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how-to's

How to Detox (the Whole Body) — in 30 days

by Stephanie Jeong

How to Detox (the Whole Body) | Wake the Wolves

Last Fall, I completed a 30-day detox. And boy was it frickin eye-opening, enlightening, and a true experience that has taught me so much about myself. Before you ask me “how to detox,” let me define what a detox is AND what mine was all about.

What is a detox?

Simply put, detox (short for detoxification) is the process of neutralizing or eliminating toxins from the body. It DOES NOT MEAN juice cleanse, or starvation diet, or drinking lemon water with cayenne pepper (like we tend to think of). A detox is where YOU choose to go through a process to rid your body of TOXINS that are harmful to your bodily functions. When you think of a detox this way, you can really open up your mind to understand TOXINS in a whole, new light.

WHY?

Why did I go on a detox?

I made a choice (recommended by my doctor – Dr. Thalia) to get my shit together. Here’s what it was all about:

I work lots and carry stress in my belly. While some people get tight shoulders, I get a blown-up “air baby” bloated stomach, that doesn’t feel so awesome. It impacts how I feel, my energy, productivity, and bottom line, EVERYTHING else. So, Dr. Thalia ran some blood work and stool samples on me (ew I know, but it was really insightful). Then she suggested a very clear elimination diet (similar to the foods you can eat during our upcoming food challenge — launching in 2016). (BTW – if you are NOT on our email list, be sure to sign up here, so you can get the upcoming details). The goal for my detox was to remove foods that may possibly be irritating my digestive tract and slowly add certain foods back in to see how my body reacts.

Setting boundaries

What did my detox consist of?


Essentially, these were the food requirements:

No Thank You Yes Please
no dairy yes to loads of veggies
no sugar yes to leafy greens
no starchy veggies/wheat/grain yes to fresh lemon juice
no mushrooms yes to organic meat/poultry
no alcohol yes to wild salmon
no caffeine yes to EVOO and coconut oil
no chocolate yes to wild/brown rice
no fruit (dried or fresh) yes to herbal tea
no eggs yes to pumpkin and sunflower seeds
no almonds yes to flax and chia seeds
no processed meat  yes to seaweed
no tofu yes to raw sauerkraut + kombucha

How to Detox "No Foods" | Wake the Wolves
How to Detox "Yes Foods" | Wake the Wolves

But wait, there’s more to this detox

When I got home, I thought about stress and how there’s so much more that would actually make this DETOX worthwhile – and address the root of some things that impact my stress response. In 30 days, could I address the toxicity of things that drain my:

  1. TIME (to improve my productivity and effectiveness);
  2. SLEEP (to improve my energy and hormones); and
  3. ENVIRONMENT (to improve the space and people that surround me)?

Absolutely. So in addition to the food stuff, I chose to look at the WHOLE ME and see where else I can remove TOXINS from my world. Here’s what I did:

  • limited social media time (and kept it under 5 min a day, if any at all)
  • said yes to early morning risings and early sleep times
  • spoke UP instead of holding back
  • asked hard questions (no matter the outcome)
  • said NO to projects that don’t align with my goals
  • integrated some form of meditation daily
  • said no to email checking in bed
  • wrote weekly success lists
  • created time to further define my purpose in career and life
  • said yes to doing spontaneous fun things
  • practiced 10-minute house clean up sessions throughout the week
  • went on longer walks
  • committed to a stronger yoga practice
  • wrote in bullets (vs paragraphs 🙂 ) to save time

How to Detox "Infographic" | Wake the Wolves

 

My experience

So, what was my experience like?
Here are 20 thoughts I had during the detox:

  • This is not going to be that bad.
  • Crap. I want chocolate.
  • I want an apple.
  • I really want an apple.
  • Don’t eat an apple. It’s for the best.
  • We’re all really blessed to eat apples whenever we want.
  • Shit. It’s a shame. We go and buy whatever we want from the stores (thinking we need it) and there are people that don’t have that luxury to just “get up” and buy whatever food they want.
  • People are hungry in this world.
  • You are not that hungry. Nor am I.
  • Don’t you open Facebook right now. It’s a time suck.
  • My stomach is really feeling so much better.
  • Go to bed now, so that  you can wake up early. SHUT DOWN NOW. Really!
  • I could eat this over and over, it’s sooo good (sautéed kale, squeeze of lemon, olive oil, sprinkle of ground pumpkin seeds, kraut, sprouts, avocado, and wild rice).
  • Let’s try brushing your teeth when you want an apple.
  • God, I really sleep so much better on nights that I workout. Why do I keep putting work before this?
  • Can I just have a bite of that cookie? Will that be ok? Probably not. I’m doing it anyway.
  • I really love this book I’m reading. It’s all about purpose.
  • I don’t need to eat as much as I think I do.
  • I’m stressed and need something to eat, even though I’m not hungry. Hmmm. A sign.
  • I think I’m so much stronger in yoga now.

