Can't help you yet. I'll have my second class tonight...she breaks us into it slowly and we only ave the strictest diet for a week...I'll let you know how it goes....

Thanks Annie! Starting on my own, would be nice to comare experiences .

I did discover that my blender won't do kale..
; )

Yes. I did this in January of 2013. It was life changing for me. I thought for years I was lactose intolerant, but I'm not. Although I did not go back to dairy the way I used to consume it.

I found I'm gluten sensitive. I have not been able to completely eliminate it, but it is not part of my regular diet any longer.

I'm now a green smoothie junkie, and hot lemon water every morning, no more coffee. The cleanse was eye opening and really changed how I look at food.

Good luck!

I've been eating more greens for only a week and already I think I'm looking like a piece of kale!

My blender does the greens fine and it's nothing special. I add the handful of greens into 3/4 c water and just whirr that alone. I usually start at a slower speed then kick it up into high gear once it's gotten it all started. I get the already prepped kale greens from trader joe's. She also mentioned that if you massage the bag of kale before using it, it will help to break it down and soften it some so that may help.

I'm just going to start the lemon water tomorrow.

Last week she just wanted us to add more greens and drink more water. This week we are to eliminate unhealthy carbs and focus on "brown" and whole grains in addition to the greens and water.

We start the "official" cleanse next week.

It's been an interesting process in that there are a bunch of new foods I'm trying that I hadn't before:
almond milk
quinoa milk
coconut oil
chia seeds
bragg's liquid amino
protein powder

It's all very interesting.

What is the name of this cleanse and what is the purpose?
Annie, you are going to a class for this?

Mine is called "the conscious cleanse". You can take classes but none in my area.. The online one doesn't start again until april. So I'm just doing it by the book. I need to buy a new smoothie maker/blender.

I just finished prep week and am on day two of the actual program. I'd always associated cleansing with fasting/liquid diets, so it is a nice surprise to find that it's real food. So far, I've felt very full, maybe even a little overfull.

I actually enjoy the hot lemon water, and am used to drinking a lot of water on the days i have bikram yoga..
Today I'm having the curried carrot soup and quinoa for lunch. Havent figured out dinner yet.

Here's a summary from the website. Btw, i dont have any affiliations with them : )

Mine is a class I attend with GFs at a woman's home. This is to help you make lifestyle changes for healthier living. The cleanse is part of it. The idea is to eliminate a bunch of food...in our case for a week...and then gradually add it back in to find out if you have food sensitivities. So we will be eliminating grains, starchy vegetables, red meats, sugar and artificial sweeteners, alcohol, chocolate, corn, dairy, processed foods of any sort and minimize sodium. And of course organic and pesticide and gmo free as much as possible. Part of it is to also break our addictions to things like sugar and salt to "reset" our taste buds so we can actually taste the food that is good for us.

PBS was also having a special on the JJ Virgin diet where she requires you to eliminate 7 food groups which most commonly cause problems for people for 3 weeks and then gradually add back to find out what your sensitivities are...of course some of the categories never get added back....her 7 are corn, soy, eggs, dairy, gluten, sugar and artificial sweeteners, and peanuts. She talks about "leaky gut" which I think is OTT...I mean if your gut was really leaking you'd have died of peritonitis...but if your body is not digesting certain foods well, or if it's triggering some immune system reaction, it can lead to all kinds of problems from gas and bloating to headaches, fatigue and joint pain. So the idea is to find out what is causing the problem and eliminate it.

Our teacher was suffering badly with RA and on all kinds of meds, but since eliminating a lot of foods she can't tolerate, she is now essentially pain free and on no meds for RA.

I'll let you know how it goes...

Good for you Polly! I do believe what you eat has a major effect on how you feel. We strive to eat like #2 on Kiki's list. Although we do indulge in sweets and treats - but limited. We kind of follow the 80/20 idea and that works well for us. We do not eliminate dairy or beef. We do, however, eat lean cuts of beef. We mostly eliminate caffeine and artificial sweetners and eat whole, fresh foods not alot of processed foods and/or additives.

