How long does it take to Detox my body?

How long does it take to Detox my body?

This is a super fantastic question. And one that no one ever asks but it happens to be the most integral part of a persons health. grin emoticon

The simple answer is without doing anything extra to detox and just eating a clean diet it would take an equal amount of years of your poor eating habits to naturally allow you body to detox 100% of the bad eating effects on your body. So if you ate bad for 22 years your natural unassisted detox time of just clean eating is 22 years. 

However, (and this is the awesome part) it can be done faster. Im not going to tell you it will take only a month because that is completely unrealistic. Its gonna take time, it just doesn't have to take 22 years. Yes Im aware of the picture I posted saying 21 day detox challenge. There is a such thing. Let me explain...

Now, you can go medium speed (recommended) or full speed (this one is harsh but still worth it).

Medium speed is a constant rotation of the 21 day detox challenge schedule. The full speed is the same program on a much longer time frame like 6 months to a year and possibly more depending on the health circumstance for the individual. 

So what is the 21 day detox challenge? 

The reason its done in a full cycle of 21 days is that it takes at least 21 days to form a habit. After the 3 weeks are over the 4th week becomes a resting period which you must very gently introduce your body to the food you were eating prior. 

Understand this...Detoxing is NOT fun. Trust me I would know. It can even be extremely painful because your body is getting rid of serious toxins and kicking real addictions to food that have caused a serious chemical reaction and addiction in your body. This is not going to be easy but it is going to be worth it. At the end you'll come out of it renewed and refreshed and with a jumpstarted set of organs systems that are very happy and functioning at full capacity. This is ultimately what you want. 

What is the 21 day program?

Each week is the same for all 3 weeks. The first 2 days are raw vegan food. comprised of mostly greens and sprouts with raw soups and raw vegan crackers. The next 2 days are green juice days. Its just juice all day for both days. The remaining days of the week are just like the first two  days. On these non juice days you can add a raw vegan soup to the menu and seed cheese. You may have half of an avocado a day but bare in mind that you should refrain from any avocados or nuts during this period as the fats in these foods greatly slow the process of detox. On the program you must drink 32 oz of rejuvilac probiotic drink everyday and half your weight in ounces of water. 

Calculation for water intake is as follows...

Example: If you are 160lbs divide by 2 = 80lbs. So you must intake 80 ounces of water each day in addition to your 32 ounces of rejuvilac probiotic drink. The 32 ounces of probiotic is additional to your water intake and does not count towards your water intake. (yes you are going to A LOT!) This is the process of detox. 

Coffee enemas are also routinely done during this program and are absolutely necessary to detox. Without it toxins that are shedding from organ systems get stuck in your intestines and colon and cause major problems. 

For more specific information on meal plans for the 21 day detox and the coffee enemas contact me directly at AnitaMelerski@facebook.com

What is NOT allowed during the detox?

Anything that is not raw vegan, Oils (of any kind), salt, and pepper. These things slow down the process of detox badly and so should not be consumed at all during detox. 

Transitioning out of the 21 day program..

Coming out of the program you'll feel so fresh and light. Your skin will be glowing and you'll be all to excited to eat as you were before....DON'T! This detox is a hard reset for your body if you dive to hard into food right after you can make yourself very sick to your stomach, so don't do that. You need to ease into it. I recommend that for 3 days after you've ended the detox you do a 3 day refresh to smoothly transition you back into the more normal eating patterns. 

3 day Refresh?

The 3-Day Refresh is 3-day program of specially formulated shakes, healthy snacks, and delicious, easy-to-prepare meals that have been scientifically designed to help support your metabolism while nourishing your vital organs. This is a good transition back into normal eating patterns. Plus, you actually get to eat delicious, real food during this program. 

You can buy your refresh pack here: http://bitly.com/GreenWarriorChallenge
 

What does one eat and drink while Refreshing?

FILTERED WATER: In addition to the water you use in your shakes and teas, you will continue to drink
at least half your body weight in ounces of filtered water each day. 