Recapping full details of an intense 30-day detox in one blog post is not going to happen, however you should be able to get the gist that it’s an adventure, with waves of confronting thoughts to leave you empowered to make NEW choices. My one and only goal was to make an ACTIVE effort to clear my body of toxins (food and non-food related) in order to improve my quality of life and my output. As you can see, it opened many doors of opportunity and I can honestly say that I feel so much more in-tune with my body. In fact, I can see how repeating this at different times of the year can become immensely helpful.

the outcomes

What were the outcomes of my detox?

To sum it up, I’ll share a few outcomes that really capture the growth that I’ve experienced over the past 30 days. For some of you, it may mean nothing. For others, I’m sure you’ll be celebrating right along with me.

Here are 5 outcomes related to FOOD that I’m quite proud of:

  1. My stomach is not as annoyingly bloated after meals. (Not completely better yet, but getting there)
  2. I haven’t bought a bar of dark chocolate for 30 days, which was my “stress-food” of choice (and thus saved at least $15 dollars 🙂 ).
  3. My energy is so much more consistent.
  4. I thoroughly enjoy breakfast without eggs.
  5. I don’t have sugar cravings like I used to (odd but true). I just don’t need it.

Here are 5 outcomes related to my WHOLE BODY that I’m quite proud of:

  1. I’ve saved HOURS removing social media checking during the day (3-5 minute increments do add up).
  2. I started and completed a whole book! (huge for me)
  3. I’m clearer about my FOCUS goals (weekly, monthly and beyond)
  4. I’ve chosen to surround myself with pretty amazing people and as a result have some exciting things in motion (no room for negative energy there)
  5. I feel the benefits of meditation (and miss it when I don’t)

 

your turn

How YOU can detox (the whole body)

So, are you ready for a detox? Remember, it just means YOU making a CHOICE to eliminate toxins to improve how your body functions (mind, body, and/or spirit). Here are some tips to get started:

  1. Identify the toxins. Start by asking ask yourself, “what toxic things (food, habits, drugs, or even people) do you need to remove from your day-to-day, such that by removing them, your life will feel so much cleaner?”

  2. If you want to focus on toxins related to food, start by eating real. Food is healing. Our upcoming detox food challenge (get on our newsletter list here) will help you understand this in GREAT detail, inclusive of an elimination cleanse week (very similar to the foods I eliminated). You can easily repeat this for as long as you’d like.

  3. Write down (in list form) what you want to remove. Is it dairy, sugar, wine, Facebook time, negative self criticism, candy, soda? Success starts with clarity – so write it down.

  4. Get prepared. Whatever you need to do to successfully remove these toxins, be sure to prepare for that. It starts by throwing things out in the cupboard, stocking up on foods you can eat, telling your family/friends (especially those that live with you) so they can be supportive. The beginning of our upcoming detox food challenge (launching in 2015) will give you a very clear list to help you with this.

  5. Pick a date. And just start (because you are worth it). If you have a “blooper” day, don’t stress it. Just keep plugging along.

 

And lastly, I’ll leave you with a secret. Two of my favorite morning pick-me-ups are a cleansing green smoothie (in our currently FREE book) and a cozy mug of hot water with lemon:

Ingredients

1 ½ cups boiled water
Juice from ½ lemon
A mug that brings you joy

Steps
  1. Wake up and drink this before the house awakes, in peace and quiet.
  2. Be ready for an amazing day. The world needs you!


Kale. All Day. Err Day.

If you like this post, checkout more nutritious and healthy living tips in our latest interactive book, Kale. All Day. Err Day. It’s enhanced and interactive for a super fun, learning experience. It’s filled with a great story all about kale, how-to videos, and recipes for the busy and the hungry. Did we mention, it’s FREE…for a limited time. Hurry – check it out here. (New book coming late 2016…)

 

Kale. All Day. Err Day. | Wake the Wolves

 

Tags: blog, cleanse, detox, kale, recipes, tea, whole health essentials

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steph

Stephanie Jeong

Oooh Brighten Someone's Day

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Comments

  1. Peter says

    June 22, 2014 at 2:11 am

    This is awesome Stephanie. (I found your blog randomly online btw)
    I personally fast once a week for 24 hours.