For myself, I know if I've over indulged in the "white stuff" (sweets/breads are my weakness) for very long, I do not feel well. I get very sluggish. It greatly affects my energy level.

I have not done an official cleanse. I will also admit that I do not like the green smoothies. I love veggies and eat alot of them, but I just do not like the veggie or veggies w/fruit smoothies.

tina

Very interesting. So am I right in assuming that those of you that are doing this diet have specific issues that you are addressing?
Is a goal to try to become medication free?

Ellendi, it can, it can be weight loss or addressing other medical issues like blood sugar or blood pressure or cholesterol, or other nonspecific complaints that medicine doesn't address or doesn't address well without meds and side effects. It can be a simple malaise and a desire for more energy or healthier living, it can be about learning what foods do or don't bother you, or it can be about reducing metabolic aging to stay young and feel your best or it can be about disease prevention...eating well to avoid potential health issues as we age. Lots of reasons to try it. One thing I've learned is its gotten me back t o eating more veggies which I had slipped up on, and it's gotten me out of a rut and try new and different foods.

Thanks, Annie.

I'm doing it because i lack motivation to eat foods that are good for me, just to break myself out of a rut. Weight loss would be welcome but is not the main point. At the end, tou slowly reintroduce foods and see how they make you feel. My skin is quite rashy, so im hoping to identify a culprit.

I do find that on day three, im feeling quite achy. But i think it's a normal part of the detoxification...

Well, my friends who have been through it warn their families to keep a wide birth as the detox and not eating all the stuff you're used to can make one quite cranky!

The aches and pains get better by day 4. And so does the crankiness. That's my experience anyway.

I'm already cranky and we don't start the actual cleanse until Tuesday! Yikes! I'll look forward to day 4....

Of course this dreary weather doesn't help....

Since I've embarked on a Concious Binge for the last week in Miami, I definitely need some kind of cleanse when I get home! For me, lately, it's been enough to give up the "white stuff" and most packaged foods. Starting tomorrow.

Sue, laughing out loud about the "conscious binge", i began plotting mine immediately.
Today feeling better. Yesterday i was atypically sore, tired and had quite the evil temper. Today much better in all respects. This weekend, day 6 and 7 are more intensive purification days.. More fluids: smoothies, teas, broth and veggies and fruit. No meat, beans, legumes, nuts or seeds...

Wondering how you are doing, kiki....I start the strict part tomorrow. GFs will be here for lunch...one's bringing salad, the other a fruit salad and I'll be making the veggie soup. Hopefully together we'll get through the kick-off.

Since it's a 'conscious' cleanse, do you only use organic fruits/veggies/seeds/beans/etc., as well as organic meat/fish/poultry? If not, what's the point? Part of a 'conscious' mind would be the quality of the food, the way it's grown, fertilized, with a focus on using foods grown/raised locally. Otherwise, isn't the premise of a 'conscious' cleanse negated? Please don't take offense to my questions, I'm just curious.

Patty- I think the "conscious" refers to the ability to identify what foods cause inflammation in each cleanser. Some will find they don't tolerate corn or oats or dairy etc. It also should help people eat a more varied diet. Some people aren't aware of certain vegetables like celeraic or chard or different legumes or seed like chia or flax seeds or flax eggs or a new bean or veggie dish.

fYi. My inlaws are vegan and vegetarian. I thought I always had trouble digesting beans, but then I ate various bean dishes at their house without the normal colonic spasms. Turns out I just needed to cook beans with a small piece of kombu. We now keep kombu and sea vegetables in our pantry at all time. It also adds a slight salt flavor to soup without adding salt. Great stuff.

For variety on your salads (if vinegar is allowed during the cleanse) check out napa valley grand reserves balsamic vinegar. It's only 4 percent acidity compared to most store brands of 6-8. It's fantastic in dressings or drizzled over fruit.

Chia seeds are amazing on salads too!

Good luck ladies.