BREAKFAST: A superfood-packed Shakeology shake, plus one fruit option

MORNING TEA: 1 cup of unsweetened herbal or green tea

LATE MORNING: Fiber Sweep, a digestive health drink

LUNCH: Vanilla Fresh shake, plus 1 option from the Fruit List, 1 option from the Vegetable List, and 1 option from the Healthy Fats list (list is in the booklet that comes in the packet)

AFTERNOON SNACK: 1 option from Vegetable List, and 1 option from the Healthy Fats list

AFTERNOON TEA: 1 cup of unsweetened herbal tea (caffeine-free)

DINNER: Vanilla Fresh shake, 1 option from the Dinner Recipes, and 1 cup of organic vegetable broth (optional)

EVENING TEA: 1 cup of unsweetened herbal tea (caffeine-free)  

 
 Woohoo! You finished!

Your transition is complete. You eat your normal Plant based diet as per the usual. 

As I stated in the beginning, a proper detox will be done alternately at least 6 times in a given year for at least 2 years. By this time you body will have completely reset itself....yep 100% reset. Ain't you glad it didn't take more than a decade?

Recipe of the Day: Vegan Pizza

Recipe of the Day: Vegan Pizza

Ingredients
Any store-bought vegan crust or you can make a homemade one from recipes below
Vegan Cheese shreds (I like Diaya brand best)
Tomato basil sauce
Vegan sausage or vegan pepperoni
Any other veggie toppings

I tend to love vegan sausage with jalapeños, pineapple and chopped basil on my pizza cause I'm cool like that. Hahaha. Pizza really isn't a hard thing to make, it's a pretty basic thing we've all made at some point and choosing a vegan option for toppings is a lot easier than it was just 10 years ago (trust me). So have fun with your toppings and enjoy every bite of this delicious childhood staple.


Dough (regular)  kitchennostalgia.com

2½ cup (550 ml, 550 g) non-dairy milk, lukewarm
2 tsp sugar
80 g fresh yeast (or 4 tsp active dry yeast or 4 tsp instant yeast)
6⅔ cup (1 kg) all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
3 tsp salt
½ tsp lemon juice
4 Tbsp + 1 tsp oil

If you’re using instant yeast, mix it directly to flour. For other types of yeast, in a small bowl combine lukewarm milk with sugar and yeast. Let stand until yeast activates, about 10 minutes. The yeast will become foamy and start expanding.
Put the yeast mixture together with remaining ingredients in a bowl of your food processor or mixer. Mix well until you get soft dough, similar to pizza dough. If the dough seems too dry (depending on the kind of flour you’re using), add a little bit more of milk or water. If it is too soft, add just a little bit of flour.
You can start using Vegan Crazy Dough immediately. Shape it any way you like, wait a little bit until it starts expanding (about 15-20 minutes in the warm kitchen), then pop in hot oven.

Dough (gluten free) petiteallergytreats.blogspot.com 

For those of you with a gluten allergy....

2 1/2 cup gluten free all purpose hybrid flour
1 3/4 cup water or milk of choice
1 packet or 2 1/2 tsp of dry active rapid rise yeast 
1 tsp sugar
2 T oil
1 tsp salt 
3 tsp guar or xanthan gum
3 tsp powdered pectin

Bake at 400 for about 8-10 minutes
Heat liquid to 110 degrees.  Add yeast and sugar.  Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes to start foaming.
In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients.  Mix thoroughly
Pour all wet ingredients. Mix by hand for 2 minutes (or use a stand mixer if you own one)
Dough will be sticky.  Grease hands lightly with oil.  Scoop out and knead with your hands another 5 minutes on parchment paper or cutting board sprinkled with GF all purpose flour.
Cover dough in the bowl and allow to rise about 25 minutes in a warm place.
Preheat oven for at least 15 minutes prior to baking with the baking sheet inside the oven (measure the parchment paper size before placing in oven)
Deflate dough.  Divide dough in half.  Grease parchment paper with oil.
Press dough into desired shape (shape doesn't matter) making sure to keep dough approximately 1/8 inch thick for a chewy dough like crust. Prick with a fork to help eliminate bubbles.
Carefully remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and slide under pizza dough and place back into oven.  (The hot pan really helps crisp and set the crust.)
Bake for at least 8 minutes on the sheet.  Move the crust directly on to the rack for the last 2 minutes if you want a crispy bottom.
Repeat with the remaing dough.
Top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake for an additional 6-8 minutes.

