“No caffeine? No alcohol?!? How many days? I could never do that.” For the last 21 days this was basically all I heard from anyone I spoke to. I was participating in a cleanse program – 3 weeks of giving my body a break from all the junk I’ve thrown at it for 33 years and, instead, feeding it good, solid nutrition. Members of our gym were in awe. Employees at the Trader Joe’s snack counter were baffled. “You can’t have a corn chip?” they asked, puzzled. How could someone give up so many things for so many days?
Everyone knows someone who has done a cleanse-type program – take these shakes; just drink juice; all you need is lemon water/maple syrup/cayenne. The beginning of January brings with it a flood of friends with no nutrition background telling you what you should do to lose weight/release toxins/get in shape. Sure, they’re just trying to help, but most of them are also making money if you sign up for their program, which tends to be a motivator to make that sale. Americans spend billions of dollars every year on these programs, yet we’re fatter and sicker than ever before. Clearly we have the wrong focus. Could the secret to being healthy be – gasp! – just feeding your body good nutrition? And why is that so hard for everyone to grasp, but drinking shakes filled with artificial sweeteners or just eating cabbage soup for ten days seems to make sense?
For 21 days our group of 9 cut out all major allergens and added whole food-based supplements from an organic farm to their diet. They cut down on the number of toxins they were exposed to by filtering their drinking water, looking at the ingredients in their cleaning products, and ditching their chemical-laden cosmetics. The results were incredible. Sure, there were pounds and inches lost (in one case 20 pounds were lost in the 21 days), but that wasn’t the most profound change. Through this program each person ditched their headaches, sleeplessness and fatigue. They weren’t bloated anymore. Their digestion improved. Their cravings were gone. Their thoughts were clear and they were more productive. And, the kicker – they learned something. They learned what was healthy and why – information they can use to keep themselves on track indefinitely – all without having to commit to a lifetime supply of shake mix.
If this 21 day experience taught me anything, it’s that people really underestimate themselves. All those people who said, “I could never do that”, are precisely the ones who need it most. Of course you could do it. Anyone can. Face your habits and food addictions and give your body a chance to work properly for a change. On day 21, you’ll be glad you did.
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