    Here’s my feedback:

    Here are 5 outcomes related to FOOD that I’m quite proud of:
    My stomach is not as annoyingly bloated after meals. – PH – Do you add inorganic salt to your meals?

    I haven’t bought a bar of dark chocolate for 30 days, which was my “stress-food” of choice (and thus saved at least $15 dollars 🙂 ). – PH – Awesome! Chocolate is a pleasure food but the caffeine can be a little strong for some people.

    My energy is so much more consistent. – PH – A diet on whole raw food does that yes.

    I thoroughly enjoy breakfast without eggs. – PH – Do you need breakfast? I feel I have most of my energy in the beginning of the day so I only eat lunch and dinner.

    I don’t have sugar cravings like I used to (odd but true). I just don’t need it. – PH – Raw food ftw.

    Reply
    • Stephanie Jeongstephanie says

      June 25, 2014 at 5:45 pm

      Love this Peter! Thanks for sharing. It’s crazy when we actually take the time out to PAY ATTENTION to what we eat and when we eat, magic happens. Thanks for sharing your journey with us!!! Your notes on breakfast AND sugar cravings are spot-on. Keep on keepin on!

      Reply
  2. Runnu Sinha says

    July 30, 2014 at 1:22 pm

    Hello Stephanie,
    I really liked your detox plan but I have a question, why do you say no to fruits? Please respond. Thanks for the answer in advance 🙂

    Reply
    • Stephanie Jeongstephanie says

      August 13, 2014 at 5:55 pm

      Hi Runnu — For me personally, I was eliminating fruit for 30 days (doctor’s orders), but it’s NOT necessary for everyone. I particularly needed to consume as little sugar as possible to get my gut bacteria back in order, and then slowly introduce it again. The reason being, is that certain yeasts and organisms (that were making my belly bloat) feed and grow off of sugars. One way to reduce the growth, is to “starve” the bacteria from a key nutrient that it uses to grow — SUGAR! I love fruit and missed it dearly (as I’m sure you read), but it was TEMPORARY. It opened up my mind to so much and definitely filled me up with gratitude about the small stuff in life that we often take for granted — like going to the grocery store and buying whatever we want, when others have so little. A true, humbling experience.

      Reply
  3. Elizabeth says

    August 4, 2014 at 3:49 am

    How insightful and interesting! Thank you for sharing your journey with us. I have been very interested in doing a detox as well, but I don’t know where to start. It’s also a bit hard when your family that doesn’t feel the same way and buying for two separate meal plans simply isn’t in our budget.
    Regardless, I appreciate and applaud your effort! Can’t imagine how difficult it must’ve been. I am glad to see your efforts paid off.
    Are the recipes on your blog of meals you ate during your detox?

    Reply
    • Stephanie Jeongstephanie says

      August 13, 2014 at 5:50 pm

      Thanks for the push and support Elizabeth. That 30-day detox period REALLY opened my eyes to a lot. I learned A TON in the few short days. I ate simple, meaning, I didn’t cook every day and ate a lot of leftovers. I went for the “easy bowls” and many of the recipes I ate are on the site (lots of leafy greens) and some were in our eBook. My advice is that when you go on any kind of “cleanse” (mind+body+spirit), try to keep it simple. I try to do a “reset” like this a few times a year…when my body craves it!

      Reply
  4. Julie Bakerville says

    August 26, 2014 at 6:42 pm

    Hi
    Found you randomly while searching for making a “healthier version” of
    Fleur de Sel caramel recipe. And there you are!
    As for detoxing I like to eat light on fruits/a.m. Veggies and salads Arugala and other field Spring mixes. Plus home grown herbs like Oregano, Thyme and Tarragon… Eat Salmon and Tombo tuna when I need protein or happy farm/cage free no hormones Chix. No white flour products and really watch the Gluten overall. Coffee yes, wine yes but moderation… I take a full B-100 complex and vit. E with Selenium by Solaray and various other food based Nutriceuticals/supplements
    Drink more water than normal which is a lot…
    I take a Super-food based Magnesium Calcium mineral supplement by Rainbow Light in the evening around 8:30pm drink my Tea of “Sleepy Time Extra” by Celestial Seasonings (double bag it ) and a Kava tea sometimes. Whatever I happen to have on hand that is calming sleep inducing. Also add Peppermint tea by Celestial Seasonings as this is good for digestion and overall intestinal health.
    Do not have puffy stomach but know what it is as I was diagnosed years ago with IBS which I have not suffered from in years because of the way I eat and manage my life “habits”.