Supplements and Fibromyalgia

We've discussed before that I have some health opportunities that showed up in my life that brought me on this health and fitness kick. Well one of those opportunities is Fibromyalgia. For those who don't know what Fibromyalgia is this cute little disorder that causes mild discomfort......WRONG thats what you may find if you googled it or asked a doctor to explain to you what it is. Let me tell you what is actually is. If you have a good doctor like mine, he'll actually explain whats really happening to you if you have this disease. Some people call it a disorder. Its a disease just to clarify. It's one of the many autoimmune nasties that can creep up on a person who lets say also happens to have rheumatoid arthritis. Yep! That's me!

Because rheumatoid arthritis is also an autoimmune disease and an inflammatory disease they both amplify each other...fun.....I went through hell before finally understanding what was happening in my body. I also found that many people have these diseases and don't even know it until years later when the symptoms get bad enough to notice. And that was me. I hated going to doctors and I avoided them like a plague I also didn't respect my body enough to treat it well and when I thought I was treating well, man was I really misinformed about what that meant.

Back to the fibro. Fibromyalgia causes inflammation in the tissues (skin, joints) and causes a misfiring of the nerves causing over stimulation. So what this meant was if a tissue was rubbed across my arm, it actually felt like a thousand blades cutting into the skin on my arm. Fun right? Its not that the pain wasn't real though. Oh it was very real indeed. slightly too much rubbing of clothing on my skin would cause it to redden and even bruise or become a rash. Not to mention the nerve damage in my hands and neck and lower back this caused. That inflammation was something else and because of the arthritis tag teaming me on inflammation I was in a word, Screwed!

I had two choices; 1. Take these prescription pills at high doses and get terrible side affects that will have me taking several other meds for the rest of my life and I'd still have to end up permanently in a wheel chair. (uh no!) OR 2. Do the research and find a better answer.

You would not be reading this right now if I had chosen door number one. I took the red pill instead. ::wink:: (movie reference right there haha) I still don't know everything but I for sure know a heck of a lot more than I did and in fact (and this is the scary part) I know a heck of a lot more than most, even so called professionals. yikes. What does it takes to recover from something that was so debilitating at one point that I was going to be confined to a wheel chair? Well a lot. In fact I am still healing from it. But where I was once unable to sit up unassisted in my own bed I am now able to run and lift weights and ride bikes with my daughter again.

The first thing I found when researching is that any inflammatory and autoimmune diseases symptoms are enhanced by gluten. For some crazy reason the body's ability to break down the wheat protein gluten is stifled by these diseases and instead serious inflammation and heightened sensitivity is caused by the consumption of the wheat protein, gluten. So guess what I removed from my diet.

The other thing is these diseases are often triggered by a couple of things like a domino effect. The diseases were allowed to manifest and stay and even get worse because I was as most people affected by disease, severely mineral and vitamin deficient. Especially in key minerals necessary to proper digestion function. Go figure.

But there was another gate way opened for this to occur as well. People with these illnesses including psoriasis have the same initial cause of these inflammatory, autoimmune and digestive disorders, a lack of gut bacteria. (the good guys) Typically this can be caused by an over use of antibiotics or anything that would kill off good gut bacteria. In my case, over use of antibiotics. Why? I got infections quite often. why? because I was mineral and vitamin deficient so I got sick a lot and my immune system was always compromised.

So I removed the gluten and dairy and meat products so I could stop flare ups. I started juicing several times a day (no need for the extra fiber I'll explain) In order to get saturated in the minerals and vitamins I was deficient in. Make no mistake these changes don't cure everything over night and in fact Im still working on some things but holy moley I have come a heck of a long way because of it.

The reason I did not put in the extra fiber is this; people with digestive issues and immune diseases have a problem with their digestion as it is. Since over 70% of your immune system in located in your digestive system it's really unwise to make it work harder to break down food and bulk fiber. You'll only over tax your system again and hurt yourself. Also because of the illness, that means that mineral deficiency is a problem and you can't saturate with enough minerals if half of your nutrients in the juice are coming from bulk fiber. You need more minerals than that. If you're worried about being able to use the bathroom. Trust me you'll still go and you'll go plenty. Leave the fiber alone, you don't need it right now.

There are other things that can be done to reduce inflammation and reduce and control the symptoms of these diseases. I take epsom baths in warm water. I take high does of vitamin D3 8000 IU. People with these diseases have a lack of vitamin D in their bodies. I also take Vitamin K and eat plenty of avocados for magnesium because K and Magnesium help D get absorbed in your body. I take turmeric pills. Raw and freeze dried is best and selenium. I also drink my whole food shakes which have the probiotics I need to restore my gut bacteria and I take extra probiotic capsules because of my deficiency everyday. This affords me some breathing room when it comes to energy and pain levels.

