Showing posts with label DHA plus EPA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DHA plus EPA. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Internal Cleanse - Day 2 - Reflection

Initially, I had thought when I started preparing for the detox/cleanse/change in June that I would follow a raw vegan diet. And maybe I will once vacation starts and I have the time. While I am eating some cooked veggies and fish, I've also increased my raw veggie & fruit consumption greatly.

The main criteria are:
No refined sugar
No refined starches
Good oils only

And those simple criteria have ruled out most of the items in a regular grocery store. Essentially, I shop the perimeter of the store where the produce and seafood are located. If I didn't have a cat or used paper towels, I'd never have a reason to go down an aisle. But I still take a stroll down memory lane with the coffee. The cart slows down, I close my eyes a little and take a long luxurious inhale. Ah... But it's adios amigo to my old caffeinated friend. Coffee is very acidic so why would I make all these changes only to sabotage it with coffee? It's all about PH balance. More on that at a later date.

No white sugar. While agave nectar is the current rage, I just can't see throwing out the gallon jug of raw honey that our brother-in-law gave us. Honey has an indefinite shelf life. It is anti-microbial, anti-fungal and anti-viral. All the same, I'm using it sparingly so that my main sugar will be from fruits. In June, I hope to reduce to only those fruits that have the lowest Glycemic Index [GI]. I will have to check a glycemic index for fruits that are low in sugar. Oh yeah. I just found cherries and they are very low at 22.


Good oils. Coconut Oil for cooking, as a spread on toast and make-up remover and moisturizer. I have always cooked with olive oil but was told recently that it has a much lower smoking point and becomes denatured (carcinogenic), therefore, I will use olive oil primarily for salad dressings at this point. I've been told that hemp oil is good for you too. I'm now hearing from some that while flax is a good oil, it becomes rancid too quickly. I know that it must be refrigerated and keep my bottle in the fridge. But now that I have coconut oil which I understand will remain good for three years.... I don't see the point of having the more fragile flax oil. Another oil, DHA plus EPA cannot be found in plant sources. Just cold water fish like salmon, tuna, etc. Sardines are a good source, plus, because they are so young when caught they don't have a build-up of toxins. So I bought a few tins of sardines and oysters since I won't be preparing fish daily. Just two smoked oysters per day is all you need...

The first three days of the 24 day cleanse is actually a preparation to determine the number of 'digestive stimulators' (pills) necessary to ensure three Bowel Movements (BM) per day. Today I had three BMs before noon so I think I've determined that one pill is enough. Although the instructional booklet says that you can move on to the next step in the cleanse once you've determined the right number of pills, I just don't have time tonight to figure/plan/measure all that tonight. So another day won't hurt.

Internal Cleanse - Day 2 - Meals

Before breakfast: hot water w/lemon, cayenne, smidgeon of honey
Breakfast: Smoothie of swiss chard & berries with coconut milk base.
Snack: cup of tea w/1/4 tsp honey
Lunch: wild salmon w/orange sauce, wild rice, broccoli
Snack: cherries
Before Dinner: 1 digestive stimulator
Dinner: homemade soup, sprouted grain muffins w/coconut oil,three smoked oysters
Before Bed: Toxin Absorber w/fresh organic apple juice, followed by 1 big glass of water

The hot water with lemon, etc. is to detox the kidneys. I've been doing it for some time. I recently added the cayenne & honey just to give it an extra kick.

I ate the oysters while preparing dinner because I was really hungry and forgot that I had salmon for lunch. So I didn't need it. Salmon, oysters, sardines, etc are a good source of DHA plus EPA.

"DHA is required in high levels in the brain and retina as a physiologically-essential nutrient to provide for optimal neuronal functioning (learning ability, mental development) and visual acuity, in young and old alike. DHA plus EPA are both considered to have beneficial effects in the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease plus associated risk factors as well as other chronic disorders." DHA/EPA Omega-3 Institute

I love the soup. It's the "Fat Flush Soup" by Louise Gittleman. Basically, the fat flush diet is about supporting the liver. The recipe that is linked to her website is a bit different than the one I use which is in the Fat Flush Diet book. I only use turkey, no beef, and I don't use eggplant. However, it's the same basic idea.

The toxin absorber. The toxin absorber. Main ingredient is bentonite clay. Once, while doing the colon cleanse by the same company, I forgot to drink it right away and it turned into a sludge and then I could NOT drink it. That's what it does inside you. It coagulates into this mass that goes through your intestines pulling the mucoid plaque from the intestinal walls along with it and out of you. Fun, eh? If you want to have a really great time, look at the photos of the mucoid plaque. Truly gross. Yes, that 'sand juice' coagulates and takes on the shape of your intestines and then it gets that gnarly look. ack.