Detoxing

After a month of traveling (during which I totally strayed from my diet), I felt the need to get back to healthy eating.  I just feel better when I stick to my diet.  Detoxing can give you a kick-start in the right direction and rid your system of all the bad things you've ingested.  They say that if the digestive system is polluted, then it will pollute your bloodstream, and indirectly, your whole body.  Cleansing your digestive system if one of the best things you can do for your health.

     To this end, I have found the book The Gut Flush Plan by Ann Louis Gittleman very helpful.  (It's not quite what it sounds like.  This is the same author as The Fat Flush Plan.)  This book suggests many of the same things I'm already doing.  (giving up wheat and dairy, taking fish oil and probiotics, etc.)  It kind of validated everything in my mind.  She outlines a 3-week cleansing diet, which I have been following.  (more or less)  I'm in week two, but I did cheat and have cheese fries with a friend one day.  :-(  Oh well....more to cleanse, right?
Week 1 = fortifying - before the detox part, it helps your body if you fortify first.  This will make it less jarring to your system.  Dr. Gittleman suggests eating probiotic foods, healthy oils, drinking teas like honeybush and dandelion root, etc.
Week 2 = flush - clearing out all the bad things in your gut.
Week 3 = feed - feeding the good bacteria in your gut and starving all the bad bacteria will ensure good health in the future. 

If you suffer from the following, this book can help you:  bloating, gas, irregularity, recurring diarrhea, IBS, food allergies, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, depression, Hypoglycemia, constant headaches

I especially liked chapter 14 - "Gut Flush at Home" because she tells you how to cleanse your home so that it can support your health.  She tells you how to get rid of mold, bacteria, parasites, and other dangerous things that could be lurking in your home.  Good to know!