    Proper elimination in the a.m. is most important and the reason so many Americans suffer from all kinds of aliments. Not to mention our stress levels are through the ceiling!…
    Thanks for your blog. Will you be putting E-book into print as I am a reader of print pref.
    Julie B
    Anyways

    Reply
    • Stephanie Jeongstephanie says

      September 2, 2014 at 5:59 pm

      Hi Julie,

      Thanks so much for sharing your experience, tips, and suggestions! Right on with the STRESS – and couldn’t agree more that the a.m. elimination is VIP! We don’t have any plans to put our eBook in print right now, but we love print books too!

      thks again!
      steph

      Reply
  5. Judy Sharnik says

    September 9, 2014 at 8:16 pm

    Hello, everyone.
    I was just diagnosed with microscopic colitis. It’s not the same as any of the other forms of colitis and is rare. There seems to be a difference in each person as to what to eat but basically includes gluten free, dairy free, fiber free, sometimes egg free food. Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, legume families are supposedly out, any vegetables when not made small or puréed is out, thus eliminating much on your healthy diet program. Even things with caffeine are supposed to be out but I still drink my favorite iced tea with lemon, no sugar added. I am just starting gluten free and am looking for ideas. I love dips. Does hummus work?
    I, too just stumbled on this but noticed foods that don’t work for me. Skipping cabbage might improve things for you since it does cause gas as do beans!
    Judy

    Reply
    • Stephanie Jeongstephanie says

      September 24, 2014 at 5:37 pm

      Thanks for all of your energy Judy! Great tips and questions. As for hummus, it’s made from garbanzo beans (aka – chickpeas), so if you can’t have legumes, that wouldn’t be a great option. You can however probably make pestos (leafy green veggie based). Obviously you’d nix the parm. cheese, but olive oil, sea salt, and toasted walnuts would work with kale, basil, and lemon, right? Keep searching for dips that are veggie based (non cruciferous veggies of course). Oh and thanks for the cabbage tip. It def is a bloater 🙁

      Enjoy the yummy journey!
      -steph

      Reply
  6. chanelle says

    September 22, 2014 at 11:13 pm

    These are great ideas for detox. I love that you incorporate a whole life detox instead of just focusing on food. I also had an air baby for a long time. I finally got rid of it with some lifestyle changes- things like yoga and a cup of herbal tea every single morning… little things that have really helped.

    Reply
    • Stephanie Jeongstephanie says

      September 24, 2014 at 5:24 pm

      Thanks so much for the sweet note. Don’t you love those “air babies.” Grrr. Thanks for all of your tips and I couldn’t agree more that the LIFESTYLE changes make a huge impact on our belly health.

      Reply
  7. Julie says

    September 24, 2014 at 10:21 am

    I found this at 2:30 a.m. after 5 hours of restless sleep due to taking myself off of 2 drugs that had nasty side effects. The “withdrawal” symptom that woke me up is terrible itching. So I am off to my doc this morning to 1) get help with the itch. Probably Prednisone for just a few weeks or until the 2) detox I hope he will help me with. Interestingly, the detox diet you outline above is very much like a ketogenic diet,except for the added rice, which my doc put me on last year. He said to stay on it permanently, but I couldn’t do it. I believe that healing is one thing; doing that same thing life-long is depriving my life and body of God-given food designed to fill and delight–after I have found the foods I can’t handle.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Stephanie Jeongstephanie says

      September 24, 2014 at 5:31 pm

      Hi Julie — I can relate to the late night searches for answers! Ya, know one of the things I’ve learned to accept, is that this whole “healthy lifestyle” is a daily journey with LOTS of learning lessons along the way. If I don’t put in the effort, I don’t see results (inside and out). I think your right about deprivation long term. It can take a toll on us in more ways than one. What helps for me, is focusing on what I can have; enjoying the treats along the way (and understanding that I might feel not-so-awesome right after); or experimenting in the kitchen to make alternatives that are both satisfying and “easy” on my insides. Definitely work with your doc. Keep inspiring folks with your story/journey (as you do me), and take big, deep breaths when it all feels so overwhelming. As I say to some of my boot camp students, “YOU GOT THIS.”

