Oct
2011
I am CLEAN! – Health – Jamaica Gleaner – Wednesday
Last Sunday, I ended my biannual 21-day clean detox. I feel amazing. full of energy, lighter, leaner, focused, balanced and rejuvenated. in fact, the 21 days are over and I just want to keep going. I feel so good!
The Clean Programme was created by best selling author, Dr Alejandro Junger, a board-certified internist and cardiologist who spent time studying eastern medicine in India.
I had read his book, Clean, and invited him to be our keynote speaker at The Shakti Love Fest in 2009. I loved his simple programme designed to be easily incorporated into our busy and demanding schedules, yet transformative in the way we look and feel. The premise of the programme is to eliminate toxic foods from your diet and replace them with ‘super foods’ that support your body’s healing abilities and restore your body to its natural state of radiance and vitality. by periodically detoxing our bodies, we prevent the build-up of toxic elements that can contribute to chronic disease, fatigue, depression and unwanted pounds.
The process begins with an elimination diet where you cut out the ‘bad boys’, those foods that we all know are habit-forming and toxic, such as caffeine, alcohol, sugar, wheat and dairy. After a week of slowly taking them out of our diet, we begin our 21-day cleanse that consists of only fresh, organic-as-possible fruits and vegetables, nuts, high complex carbohydrates and lean meats, while avoiding acidic and high-gylcaemic foods. A typical day looks like this:
Breakfast:
A satisfying smoothie in the morning (only after 12 hours of no food in your body, giving your digestive system a complete rest) made of almond or coconut milk with delicious fruits and omega-3 packed flaxseed.
Lunch:
Your midday meal is the biggest and consists of lean protein (or beans if you are a vegetarian), a complex carbohydrate such as yam, brown rice, baked bammy, breadfruit and a big salad or cooked vegetable.
Dinner:
The evening meal is another smoothie, or a clear soup, again made with only fresh vegetables. if you are hungry in-between, you snack on almonds or a few slices of fruit.
I know this does not sound like a lot of food, but by eliminating the foods that weigh us down, like rice, flour and fried foods and foods, that play with our hormones like caffeine, alcohol and sugar, we have so much more energy and need less to feel satisfied. Your body naturally adjusts to this new way of eating and in just a few days you start feeling the benefits of increased energy, amazing sleep, clarity of mind and less of the puffy, swollen feeling in your body that you have when you are out of balance.
Hope you will join me and get clean!
Sharon McConnell-Feanny is a certified yoga instructor and co-owner of Shakti Mind Body Fitness in Kingston. she has more than 25 years’ experience in health and fitness; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