Also, I've also found such a relief in strength training work outs that call for the use of weights. I started low and slow and thats what you need to do if you have these illnesses. Now that I've gained a lot more strength I can lift more and do longer workouts and do them several times over if I want throughout the day. When I work out I actually have less pain. If I have a rest day where I skip a workout I tend to have more pain those days and cannot sleep as good. So my body actually relies on my workouts for relief. I can control my "health opportunities" with exercise and nutrition. Well will ya look at that. Is was that easy all along? Yep!

Recipe of the Day: Quinoa Lentil Tacos

Recipe of the Day: Quinoa Lentil Tacos

Found this recipe online but modified it. The original version called for it to be slow cooked for 7-9 hours....Aint no body got time for that.

Serves 6

Ingredients
1/2 cup Lentils
1/2 cup Quinoa
Cilantro, Fresh
2 cloves Garlic, Fresh
Lettuce
2 1/2 cups Vegetable broth
1tsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos or Tarmari
Tomato
Avocado
Vegan Shredded cheez or Creamy Cashew cheese. (Cashew Cheese recipe)
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Cumin
Tortillas
Tofutti vegan sour cream (or you can make it home made)

Throw the lentils and quinoa into a big ol' pot or pressure cooker (thats what I used). Toss in the cumin, paprika, vegetable broth, Liquid amino OR Tarmari, and glaric and cook for at least 20 min. Watch it if its not done in a pressure cooker because you don't want it to burn or boil over.

The pressure cooker keeps things moist but if you want it less mushy you can cook it longer stove top style and try to dry that issh out.

Cut up tomatoes lettuce and cilantro avocados for your toppings.

Homemade Vegan Sour Cream

350grams Silken Tofu drained
2tbsp Veggie oil (I always use coconut)
2tsp white wine vinegar (or white vinegar)
4tsp lemon juice
1tsp sugar
1tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to bowl or jar and refrigerate at least an hour before use so it can firm up a little. It makes about 1 cup worth.

Recipe of the Day: Vegan Cashew Cheese Spread

Vegan Cashew Cheese Spread

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cashews (soaked for at least 2 hours, I soaked mine over night)
1/2 cup of water
3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
1tablespoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of turmeric

Once the cashews have been soaked for the proper time, drain them. Do not use the water the cashews were soaked in. The half cup of water will be from "new water". Add all these ingredients into a high powered blender (I use a blendtec but you can also you a vitamix or ninja etc) and blend until completely creamy and smooth. (no chunks)

On the blendtec the setting would be Dips and creamy sauces.

Refridgerate for at leat 20 minutes to allow the flavors to marinate and blend properly and then enjoy!

Original recipe found on www.oneingredient chef.com

Recipe of the Day: No-Bake Carrot Cake Recipe (Gluten Free & Vegan)

No-Bake Carrot Cake Recipe (Gluten Free & Vegan)

Recipe

Serves: 4 – 6 slices

Preparation time: 25 minutes (plus 2 hours soak time)

Cake Ingredients:

• 100g (3½ oz) dates (will need soaking)
• 100g (3½ oz) walnuts
• 1 large carrot
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (freshly ground)
• ½ teaspoon fresh ginger (grated)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil (not melted)
• 3 tablespoons ground almonds

Creamy Frosting Ingredients:

• Handful cashews (will need soaking)
• Handful dates (will need soaking)
• Dash of vanilla extract
• Dessicated coconut to dress

Video Recipe Demo & Written Instructions

I’ve created a ‘how to make raw carrot cake’ video here (and you can also scroll down further for written instructions). The video is visual, so if you’d like more help on ‘what the consistency should be like’ or ‘how to mould the cake’ or extra little tips and hints, then you’ll find the video really helpful…

Preparation:

Soak the following ingredients in pure water (to make them easy to blend later)…

• The ‘dates’ (for the cake) – for about 2 hours.
• The ‘cashew & dates’ (for the creamy frosting) for at least 2 hours (can leave the frosting ingredients soaking for a lot longer).