Our cleanse uses as much organic and pesticide free stuff as possible. No processed foods at all. Only fruits, vegetables, poultry, eggs and fish. No nuts, seeds, corn or soy. We also need to drink 4 oz of 100% cranberry juice in 32 oz of water a day, a hot lemon water in the a.m. and before bed, plus another 32 oz of water, 12 hrs of fasting from 7pm to 7am. And no alcohol. This is going to be fun!

Today is day 1.

Does anyone have recipes for smoothies they will be drinking? I've usually gotten them from Jamba Juice, and ordered what I've wanted in it. I'm not familar w/making them, so need all the help I can get. I've always wanted to do the master cleanse, but this one seems a bit more gentle. Thank you. ;)

I can tell you what I've been doing.... It's a green smoothie, but it tastes a lot better than it looks as the color is olive drab due to the berries.

I put 1/2 to 3/4 c of water in the blender and add about a tablespoon of chia seeds and let the chia seeds soak up the water for about 10 min. I then add a handful of kale and liquify. Then I add a scoop of unsweetened vanilla whey protein and a teaspoon of coconut oil (for fat). Then I add 1/2 banana cut up and whirr. Then I throw in a handful of frozen mixed berries and a handful of frozen cut up pineapple. If I have to add a little more liquid to make it loose enough, I do. It's surprisingly filling and sweet. A variation would be to use frozen mango instead of the mixed berries...it yields a brighter color.

There are much better sources of protein than whey powder. You really have to watch protein powders that they don't have added sugar substitutes etc. I'm a huge fan of vega protein powders. Vega sport if you're really active or vega one if not so active. Love all te flavors.

I'm not a fan of sun warrior because of the stevia taste.

Green smoothie recipe:

1.5 cup kale
1 gala or pink lady apple peeled and rough chopped
1 cucumber peeled rough chop. English seedless works best
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1tsp fresh ginger
1tsp to 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
4-5 Ice cubes
A 1/5 cup of water to help blend
Protein powder scoop

2nd green option:

1 cup kale
Handful spinach
1.25 cups almond milk or cashew milk or hemp milk-- unsweetened!!
2tbsp ega vanilla almondilla protein powder
.5 tsp vanilla extract
.5 tsp almond or cherry extract
1 frozen banana
Heaping Handful of blueberries
Strawberries (5 or 6)
1 Tbsp chia
5-6 ice cubes

Blend then guzzle :)

I also have chocolate ones.but doubt that's what you want if you're cleansing.

Annie why do you soak the chia? I don't see a need for that.

IHGS, have you tried quinoa milk? I like it a lot better than almond and it comes unsweetened, though it tastes sweet and is a complete protein.

I've been soaking the seeds as it makes them more "tapioca" like and I've been having bowel difficulties which I think are related to the amount of liquid they absorb. If I soak them, the difficulties seem to be much less...it's also supposed to be better for someone who's had diverticulitis.

Ah. I see. For most people the soaking of chia seeds wouldn't be necessary. Interesting that soaking helps. Does whey irritate you? A lot of people have problems with it. I never use the stuff as it's not vegan but many of our non vegan friends have switched to non whey protein powders for easier digestion. As I said I highly recommend the vega line of protein powers. Great nutritional breakdown and no chalky texture!

I have had quinoa milk. I much prefer unsweetened hemp milk. If I'm trying to make something more decadent then I'll often choose almond or cashew or occasionally unsweetened soy milk. They tend to have a thicker consistency. In general I tend not to drink that much alternative milk. I get so much protein in other ways. Without trying I'm usually at 50 grams protein without my normal recovery protein shake. When I'm able to work out I tend to do a quinoa porridge breakfast (sometimes banana walnut other times peaches and cream or blueberry etc) then a post recovery protein smoothie (no milk) . A small cup of soup and a salad that is usually about 1 pound raw veggies for lunch. Then we really mix it up at dinner. Tonight was chickpea kale piccata with mashed cauliflower and steamed broccoli carrots and squash. Yesterday was lentil bolognese with spaghetti squash as noodles.

