Enter the zombie

Yesterday I was a zombie.

There is no other way to explain it. The 3rd night of the detox involved an almost sleepless night with a brain that would not shut up. I have never had that many ideas flying through my head at once, none of which involved a moment of genius or epiphanies. They were just those really random thoughts about things that happened, things that were going to happen (according to my brain) and about my present state of mind, with my brain asking casually, "hey, you're still awake! cool! lets chat!" And to add icing on top of his mix of insanity, I started to feel nauseous. That nausea you feel when you're not sure whether to get up and stand near the toilet just in case, or just lie there and try and ignore it. It didn't go away either! 

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), they believe that the energy in each organ of our bodies have a 2 hour peak period and people who have symptoms repeatedly occur at the same time should check their organ clock. 

 When I was nauseous, I knew what time it was without even having to look at the clock (but I did look just to check). It was 3.02am. Coincidence that the liver is between 1am and 3am?

I somehow managed to function through my naturopathic student clinic without seeming too zombie-like (it helped not having to be the leading practitioner for the consults I was in), but the rest of the day was a write-off. Home on the couch to watch The Sound of Music with some detox comfort food...

spelt crackers with hommus, avocado, tuna, lime juice & cracked pepper

Back to my old non-zombie again today. I'm going to miss my Friday night pizza tonight... and the AFL grand final tomorrow, oh dear god, I'll have to watch it sober! Wheres the humanity???

Two days down...

So far, so good! Yesterday morning was tough without a morning coffee, but a herbal tea made a reputable substitute for an early morning uni lecture. Any cravings so far have been more out of habit than need. I've found I'm a lot more hungry than normal and by giving that hunger a healthier choice, I feel better for it!

Its time to start some recipes. I will keep it as simple as possible, as personally I cook mostly by feel and find following some recipes to the exact amount takes the fun out of the creation. Also if its too long, I put in the ‘too hard to read’ basket. Season food to how you like it - after all, you are the one who has to eat it. If you want some thoughts on seasoning amounts, feel free to email or comment to me... more than happy to help! J

Tonights dinner recipe:

Nut-crusted barramundi with lime & chilli oil, served with roast vegetables

The vegies.

I’ve roasted some sweet potato, beetroot, zucchini, garlic and onion.

How to roast: toss the sliced raw vegies in some olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook for a total of 45 minutes in an oven at 180C, with a 2^nd seasoning and added fresh rosemary after 25 minutes. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top before serving.

The barramundi.

The crust: Sounds more fancy than it actually is. We have a jar full of mixed raw nuts (almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pecans and walnuts). I grabbed 3 handfuls of nuts, with 2 handfuls of dessicated coconut, then whizz up in a coffee grinder until fine.

The cooking: Rub some olive oil into the slices of barramundi, then coat in the nut mix.  Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until fish is cooked.

(I put the fish in the oven after 25 minutes of vegie cooking, so its done at the same time)

The dressing.

Olive oil... lime juice... chilli powder... pepper. Too easy. Very tasty.  These flavours are very much to taste and should be experimented in your own kitchen rather than following a recipe. You only need enough to drizzle on the fish, so don't overdo it. 

The result.

Ta da! a chef is born!

The verdict.

The fish was to die for. The use of the coconut in the crust added a greater dimension to the flavours. Normally I have a blob of butter with my roast vegies, so using the olive oil was a bit different, but gave the same enjoyment. I think this will be a regular new favourite.

The Detoxober guidelines

A detox isn’t for everyone. In fact, this is probably the first time in my life where I’ve felt ready and motivated to detox. This is a very gentle detox, so will only require some simple dietary changes  and is only going for one month, so its not as long as some others, but I’m sure it will feel like a loooooong month!

Eating guidelines:

These guidelines are based on the liver cleansing diet by Dr. Sandra Cabot, with some slight changes...

First and Fourth Weeks:

Can Eat:

J  Fish

J  Chicken

J  Turkey

J  Tofu

J  Legumes (chickpeas, lentils)

J  Fruit & Vegetables

J  Yoghurt

J  Eggs

J  Other seafood

J  Grains (attempting to avoid wheat the best we can)

J  Soy milk

J  Herbal teas

J  Nuts & seeds

Can’t Eat:

L  Dairy (except yoghurt)

L  Processed foods

L  Food from a packet

L  Food additives

L  Alcohol

L  Coffee and black tea

L  Butter or margarine

L  Chocolate

L  Red meat

L  Processed meats

L  Pork

L  Lollies

Second and Third Weeks:

Can Eat:

J  Fish

J  Tofu

J  Legumes (chickpeas, lentils)

J  Fruit & Vegetables

J  Yoghurt

J  Other seafood

J  Grains (attempting to avoid wheat the best we can)

J  Soy milk

J  Herbal teas

J  Nuts & seeds

Can’t Eat:

L  Dairy (except yoghurt)

L  Processed foods

L  Food from a packet

L  Food additives

L  Alcohol

L  Coffee and black tea

L  Butter or margarine

L  Chocolate

L  Red meat

L  Processed meats

L  Pork

L  Chicken

L  Turkey

L  Eggs

  

As a student naturopath, I have prescribed us some nutritional supplements to assist in the detox process...

