Detox Time With Lucky You Cleanse
Let's draw a scenario here quickly: you generally eat very healthy, exercise regularly and pride yourself on being nutritionally savvy. You've normally got your diet down to a T, but lately you've been feeling a bit sluggish. You've been indulging a bit more than usual, had more coffee than usual, and the weekend extravaganzas with wine and chips is taking it's toll as well.
In comes: a juice cleanse.
I've trialled the Eat Fit Food 3-day vegan reset plan... This Is What I Thought
Once September hits, it seems like time flies by and before you know it, it's already Christmas. Am I the only one that feels like the last couple of weeks have just gone by in no time? It's all a bit of a blurr to be honest. Fair enough, I've had my hands full with my full-time job, coaching, teaching rooftop yoga at The Old Clare (tickets for next week via Eventbrite), daily workouts, events and collaboration, but seriously, TIME IS FLYING. It's kinda scary.
Here's What Happened When I Quit Sugar
I have been dabbling with the thought of doing Sarah Wilson's I Quit Sugar Program for quite some time already, but never took the leap.
Why? Because I was worried I wouldn't be able to stick to it.
Why? Because even though I haven't been bulimic for many years now and consider myself recovered, my journey of recovery (read more about it here, here, here and here) has nevertheless been plagued by many binges and spurts of overeating (mainly on sugary stuff) where I felt completely out of control.
And although I really really badly wanted to kick my sugar addiction in the butt for good, I also knew that I would be setting myself up for failure if I did the program with the wrong mindset.
Wholesome Stef Goes To Wholefoods
Number 1 on my to-do list during my recent visit to London was a shopping spree at Whole Foods. While others might want to splurge at Harrods & Co., for me the endless aisles of fresh organic produce and funky new health brands are way more appealing. When I lived in London four years ago I was still in the midst of my eating disorder, so shopping for healthy food wasn't really one of my priorities. So, this time around I was beyond excited to visit the store with a new sense of appreciation and a health - conscious mind.
Every health foodie I know raves about how amazing Whole Foods is. Seriously, think about heaven and then think about Whole Foods; they're basically the same. From the moment you walk in, the colors, smells and jam packed fresh produce aisles automatically make you feel healthier just by being there. Unfortunately, it can also make you incredibly broke. The prices are definitely not what you are used to in normal grocery stores! I had to reeeeeally control myself to not run through the store like a super excited kiddo on christmas day leaving a path of destruction behind me throwing everything I can find into my cart
Do We Really Need To Detox?
I love detoxing. And I'm not just saying that because I work for a detox company. In fact, I was a detox fan way before I joined the Fit 'n' Tasty gang.
Undeniably, there are many great benefits from giving your body a digestive rest. Modern medicine has proven that it is only in rest that our body begins a deep detoxification process, a process which is beyond just the daily elimination of waste matter. You can cleanse your body in many different ways: fasting aka abstaining from food for a few hours or days, drinking juices, taking herbal formulation and colon cleaning through colonics. These methods all allow the body to use energy that would normally be used to digest food to be diverted to detoxifying poisons stored in many areas of the body.
I've done many things in the name of detoxing in the past: 1 day cleanses up to 10 day cleanses, liver cleanses, herbal supplements and yes, even colonics.
Given that I have a chemical engineer who works for Nestle as a father , I've had to defend my seemingly "useless", "unnecessary" and "ridiculous" detox ordeals in the past. Fair to say I have done my research to convince them that no, I am not crazy, and yes, this actually works. Here's what I've learnt:
Thai Cooking Class And A Note On Vegetable Oils
Every time after visiting Thailand we bring a bunch of herbs, spices and the good intention of finally starting to cook Thai, back home. Once unpacked and settled back in, all things get shoved into the far end of top cupboard and eventually get forgotten about. Including those good intentions. We have vowed to change this and to finally (4th time is a charm, right?) attend a Thai cooking class in the hope that this will inspire us to actually recreate our favourite Thai dishes at home.
After doing some research, we decided on May Kaidee, a vegetarian/vegan cooking school with centers in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. They offer a variety of cooking classes ranging from a standard Thai cooking class to raw food, fruit carving and tofu making classes. They even have an advanced chili paste course. We opted for the standard 4-hour course at a price of 1500 baht (around 38 Euro), where we got to learn a total of seven dishes: red and green chili paste, Pad Thai, green curry, massaman curry, fresh spring rolls, som tam, pumpkin hummus and mango with sticky rice.
A Word On Organic Vs. Non-Organic Produce
I know how confusing it can be to navigate the conflicting and ever – changing health philosophies that are out there. Fat makes you fat. No wait, fat is good for you. Fruits are healthy. No, fruit has too much sugar! Don’t eat carbs after 5 PM. 801010 all the way! The conflicting advice is never ending. What are we supposed to believe?
I am still on a journey of discovery and experimenting with different food philosophies. I have gone from vegetarian to trying to be fully vegan to attempting 801010 for a week. I believe in the long term healthy benefits of a high carb diet, but I wouldn't mind having a six pack, so shouldn't I eat high protein and low carb instead? I am not the one to give you answers to all your health and nutrition questions, that’s for sure.