      Reply
  8. Nita Sharda says

    September 29, 2014 at 3:08 am

    Okay, two things:
    1. I love the little mental math I have to do before I officially post a comment. Keeps me ON POINT!
    2. If the air baby belly decides to reappear, try a low FODMAP diet! It’s similar to the elimination diet you mention but perhaps a bit more complex, a bit of a learning curve but also scientifically based!

    Happy day,
    Nita!

    Reply
  9. Knudsen says

    January 7, 2015 at 8:33 am

    I thought this would be interesting blog to read, but alas, the D-word. *sigh*
    http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/dec/05/detox-myth-health-diet-science-ignorance

    Reply
    • Wake the Wolves says

      January 13, 2015 at 12:05 am

      Hi Knudsen — thanks for the thoughts and perspectives. We’re no fan of crazy, starving detoxes, but we do stand behind the idea that the majority of our wonderful readers: 1) lead extremely busy, stressful, multi-tasking lives; 2) work hard for their families and love them immensely; 3) eat foods that are NOT real (aka – highly processed) and sometimes serve them to their families; 4) are moving so quick in their day, that being mindful about what they put in their mouths is tough/challenging; and 5) are WONDERFUL folks striving to lead healthy lives and not quite sure what foods can and will support them.

      This 30-day detox/cleanse, was pretty much a “reset” button that was prescribed to me by my doctor. Not to starve me. Not to make me skinny. Not to deprive me of nutrients. Instead, it was designed to: 1) allow my digestive system to rest from the taxing stress and foods that were causing pain + bloat; 2) “bring me back down to planet earth” when it came to moving at a pace were I understood what “full” felt like; 3) reduce sugars in my daily diet to avoid bacteria organisms from growing; and 4) use real, specific foods to cleanse my insides. No powders. No supplements. No crazy, $100 ingredients.

      I can’t testify enough how HELPFUL it was for me to go through the process, how much better I felt, and how REAL it was to re-connect with what the heck I was putting in my body.

      I’ve studied and am a certified Holistic Nutrition Consultant, have worked in the health/wellness industry since 2008, and am EXTREMELY picky about personal trainers, wellness professionals, and doctors. I hate starvation concepts. I think folks that go on juice fasts need to understand that weight-loss is an outcome of a drastic change in their diet, along with a caloric deficit, only to rebound days later (because most people can’t operate off of juices forever).

      This was a lifestyle wake-up.

      Your article that you shared was insightful. Many elements I agree with. Some, I don’t. SUPER HELPFUL and WE LOVE the dialogue that happens when folks disagree with points made here on the blog (in a respectful way of course).

      One thing that has helped me in my journey as a nutrition/cook expert “me” is to take ACTION in my own health. And most of the time, that requires me to stop the research, hundreds of pages of reading, hours of analysis, and instead — just do, try, fail, succeed, learn, then share.

      you are great!

      with ♥ + soul,

      Steph

      Reply
  10. GB says

    April 30, 2015 at 11:21 am

    Hello-hello,

    I’m reposting because I don’t think I posted right.

    I was looking for a “nutritional reset” and stumbled across you “detox” regimen on your website, which is great by the way, have shared it with many friends. I started this 3 days ago and am already dreaming about gummy bears.

    First question, why no mushrooms? I have heard a lot of great things about mushrooms lately, especially the Maitake mushroom which boosts the immune system and has been know to reverse tumor growth, why is it a no no on this list?

    Second question, why no eggs. I have read conflicting information all over the internet regarding this and was wondering your reasoning for cutting it out completely.

    Thanks for your time,

    Greg

    Reply
    • Wake the Wolves says

      April 30, 2015 at 11:37 am

      Hi Greg!

      Thanks for the fab questions and for digging into the website! We definitely understand “nutritional resetting” because LIFE just gets so darn busy and crazy sometimes.

      See below for some responses to your questions, but first…let me explain the post a bit.

      This “removal” list was a temporary elimination to reduce inflammation and yeast in the stomach, which may have been causing the bloating. The goal was to remove sugars and anything with fungal growth to let everything calm down.

      Mushrooms are GREAT for you and there are so many healing properties that mushrooms have (like Maitake). Plenty of anti-cancer properties for sure.

      Eggs are also a great, healthy, complete protein and full of great fat foods.

