HEALTHY LIFESTYLE · DECEMBER 2018
HEALTHY LIFESTYLE · DECEMBER 2018
I
HEALTHY LIFESTYLE · DECEMBER 2018
DETOX
RETOX
REPEAT…
OR NOT?
t’s that time of year
again. People are
stepping outside after
a long Florida winter
of sales and stuffing.
The day has finally arrived. It's D
Day! "D" for detox, of course. Time
for the newest detox that promises
limitless happiness surely attained from
losing those extra pounds and cleansing the
body of all foods modern culture deems evil.
You may think that this sarcasm is reflecting
an anti-detox mentality, but my tension
comes more from how detox is used rather
than the detox itself. Let's break this down.
You party a little too hardy for the holidays
or eat poorly because you are "too tired and
busy."
Step 1: Go on a detox. Do Whole30, a juicing
and bone broth fast, intermittent fasting,
whole food vegan, or other popular cleanse.
Step 2: In 2-7 days your energy improves,
you lose weight, you feel lighter, and the
world is a better place. You carry out
the cleanse for the remaining days and
experience continued benefits.
being something therapeutic to being
nothing more than a yo-yo crash diet with a
side of milk thistle wrapped up in a booshie
holistic spa package.
Bottom Line:
1. Your exit strategy is far more important
than which detox you choose to do!
2. Your detox should focus on quality, not
quantity. Restricting calories, carbs, or any
other macro has been scientifically proven
to cause the body to compensate, ultimately
leading to regaining the weight and, in many
cases, weighing even more than your initial
weight!
Detox Done Right
Step 3: The cleanse ends and you quickly
slide back into exactly what you were doing
before the detox.
A detox can do a lot more than just support
liver detoxification and help you lose a few
pounds. When used strategically, it can jump-
start long-lasting lifestyle changes. Why not
Step 4: One to three months go by and you just go straight to lifestyle changes? Indeed,
gain back all the weight plus some (which
that is a viable option as well. Certainly better
has been scientifically proven to happen with than the previous scenario listed above.
yo-yo dieting). You have sudden onset OCD
(obsessive coffee drinking), and start feening However, I actually really like doing a cleanse
for your next detoxgasm.
first for multiple reasons. Spoiler alert:
Step 5: Repeat steps 1-4.
Sound familiar? When detox is used like
this, which is almost always, it goes from
these reasons are not always easy for people
to carry out on their own. Working with a
healthcare provider knowledgeable in these
areas may be necessary to get you to that
next level.
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2. Start integrating mindful and
intuitive (MI) eating practices
during the cleanse and instead of
stopping when the cleanse ends,
go even deeper into MI.
Traditionally MI is the opposite of doing
a detox. The mindful and intuitive eating
philosophy specifically tries to steer people
away from dieting and detox dogma. I
believe that you can have the best of both
worlds. To me, an elimination diet (without
caloric or macro restriction) with strategic
reintroduction IS a way to hone in on more
mindful and intuitive eating by allowing you
to pay closer attention to how certain foods
make your body feel.
1. Treat the detox like
an elimination diet.
An elimination diet involves
eliminating certain foods (e.g., nuts,
dairy, gluten, shellfish) for a specific period
of time, then strategically reintroducing
each food one at a time to see how the body
responds. When your diet is full of processed
foods, your body does not always give you
clear signals for what it wants and what it
doesn’t want. Have you ever done a cleanse
and then tried eating pizza or burger and
fries? Does your body feel different than
when you were eating these foods before
the cleanse? Do you have more noticeable
digestive issues, pain, fatigue, brain fog, or
skin issues? Essentially, after the detox your
body can be very happy and in order to stay
happy, it raises the volume when you eat
something that it doesn’t like.
Reintroduce one new food every 4-5 days.
Eat that food a few times over the course of
two days, and then wait another 2-3 days to
see how your body responds. Most people
think that if they don't feel something right
away that the food is fine. If you feel good
with that food, bring it back into the diet
and reintroduce something else. If you do
not feel good with that food, you have to
decide if you want to eliminate it, remove it
for 3-6 months then reintroduce it, eat less
of it, or continue eating it. It is totally up to
you. This process is to learn more about how
your body responds to certain foods. Once
you know, you can do whatever you want
with that information. However, if you do
decide to bring back a food that your body
did not respond well to, wait until after you
have finished the reintroduction phase to
continue eating it.
long-term thus has to be something flexible
and that you enjoy, or else you will not stick
with it. The goal of a healthy lifestyle is not
to eat 100% "clean" or "healthy." The goal is
to consistently eat in a way that nourishes
your body and energizes you, AND to
allow yourself (without guilt) to also enjoy
foods that do not fall into this category.