How to make the cake:

1. After 2 hours, drain the dates for the cake. Add to the food processor with the walnuts and process for about 20 seconds, until you get a rustic chunkiness. It should not be a puree, although it should be able to easily stick together.
2. Grate carrot and add to food processor.
3. Grate nutmeg and ginger with a fine grater and add to the processor along with the ground cinnamon.
4. Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Note: Coconut oil actually only turns to oil  at 24°C (76°F), so unless you live in a really warm place, it’s probably solid (a soft kind of solid). That’s perfect.
5. Combine all ingredients (except ground almonds) in a food processor, pulsing, taking off the lid and scraping down as required. It shouldn’t take long to blend all ingredients together. A chunky rustic blend is required – where everything is chopped up small, but holding together when pressed.
6. Place mixture into a mixing bowl; add ground almond and mix everything together using  a pressing motion with the back of a metal spoon. If you see any solid lumps of coconut oil,  just work and press them in until they disappear.
7. Scrape ingredients onto a large plate and mould into a shape of choice (square, round, heart, star – whatever you like). Place in the fridge for as little or as long as you want to.

To make the creamy frosting:

1. Soak the cashews and dates for at least 2 hours to make them soft enough to blend. This is a minimum soak time. You can leave them for a lot longer (even over night) if you prefer. Once soaked, drain thoroughly, add a dash of vanilla extract and blend until you achieve a thick cream.
2. Spread frosting evenly and thickly to coat the cake.
3. Serve as it is or sprinkle with dessicated coconut and garnish with walnuts or edible flowers etc.

This cake will keep in the fridge for a few days or can be served immediately. It should taste great as it is, although the flavours will continue to dance and entwine the longer it is left.

Variation Note:

This cake is wonderfully forgiving if you vary the ingredients. If you don’t have coconut oil or ground almonds (for example) you can totally leave them out, and still get an amazing cake. You can can add a little or less of the warming spices, depending on personal taste too.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as we do here. Please do let me know how you get on.

From my heart to yours

Trinity

Recipe of the Day: Jerk Sloppy Joes With Coconut Creamed Spinach

This Delicious recipe was found on the Post Punk Kitchen.  Visit the Post Punk Kitchen site to find more awesome recipes like this one. 

Jerk Sloppy Joes With Coconut Creamed Spinach

For the Sloppy Joe:
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon coconut oil, divided
1 medium onion, diced medium
1 pound seitan, chopped into bite sized pieces 
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Several dashes fresh black pepper
14 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons yellow mustard

For the spinach:
2 teaspoons coconut oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 lb spinach, washed well, stems removed
1 cup coconut milk (regular or light)
2 star anise
1/4 teaspoon salt

To serve:
4 to 6 big sandwich buns

Prepare the Sloppy Joe:
Preheat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Saute onion in one tablespoon coconut oil and a pinch of salt, until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the seitan and cook for about 10 minutes, until nicely browned, stirring often. Push the seitan and onions to one side of the pan so that you have space to quickly saute the garlic and ginger. Put the remaining teaspoon of coconut oil in the pan and toss in the garlic and ginger, stirring as it sizzles, for about 15 seconds. Then mix it up with the seitan and onions.

Add thyme, paprika, salt, allspice, red pepper flakes, cinnamon and black pepper and toss to coat everything and cook the spices a bit.

Add the tomatoes, and cook for about 10 more minutes, tossing often. Lastly, mix in the maple syrup, lime juice and mustard. Let cook for a minute or so, then taste for salt and seasonings, and serve.

Prepare the spinach:
Preheat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Quickly saute the garlic in coconut oil, just so it sizzles for a few seconds, being careful that it doesn’t burn. Add the spinach in batches, tossing with tongs, until it is all wilted and fits in the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes, until a lot of moisture is released.

Now we’re going to get rid of the excess moisture, but try not to lose any garlic or spinach in the process. Shove the spinach off to one side, and carefully (don’t burn yourself, dummy!) lift the pan and drain the excess water into the sink. The spinach might all just behave itself and stay on one side of the pot, but use the tongs to keep it from falling into the sink just in case.

Now return to the heat, add the coconut milk, star anise and salt. Bring coconut milk to a boil and stir often, for about 5 minutes, so that the star anise releases its flavor. Turn the heat off and let it rest for 10 minutes or so, soaking up the coconut milk yumminess.