      For this TEMPORARY reset, the request from Dr. Thalia was to remove things that may be potentially causing issues:

      1) sugar (fruit, starchy carbohydrate vegetables, processed sugar, beverages, alcohol, etc.)

      2) eggs (because a blood test was taken and was showing some negative reaction to eggs. I was eating them a lot and needed to slow it down and remove them to test a few things).

      3) mushrooms were on there (as well as some nuts) because they often have fungal/mold growth that could have been upsetting my stomach

      All in all, a great nutritional reset would be to rest the liver and digestive system with foods that are NON inflammatory for a period of time and slowly introduce them to see how your body responds:

      – sugar
      – alcohol
      – dairy
      – eggs
      – excessive salt
      – processed foods (pasta, breads, etc.)
      – meat (is optional to remove, but if you can, shoot for higher quality meats WITH vegetables and fruit as the majority of foods on your plate. You can try eliminating meat for 2-3 days and assess whether you’d like to add it back or keep with a full elimination for 7-days)

      Keep experimenting, have fun, and you are doing AWESOME in connecting with other folks. We are working on building a phenomenal program in collaboration with Dr. Thalia late this year…to help with exactly this (and of course, make it VISUALLY fun, appealing, and easy to grasp).

      Don’t hesitate to reach back out and let us know how it goes.

      one love,
      Steph

      Reply
  11. Wake the Wolves says

    May 7, 2015 at 2:01 pm

    Hi Greg! Sorry for the delayed response. Must have missed this one! Limes are definitely a GREAT alternative to lemons if you prefer that flavor more. They aren’t exactly equal in Vitamins (A or C), but they are close. Most importantly, they are both ALKALIZING to the body. Great to add to room temp water to get you moving. I think this is a REALLY GOOD questions (not a silly one at all). You inspired us to write a post on this. More soon!!!

    Reply
  12. Wake the Wolves says

    May 7, 2015 at 2:08 pm

    Hola! Great comment…super real…and we totally understand the cravings (and food dreams :). Question for ya: what exactly about gummy bears are you craving? Texture (chewy, gummy) or flavor (sweet, tangy)? A suggestion would be to write it down, then remind yourself that this TEMPORARY reset, is to really allow your body to rest from foods that may be causing havoc. Drink a fat glass of water. What worked for me, is reminding myself that this is a very short period of time of my life, and that my cravings for “x” (like gummy bears) only exist because I started eating them, but wasn’t born thinking or feeling like “I MUST HAVE GUMMMY BEARS TO SURVIVE.” In other words, recognize that you are having a craving, ask yourself what is it that makes you crave that food, drink a fat glass of water, maybe walk around the block to change scenes for a sec, if you are hungry – then eat from the YES list, and move on to the next task of the day. Later on, when you start introducing foods back in, I have THE PERFECT solution for gummy bears. Simply store, unsweetened dried fruit in the refrigerator (like goji berries, raisins, mango, etc.). When you are having a craving for chewy candies, just a small handful of these should do the trick. Fruit is still sugar, but at least you’d be swapping gummy bears (full of 10+ ingredients) for 1 single fruit. ENJOY! (and thank you, thank you for sharing your thoughts with us;)

    Reply
  13. Wake the Wolves says

    October 22, 2015 at 11:09 am

    Hi Morgan,

    Thanks so much for your note. You are going to be on an amazing journey and we can only say POSITIVE things about this whole thing. EXCITING when we put ourselves at the top of the list, right? When do you begin?

    YES! I have some great tea recommendations. I LOVE the Traditional Medicinals brand because of their HERBAL selection. It’s organic, affordable, and has all the key teas that we find to be helpful for our health goals:

    1) Ginger (for stomach)
    2) Peppermint (for calm/relaxing)
    3) Nettles (for circulation)
    4) Dandelion (for cleansing and clearing)

    We do a lot of “health food” shopping online because we find the costs most affordable. Thrive Market has to be one of the BEST, new “life savers” we’ve stumbled upon over the last year or so. They have a great selection of almost all of our teas, superfoods, and nuts, and it gets delivered (so helpful on crazy days).

    Here’s all of our favorite teas: http://go.thrv.me/SHq3

    As for salad dressings, you want to remove sugars as best as possible (and balsamic usually is higher in sugar than other vinegars). You can use a squeeze of lemon or raw apple cider vinegar (also found at Thrive Market — woohoo). Here’s our favorite brand: http://go.thrv.me/SHq7

    It will take some getting used to because balsamic vinegar is so sweet and delicious, but for 30 days, you can totally swap it out for something less sweet.