For example, you discover from the detox/
elimination diet that wheat is significantly
contributing to your chronic digestive
issues, so you have a smoothie for breakfast
and leftovers from the night before for
a balanced lunch. You see gluten-free
chocolate chip cookies that look amazing, so
you decide to have one or two because you
enjoy cookies. You don't feel the urge to eat
more because you know you can have them
whenever you want. Then you go home and
eat a dinner that nourishes your body and
feel good about your day.
inflammation. The diet includes smoothies,
vegetables, healthy unprocessed gluten-free
carbs (fruits, starchy vegetables, and gluten-
free grains), clean protein, and healthy fats.
Some people modify the allowable foods to
be more consistent with the Paleo or AIP.
There are different options for how to utilize
the two shakes a day. I prefer to use one
shake as a breakfast smoothie and the other
as a snack between lunch and dinner.
3. Juicery Rx Cleanse: Most organic juice
cleanses are just cold pressed juices, but the
brilliant "green pharmacist" Kimmi Stultz
takes it to another level by adding in-house
made organic bone broths, high-quality
plant protein powders, specially formulated
herbals (supporting liver, adrenal, kidneys,
and lymphatics), along with cold-pressed
Most of us eat on autopilot. We eat when
juices to give optimal support for 1, 3, or 5
we think we are supposed to eat or when
days. This cleanse is great for those who
we are told, OR we ignore our bodies and
don't want to cook, prep, or even to have to
don't eat until we are so hungry we are ready
Staci’s Favorite Detox Options think about their food. This cleanse will be
and willing to eat anything and everything
lower in calories than your exit strategy, so
in sight. MI is an approach that helps you
you may gain back some of the weight you
As I mentioned before, there is not one detox
become more in tune with your body. This
lost during the cleanse. However, it is a short
that is THE detox for everyone. Find which
approach helps you eat based on your
one resonates with you and, most importantly, cleanse with lots of other benefits, so I feel
individual needs and doesn't dismiss your
focus on what you will be doing after the detox. comfortable suggesting it for those who
desires either. This approach takes you off
You should have the basics of your exit strategy resonate with this approach.
the roller coaster of dieting and binging
figured out before you start. Below are some
and helps you to improve your relationship
of my favorite detox options:
with food. For many, this is key for making
Detox is not just food…
"healthy" a lifestyle. There are books,
Remember to adopt sleep hygiene practices
podcasts, Facebook groups, and YouTube
1. A detox can be as simple as eating only
and meditation/deep belly breathing; get
videos all on mindful and intuitive eating. I
unprocessed foods and eliminating common
quality sleep, exercise, and sunlight; switch
would suggest taking some time when you
food sensitivities such as gluten, dairy, soy,
out toxic cleaning and body care products;
are doing your cleanse to start learning
and corn, then focusing on eating fruits and
and try to get in some infrared sauna time
about and incorporating these practices.
vegetables, organic and wild caught forms of
and lymphatic dry brushing. Also, don't
animal protein, beans, nuts, seeds, gluten-free
forget that your attitude (positive
whole grains (no flours), and healthy fats such
thinking) is more powerful than
3. Great jump-start to motivate
anything you can put in your mouth!
you to problem solve for long-term as extra virgin cold pressed olive, coconut,
and
avocado
oil.
Some
may
also
try
Whole30,
change
Autoimmune Protocol (AIP), or a vegan whole
Reference
Paul S. MacLean, Audrey Bergouignan, Marc-Andre
food
plan.
Remember
to
focus
on
quality,
More often then not, the cleanse you choose
Cornier, and Matthew R. Jackman. Biology's response
not quantity. The quantity of food should be
to dieting: the impetus for weight regain. Am J Physiol
is not sustainable as a lifestyle. You are
similar
to
your
exit
strategy
(lifestyle).
Regul Integr Comp Physiol 301:
R581–R600, 2011.
energized and your liver is grateful for the
recent surge in nutrient support! Use this
2. Designs for Health Pure Paleo Cleanse:
energy to figure out what is needed for you
STACI SHACTER
This
combines the prized collagen protein
to incorporate "healthy" and "balanced" as a
Staci Shacter MS RD LDN is a
lifestyle. What is YOUR reason for not being powder and targeted nutrients with real
Nutritionist at Carillon Miami
Wellness Resort
whole foods. The program supports gut
able to consistently get a plate of food in
health,
liver
detoxification
pathways,
and
front of you that is nourishing your body
AND that you enjoy? Maybe it is time, maybe
your energy is low, maybe it is motivation,
maybe you are an emotional eater, maybe
you are a picky eater, or maybe you don't
know what to eat. There are solutions
to all of these! If you don't know what
to do, work with someone who can
lead you to the answers.
Remember the difference between lifestyle
and diet. A diet is strict, rigid, and suggested
for a specific period of time. A lifestyle is
27 HEALTHY MAGAZINE