Happy Sunday Fabbies! Of course you guys know that I love fashion and all things girly, but recently I have been deep-diving in research on nutrition and health. As a vegan, I am no doubt the healthiest I have ever been, but I still have days where I feel sluggish or more tired than normal, get the occasional pimple or breakout on my face, and I KNOW it is due to what I have been eating. Yes I have a plant-based diet, but let’s face it: Some days, even for ME, I don’t get enough fruits and vegetables. What am I eating instead you ask? Let’s see: chips, vegan hot dogs, vegan cheese dip, pasta, and whatever else “quick” little snack that I can get my hands on. Of course, these are not nearly as bad as eating “real meat and cheese”, but it is equally important to CONSISTENTLY eat a healthy serving and fruits and vegetables EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
What Are Toxins?
Because many of us don’t consume the required amount of fruits and vegetables throughout the day, and instead opt for processed, sugar-laden, and unhealthy meals, we build up toxins inside. These toxins, when not eliminated properly, are the things that eventually lead to things like cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and the list goes on. The buildup of these toxins then makes our bodies acidic. And an acidic body is not a healthy body. And aside from what we are eating, we are also living in toxic environments in general. Many of our household personal care products, cleaning products, plastics, nail polishes, deodorants, diesel fuel, paint, and the list goes on, contain toxins. So we are breathing in toxins on a daily basis. Our bodies are continually fighting toxins, but we as continue to overload it with more toxins, weight gain and sickness occurs.
www.mixwellness.com has the perfect metaphor:
“Imagine living in a very small space. What would it be like if you could only remove 20% of the trash you brought in? How does that space feel after a week? How about a month? Now imagine what this would be like in a year. This is how your cells feel when they cannot release toxins and waste.”
But because are bodies are uniquely designed, we are able to rid toxins as well. Ways that we naturally eliminate toxins are through having regular bowel moments and sweating. We can also detox through our diets, and being particularly mindful to feed it exactly what it needs, and that is fruits and vegetables. When we do this, we then are getting our bodies to a place where it is alkaline, or at a balanced pH level, which equates to an overall healthy life. Ask yourself this: When was the last time you sweated? If it takes you longer than five seconds to answer, then it is probably time for a detox. Exercise is a wonderful way to release toxins, and is the probably the number 1 recommendation for doctors to patients who are overweight. We all need to sweat! It may seem like “duh”, but when you are overweight, your body is filled with toxins. But even people are not overweight have high levels of toxins as well. Take a look at the list below and see if it may be time for you to detox:
Reasons It May Be Time For A Detox:
1.) If you are having acne breakouts or issues with your skin.
2.) If you are consistently bloated.
3.) If you get frequent headaches.
4.) If you’re feeling fatigued or tired all the time.
5.) If you have trouble sleeping.
6.) If you have muscle aches or joint pain.
7.) If you are stressed out.
8.) If you are depressed.
9.) If you have persistent problems with sinus, congestion, or get colds regularly.
10.) If you are constipated.
11.) If you have a hard time losing weight.
12.) If you regularly have stomach issues like indigestion, nausea, or pain.
If any of the above from the list apply to you, then it is probably time for a detox. Now, there are TONS of detox programs, plans, diets, and ways that you can detox. According to Dictionary.com, here is the official meaning of a detox:
- noun: complete and sudden withdrawal from an addictive substance.
Let’s face it people, many of us are addicted to the foods that we eat. Even though we may know the dangers of eating too much sugar, too much alcohol, meat, dairy, and all the other cancer-causing foods, we consume them anyway. This is why detoxing in general is extremely important. Does detoxing mean you don’t eat anything? Of course not! The point of a detox is to rid your body of all of the toxic wastes that you have been accumulating. The best way to aid with detoxing your body is to feed it with the proper nutrients, so that you can get your body to its proper alkaline state.
Again, I took an interest in learning about detoxing because I would have days where I would be so fatigued, bloated, or have a random pimple pop up, and I ain’t got time for all that! Plus, some nights, late night munchies take over, and I end up eating just junk (vegan junk, but junk nonetheless haha), and would wake up feeling terrible! So off to research I went, and then I started trying to detox at least once a week. Here is what a day of detoxing for me looks like:
Detox Food Log:
Breakfast: First thing I drink everyday anyway is lemon water. Adding lemons to your water (especially water that is room temperature), aids in digestion, is also filled with Vitamin C, and boosts your immune system.
*also a bonus ladies: Getting enough vitamin C from your lemon water keeps the body producing collagen, essential in smoothing out lines in the face, and keeping your skin hydrated and fresh! (www.draxe.com)
After I drink my lemon water, I then eat a piece of fruit, like an apple, 2 kiwis, or a handful of blackberries, or strawberries.
Mid-Morning Snack/Lunch: A green smoothie. This smoothie contains all green vegetables, plus a lemon. This ensures that I get a substantial amount of vegetables, thus supplying many of the micronutrients that our bodies need, and is EXCELLENT for drinking when detoxing. Here is the recipe for the green smoothie:
- 2 cups of kale (anti-inflammatory, high in Vitamin K (which we need for bone strength, and aids with blood-clots, among other benefits.)
- 1 lemon (see above)
- 1 cup of cilantro (aids the body in detoxification, specifically when the body is exposed to the metal toxins aluminum, arsenic, and cadmium.)
- 1/2 of a cucumber (keeps you hydrated, flushes out toxins (due to the high amount of water, sweeps out wastes naturally, boosts your immune system.)
- 1/4 cup of fresh dill (great source of calcium and iron, and provides anti-inflammatory benefits like lowering cholesterol.)