    As for recipes, have you checked out our KALE book (kaleallday.com). It’s free for a bit longer and it has one of our favorite “green” recipes in there using raw apple cider vinegar.

    ENJOY and please stay in touch. Let us know how it goes.

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      October 25, 2015 at 7:31 am

      Thanks for such a prompt and thorough response! I will be starting November 1st! I will check out Thrive Market – thanks for that tip (and for the tea recommendations).
      I did check out your book and found some great recipes. Many of them seem to use stuff that should be reintroduced after the cleanse but I definitely found some good ones that seem like they should work for the detox.
      What are your thoughts on these items during the detox: garlic, beans (things like black beans or chickpeas), and sesame seeds? Did you eat all of your veggies raw or did you ever lightly saute for a simple stir fry? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Wake the Wolves says

        November 9, 2015 at 8:22 pm

        Hi again Morgan!

        We missed this. As for your ‘detox’ to remove things that may be upsetting your body for a short ‘test’ period, we usually start by asking what your goals are?

        Sometimes folks want to eliminate foods temporarily to test whether or not it’s making their stomachs upset, or to see if rashes or other irritations go down.

        For me, beans during this doctor lead cleanse, was on the “NO” list — primarily because it causes gas AND it has sugar. Because my stomach was irritated, we needed to eliminate beans for a short period and introduce later. Now, I notice that I digest beans best when I soak them overnight before cooking them. I also discovered that I need to max my bean intake at about 1/2 cup in a day, otherwise it really does bring on unwanted bloating.

        For the veggies, I definitely ate some RAW and COOKED. I craved cooked veggies most in the morning and evening, and raw veggies in the afternoon. A quick stir fry did the trick in the mornings/evening to bring in something warm and comforting.

        Apologies for the late response! How was/is your elimination test going?

        Reply
  14. Wake the Wolves says

    November 9, 2015 at 8:31 pm

    I missed your question on Garlic and Sesame Seeds. I’d go back to the question of “what are you goals?” Do you have a feeling that these things may be upsetting you because you eat them often and notice something odd or uncomfortable?

    On the general scope, Garlic and Sesame Seeds aren’t on the top allergy-reacting list to avoid, HOWEVER if you notice something upsetting, there is no harm in removing it and reintroducing it to see if you react.

    Reply
  15. Wake the Wolves says

    November 9, 2015 at 8:43 pm

    Hi Catherine,

    Such a thoughtful and great response! “Detox” is definitely one of those touchy words with ‘varied’ definitions. For us, we hoped we cleared it up by defining what it meant for this specific case — needing to eliminate things that may be causing upset reactions to the body.

    Apples and bread are definitely not ‘toxic’ matter, but in the case of this specific elimination test, we needed to remove the sugar from the diet to bring down inflammation in the body — just for a measured time. There were very clear signs that the body was agitated by specific foods and lifestyle habits and neutralizing the body was the best choice (and pretty harmless). No medicines needed! Just dedicated time and focus to enjoy other foods, while eliminating others. It’s a hard task, but totally doable!

    In the process of eliminating the “habitual foods” that are eaten on a daily basis, a TON of other emotions arose. Who knew that craving an apple would be so strong? And who knew that simplifying the diet (and lifestyle — sleep, social media time, etc.) would also yield so many GREAT reflections on how fortunate we are. NONE of the positive outcomes were the goal, nor were they to be expected. It was really all about healing the lining of the stomach to soothe bloating and inflammation. The end result — amazing! Mind. Body. and Soul. Oh and apples and bread are eaten now that the agitation is down.

    Hope that helps and THANK YOU always for such great insight. We know that folks don’t always agree, and that’s ok. Opinions are a FABULOUS thing!

    Reply
  16. Davelllogan says

    January 10, 2016 at 11:41 am

    I am going to give this cleanse a try for 30 days and see what changes take place thanks.

    Reply
    • Wake the Wolves says

      February 3, 2016 at 12:25 pm

      Hi Davelllogan! How is the simple, clean eating menu going? We’ve received a ton of requests to create a substantial, visual, FUN guide to help with this in the future. How do you feel?

      Reply
  17. Wake the Wolves says

    April 21, 2016 at 11:44 am

    Get it fabulous couple!!!! Let us know how it goes!!!!

    Reply

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