As you have mentioned in the past I eat a carb heavy diet today was 68% carbs. Absolutely no refined carbs. 26 % proteins and about 6 % fats (although no oils. This came from natural fats in vegetables, beans, a few olives, nuts and seeds)

The cleanse sounds challenging, but perfect for highlighting potential food sensitivities. Interesting too. I tend to drink 6oz cranberry juice every other day straight up to help flush my system. Any idea why the cleanse has you mix it with water? I love the flavor of straight up 100% cranberry no sugar added juice, but I know many do not. Is it to make the juice more palatable or some other reason? When I crave variety I tend to mix my plain water with lemon, melon or cucumber infused water.

Good luck!

I think they do the cran-water to make it more palatable as it is very tart...esp if someone is used to drinking sugary drinks. And they want you to get in the 64 oz of water so I guess they think this will help. (I find I have no trouble getting fluids in during the day...I just have a glass of water every time I go...water out, water in.) I think I may have to stop that part of the program though as I had been drinking cran-water daily for over a year as it helped another issue I was having...but then it led to some very unpleasant urgency sensations and burning....not UTI, but similar. So I laid off the cran-water and it took a few weeks, but it gradually went away. I started up the cran-water again yesterday and I started getting that old sensation again....not good. You can't win for trying....

So far the whey protein doesn't seem to be an issue. I was looking for a good protein powder that was unsweetened and yet a complete protein and was struggling to find one without going to soy. Hemp is better than some, but still not complete. I hadn't seen the Vega products...I'll have to take a look for them.

Although, at this point I time, I'm not interested in doing one of these cleanses, I'm quite sure that I'm not the only one who is avidly reading this thread. Thanks to all of you adding your healthful ideas and recipes here!

Like many of you, DH & I have made a conscious decision to eat a lot more healthfully these days. Of course, with him being a family practice doc, we always have to some extent. With me being very allergic to artificial sweeteners, they were never a factor for me. We eat a lot of fresh veggies and fruit, and always have a bag of Trader Joe's kale in the fridge that I add to things daily. We drink hardly any sodas, but lots of water already. Have pretty much eliminated potatoes, white flour, fatty meats, regular pastas, and cut way back on sugar. Added quinoa, whole grains, Greek yogurt and whole grain pastas. BTW, we just bought a new item at Costco on Saturday to try: quinoa & spinach patties. Tried them Sunday morning with eggs and salsa. Very tasty! Am going to try and make my own next.

I did want to tell you that your info on chia seeds, protein powders, hemp milk, etc. is opening up my eyes even more! Love all of your recipes, too, and hope you all add even more for us to try. Thanks again!
Lynn

You would be correct, Lynn! I'm avidly lurking and reading.

I especially appreciate the info on the Vega products. I'm a runner and about to get serious (again) about a 10k. Being 65 and coming off ACL reconstruction last year, I'm trying to hold it together and I need all the help I can get, especially the protein. Many things I eliminated a long time ago (soda for example) and we do try to eat healthy (whole grains, no sugars, no processed foods) at least most of the time but a cleanse hasn't been on my radar until recently. As I've aged, it's the bowel difficulties I struggle with the most with some things in my diet, much as Annie has described. DH isn't totally onboard with all this either, so it makes it harder to cook for just me.

Outside- vega sport is great. My husband is vegan 90 percent of the time? He will sometimes have eggs or Split a grilled cheese with our son. I'm 99 percent although I will indulge in honey. He occasionally has a non vegan beer or will be starving at the end of a 100 mile my bike and dig in to pizza with the guys. Our son is vegetarian but we don't stress over vegan. He passes every doctor checkup with flying colors and is the star of his soccer team( incase someone should worry we are depriving him or hurting his development) pricy but worth it. I usually stock up when vitacost is running a sale.

We usually make our own gels from the thrive diet book for races or long mtb days. However we really like the vega sport product for pre and post work out nutrition. Read the ingredients and you'll see what I'm saying it's much better than any whey powder in the market. We even make vegan pancakes or granola bars for camping with protein powder in them.