- turmeric (turmeric contains Curcumin, which helps the body fight foreign invaders and also has a role in repairing damaged incurred due to inflammation.)
- 1/2 cup of celery (protects liver health, boosts digestion and reduces bloating.)
This may not sound like it’s very appetizing, but it really is not so bad, and actually has a little zest to it because of the cilantro and lemon. But it really is a super smoothie, which allows you to get SO MANY nutritional benefits just in a single serving. And after reading the benefits of each vegetable, you will notice that many have anti-inflammatory properties, which is necessary in the detoxification process. If you are overweight, you have inflammation. Inflammation leads to chronic disease like Diabetes, Cancer, Stroke, Heart Disease, etc. Many times, these diseases are brewing inside of us, and we never know…until we get sick and start experiencing the symptoms…
I typically make a large pitcher of this green super smoothie, and drink one during the early part of the day, and another smoothie sometime in the evening. Between drinking these smoothies and eating fruits, I also drink TONS of water throughout the day. The daily recommended intake of water of is about 3 liters per day for men, and 2.2 liters for women. That equals to about 9-13 glasses of water per day. I also munch on raw veggies throughout the day, like carrots, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, and even raw mushrooms. (which I LOVE!)
So to sum it up, my Detox Day looks like this:
- fresh ORGANIC fruit
- fresh ORGANIC raw veggies
- lemon water all day
- Green Super Smoothie
***When it comes to detoxing, eating the fruits and vegetables raw ensure that they retain all of their nutritional value, because cooking them can cause them to lose some of the benefits.***
Sidenote: Please please please make sure that you are buying organic fruits and vegetables. You want to eat some toxins? Eat non-organic fruit and vegetables, because they are FILLED with chemicals and pesticides to keep them from rotting and decaying quicker than organic fruit. YES, buying organic is a tad more expensive, but damnit you’re worth that extra $2.00. Non-organic fruits and vegetables are a breeding ground for toxins.
I said all of that to say, that I wanted to start doing “Detox Mondays”, as a way to get myself on track for the week ahead. I may have overindulged on the weekend, or maybe I did not get enough of the vital nutrients over the course of the week. So with detoxing at the start of the week, it will keep me on track to make smart decisions regarding the foods that I eat for the week.
I encourage all of you reading this to start “Detox Mondays” with me, so that we can hold ourselves accountable, and get on the right track for leading our healthiest lives yet. If you want the best effects of a detox, the recommended detox is at least 3-days (which I have done a few times too! Some people detox for 7-10 days when they want to fully detox, and I encourage you to do your research and see what would work best for you if you are interested!)
But for now, we can all consistently detox at least once a week, and that starts with Monday. You will be surprised at how accomplished and proud of yourself you will be after detoxing. And aside from that, you will FEEL better too! And after you start with one day, push yourself to do maybe two days next, and so on. Again, as long as we are living on Planet Earth, there will be toxins all around us, with some toxins floating through the air. However, we have full control of what we are putting in our bodies, and educating ourselves on what keeps us healthiest is vital to our overall well-being. So vegan or not, we can ALL detox on a regular basis, because our bodies NEED it. The foods of our childhood are not the same as the foods of our kids. Foods are over processed, more chemicals are being used, hormones are injected left and right into the animals. These days, animals are injected with even more harsh chemicals and steroids so they can hurry up and fatten up at a young age, (meaning, a baby cow is born, then injected so it can hurry up and gain weight, then get nice and plump, then killed so you can have your burger next week.) The majority of food toxins come from animal, and this includes any animal meat and dairy. And that includes the pus-filled milk that is consumed by the American Diet on a daily basis. Milk does NOT do a body good. Milk is highly toxic and causes you to have mucous. Mucous makes us sick.
In short, I want us all to be healthy. This post is not about converting anybody to veganism, (although, if it happens then yasssssssssssssssss! hahaha), but about us educating ourselves on the importance of eating well and being healthy. I encourage all of you do your own research as well, because we can never know enough when it comes to our health. We only get one body! I know too many of us are hearing stories of family members or friends getting diagnosed with terminal diseases, or having to take medication for sickness. Our medicine is in the food baby! Too many of us are dying because of our poor eating habits. The first step to a healthy, alkalized body is to rid our bodies of as many toxins as possible, and making a trip to the grocery store should probably be in your immediate future. So together, let’s start Detox Mondays, and be well on our way to leading our healthiest lives yet!
Cheers! (Since we’re talking about health, let’s put the champagne down this time, and toast with our smoothies. 😉 And if you need more smoothie recipes, check out my previous blog post where I give you 10 different smoothie recipe options! 🙂
xoxo
Sources:
Fab & Ravenous: My Lifestyle Blog 
This is a great post! Crazy thing is, around 3-4 weeks ago Jason bought a personal blender and my son used it and made a smoothie (he didn’t love it)but I was glad he used it. So I decided that I needed more fruit and vegetables In my diet so I started making smoothies every other day, green and veggie with berries. I started with the frozen bags and then noticed that I didn’t like the small additives so I went to the market and got all the ingredients fresh (Organic) and I was on it. The frozen Jamba smoothies are so good but I didn’t like the pre madeness of them (made up word). My fresh and organic smoothies haven’t been the best, however, I know I’m getting a lot of the nutrients I need for the day. I’ve detoxed one day in the week and drink a smoothie for one of my meals almost daily for the past 2 weeks. I am often fatigued and I’m too young for that lol so I’m all for it. Plus it’s an easy way to get your fruit and veggies out of the way (even though I still eat an apple and almonds as a snack. You’re a modern day Nutritionist around here, keep up the good writing 🙂
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Thank you so much Patricia! I’m so glad to hear that you’re on the path to a healthier you! Cheers! 😽☺️
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