Probiotic tablet – one daily

St. Mary’s Thistle tablets – one daily

Liver detoxification booster powder – one scoop daily in water

Laura's Disclaimer: I've said it once and I'll say it again...If you wish to undergo a detox, I highly recommend that you consult with a professional first, as a detox may not be for everyone to undergo at a whim. A detox can change your liver function, which in turn can alter some medication responses.

Do not supplement yourself with herbal supplements or detoxification assistants without first consulting a professional.

Our vegie delivery for the week... chock full of stuff!

Let the detox begin!

So whats the point of a detox?

Your liver is the detoxification centre for your body and lifestyle factors can increase the amount of toxins entering the body, causing extra stress on your liver. These factors include medications, coffee, alcohol use, smoking, high fat diets, pesticides and exposure to pollutants. A liver cleanse reduces the toxic load in the diet and helps build your liver function.

When would I need to detox?

When a body is overly ‘toxic’, certain signs and symptoms may be a result*, including:

• Nervous System symptoms: depression, fatigue, mood changes, poor concentration, headaches with nausea
• Immune Dysfunction: allergies, asthma, eczema, sinusitis, hayfever, food sensitivities, fibromyalgia, recurrent viral, fungal or bacterial infections.
• Digestive Problems: Indigestion, reflux, gallstones, intolerance to fatty foods, intolerance to alcohol, bloating, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome
• Blood sugar irregularities: sugar cravings, hypoglycaemia
• Hormonal imbalances: PMS, increased side effects to the OCP or HRT.
• Other symptoms: bad breath, itchy skin, dark circles under the eyes, excessive/offensive sweating, pale skin.

*This is not to say that the reasons for these symptoms are 100% result of a toxic liver, however it may be a contributor! 

Are there any side effects to a liver detox?

As your body eliminates toxins, you may temporarily experience headaches, irritability and fatigue. This effect will only be temporary, as your body removes the majority of the toxins.

I’ve learnt so much about health in this past 4 years and its important to experiment with different health strategies so I can understand how my patients feel when you given the same challenges. 

Laura's disclaimer: If you wish to undergo a detox, I highly recommend that you consult with a professional first, as a detox may not be for everyone to undergo at a whim. A detox can change your liver function, which in turn can alter some medication responses. 

Tune in soon for the guidelines to my gentle detox process. Its not as scary as it seems!

A clean liver is a happy liver (especially when it has a martini in its hand...?)

A brief history of the detoxees...

So who am I and whats with the detox?

 I’m a  4^th year naturopath student, currently studying at Endeavour College of Natural Health. I am also currently working at Ultimate Detox Solutions as a naturopathic assistant.  I already have a degree in computer science and software engineering, which has given me a group of terrific friends, helped me meet my husband and showed me the path that my career was definitely not in computer science or software engineering (yawn.)

From my current studies, don’t get the idea however that I am super health freak naturalness guru. I am a recovering junkaholic. I was one of those kids who was addicted to sugar, grew up on processed foods and used to drink red bull for breakfast on a daily basis.

My husband Jarod and I have been together for almost nine and a half years. For the first 6 years of our relationship, we ate mountains of junk food, cooked out of packets and gave ourselves pats on the backs when we bought a fresh piece of fruit. Sure, we had the roller coaster rides of motivation for exercise, but then something always stopped us after a while and we became the Jabba the Hutts of the couch again. Denial was our best friend... those moments when you think ‘its not me who is getting larger, the clothes are shrinking in the wash’, or ‘They must have changed the sizing measurements on clothes’.

3 years ago, we both had the epiphany moment after looking at some photos where we realised that we were overweight, unfit and going to both die early if we didn’t do something to change ourselves. This was it... no turning back. No more roller coaster. No more excuses or denials. We pulled the finger out and changed our lives forever. We didn’t crash diet, simply ate good foods. We exercised regularly, but not in excess. Over the following 9 months, Jarod lost 20kg and I lost 15kg. We kept this weight off and kept it balanced for 2 years... until we went to Hawaii in January for our honeymoon (Anyone who has had hula pie would understand completely – see picture below for an idea on how delicious it looks.).

Our bodies have ingested a large number of toxic food over the years, not to mention alcohol and environmental toxins. I used to work at an environmental science lab which analyses soils, water and air for pesticides, heavy metals and other fun things like that. I'm sure breathing in those materials has made my body super happy! So its time to try out a gentle detox to see how we handle a month of no alcohol and sugary goodness to allow our livers to take a holiday and remove any extra nasties from our bodies. Sayonara hula pie! 

There and back again... a detoxing story.

Starting on Monday the 26^th of September, my husband and I will be starting a one month liver detox  as an experiment. This will not involve a sole diet of grapefruits, or using a dodgy 48 hour detox products, far from it! Why does a detox need to be given such an evil label, with the thought of causing us so much harm? This blog is being written to show that not all detoxes are evil and can involve some pretty delicious foods along the way.

Along the journey, I’ll post up recipes of what we are eating and anything we have experienced along the way – both positive and negative. October is starting to fill up with events, so keep tuned to how we remain alcohol free and curb urges to chow down snacks at parties. Feel free to share any stories or foods you may have encountered during your own previous detoxing endeavours. Sharing is a great way to learn and even if one person is inspired to give this a go, then this blog has been worth it.

Cue the motivational music.