Savi seeds are a great snack food too! Check them out. Around 10 grams of complete protein with beneficial omega 3 from seeds that taste like nuts!. I like the cocoa dusted or oh natural. My son and DH love the karmeliZed.

We also sprinkle flax seed into our porridge or occasionally in a shake. And when baking muffins flax eggs are the perfect substitute for those sensitive to eggs.

There are some great wheat free bread out there I'm a big fan of spelt wraps and bread made from a mix of spelt quinoa and kamut. And my son is a HUGE fan of quinoa pasta. Great alternative to gluten pasta.

I am curious how Kiki and Annie are faring on the cleanse today. I know I couldn't give up beans. They are so filling and versatile!

Thanks for all that great info, iheart!
I get regular email links to Jillian Michaels' "LiveStrong.com". One thing I copied and saved today was a list of the good carbs we should eat and thought I'd list them here for anyone, like me, looking for ways to eat more healthfully. I hope that you all don't mind. I'm just really enjoying all great and different info on this thread. BTW, I'M really enjoying her website and all the good info I get there.
HEALTHFUL CARBS:
-BROWN,BLACK OR WILD RICE
-QUINOA
-NON-FAT POPCORN
-DARK, LEAFY GREENS
-SQUASH
-BERRIES
-SWEET POTATOES
-BEANS
-OATS
-FRESH GROUND FLAXSEED
-BARLEY
-MANGO
-WHOLE GRAIN PASTA
-TOMATO SAUCE
-ARTICHOKES
-BANANAS

P.S. Sorry about all the caps, but with this cast on my right hand, it's sometimes quicker and easier.
(edited to correct typo "cards" to ''carbs"/ LOL!/ I need to stop typing on my mini IPad until I get this cast off my hand!)

This post was edited by lynninnewmexico on Thu, Feb 27, 14 at 18:34

IHGS, I was browsing the cooking thread and grainlady over there has a lot of info and recipes for healthy eating. Someone asked about soaking chia seeds and this is what she had to say...

"If you consume a lot of dry chia seeds while dehydrated (like first thing in the morning after going without hydration for a prolonged period of time overnight), the seeds will draw water from your body and swell and could cause constipation, or even form a blockage in the colon. Whole flax seed will do the same thing if enough is consumed while dehydrated."

My cleanse coach has an interesting POV on nutrition...she says the info out there is just terrible...for any issue you can find experts on either side both making cogent arguments, so we each have to find our own truths and we have to listen to our own bodies to give it what it needs and avoid what it doesn't. A recent op ed in the NYT by Gary Taubes explains why nutritional information is so poor....it has to do with the expense and difficulty of trying to do controlled double-blind studies on humans so instead they do animal models and cross-sectional surveys and draw conclusions based on correlations instead of facts and causations.

Here is a link that might be useful: Why nutrition is so confusing

Thanks, IHGS, for the additional info, and to you, Lynn, for the list. Fortunately, off that list Lynn posted, I'm consuming almost everything on it except the Chia and flax seeds. I don't eat mangos often because good ones are just hard to come by here, but I do buy a papaya and lots of other fruit regularly (bananas, blueberries, raspberries). I use tomatoes I have grown and frozen or canned to make my own tomato sauce.

I'm definitely making a trip to the store this weekend to look for some additions to the diet, and especially the Vega sport. Will try to find the Savi too. I make smoothies often so this will be great to try.

Annie, appreciate the info. What you say and what your coach says makes a lot of sense.

I, too, have been reading along here, and learning, even though I'm not interested in trying a cleanse. I do want to have dinner at IHGS house, every dish she mentions sounds wonderful.

I was checking out savi seeds and the vega one products and found a Nov 2013 FDA voluntary recall of the vega one and vega sport products due to traces of the antibiotic chloramphenicol contact. It said the product is safe to be consumed, but it might be a concern for someone with severe allergies or sensitives to the antibiotic. So, just a heads up to double check when the product was manufactured. The FDA site lists the invloved lot numbers.

