feel.