I'm particularly intrigued by the savi seeds but two sites mention that they smell rancid. Both rancid smell writers liked the cocoa dusted ones, partly because it masked the aroma. I definitely want to try them so I'm glad to be forewarned of the aroma.

Trying to eat healthy can definitely be complicated. I do the best I can but there's always room for improvement.

Hh- we could eat healthier too. Wednesdays my husband cooks. I don't care what he cooks so long as the three of us eat. So last night was apple cinnamon buckwheat pancakes! My son was thrilled and I feared tonight he'd ask for a repeat, but he shocked me. He has requested mujadarah with a Brussel sprout-apple hash as his side dish! I'm gleefully obliging! The first time he has ever requested sprouts, I'm considering it a win :)

I may have a weak sense of smell, but I don't think the saviseeds smell that bad. A slight odor but nothing horrid like kimchi. I had forgotten about the voluntary recall-- thanks for reminding others. I still believe in the company.

Annie- A normal person would have to consume a crazy amount of chia seeds or some sensitivities for the issues to occur . I've eaten dry seeds on my salad for 10 years and none of the problems you have described. (now I'll probably be hospitalized for an obstructed bowel over the weekend, perhaps I should knock on wood?) to be fair, I do drink about 10 cups of water a day in addition to eating all the raw veggies and fruit (and their respective water content). So any leaching of water etc would probably be negligible?

So very true about conflicting nutrition advice. I read that oped a while ago. I agree with much of the oped but feel he overlooks another culprit: BigFarm. They exert too much influence over research institutions. The universities have 0 incentive to actually conduct blind longitudinal studies as many are subsidized in some way by large agriculture consortiums.

Anyway I think it's great you and Kiki are trying to identify foods that do you harm. It should be an interesting experiment.

Kiki- how are you doing? Experiencing any cravings or moods from withdrawals of certain foods?

OMGoodness! Oddly, I've been craving pancakes! I definitely need to join you for a meal sometime. I might actually breakdown and agree to go out for breakfast with my husband on our upcoming visit to HHI just to get pancakes. I hate to go out for breakfast. I also hate the lingering pancake aroma in the house so I don't make them and only eat them out. I think I am sensitive to smells so that's why I'm curious/cautious about the savi seeds.

I swear on my mother's head, just last night I made The Smitten Kitchen's stuck-pot recipe, which is basically mujadara! You probaly think I'm making this stuff up just to mimic you. I wasn't successful making it crunchy. I think my pan choice was wrong, but it was still delicious even if it wasn't very crunchy.

Hh- too funny! Yes get your pancakes! Indulge! I haven't checked out smitten kitchen in a while! I'll have to pop over there now. We love her mushroom bourguignon! She also has a pretty tasty recipe for chickpea and pasta on her website. Lentils rice and crispy onions-- what could be more simple? The spice and texture have to be spot on or it can just be bland. What kind of pan did you use? I'm guessing a cast iron or enamel coated would make the crunchy easier to achieve,

Well get the cocoa dusted saviseeds to try. They taste the best anyway :). My family is crazy for preferring the "karmelized"

I'm on day 6 of the cleanse and so far it's been pretty decent. I think I was actually starting to detox the week before as I felt lousy that week and have been feeling pretty good this week. My energy level is definitely up. I've been managing to keep myself from feeling too hungry...certainly there's plenty of food to eat. I've managed to find some decent substitutes for the foods I'm not able to have, others I'm just learning to live without.

My issue is sweets. Love them. So the other day, I really wanted a dessert. So, since we're allowed real maple syrup as a sweetener, I cut up an apple, sprinkled it with nutmeg, cinnamon and clove, stirred it around with a drizzle of maple syrup and zapped it to soften the apples. I took a few bites and proceeded to get an immediate headache. Amazing. Especially since most of the maple syrup remained in the bowl. So I guess the cleanse is doing something for sure. Certainly has turned me off of sweets...for now at least.