I love the holidays. Peg me as one those people that has to hold back from setting up their Christmas decorations until after Halloween. The lights, the apple cider, the extra family time (so often in pajamas). It's lovely. I would want it go on forever, except for the pure fact that by the end of it, I feel terrible. Bloated. Tired. Unmotivated. Weighed down - emotionally and physically. This has become even more pronounced since I've changed my eating habits, normally fueling my body, giving it what it needs to function well and efficiently. I'm familiar with what I'm supposed to feel like.
It's only December 19th and I already feel far from my body's optimal performance.
So I'm planning a reset. A fresh start. That is what January is about right? Even my husband, ever so resistant to change is on board. (I think he too has eaten one too many pieces of pie in the last month. So as a family, we are committing to it, and I think you should join us.
Food plays such a powerful role in our health. Everything we put in our mouth either helps, or hurts us. Truly, there is no in between. Let's start the year by fueling our bodies with the nutrients it needs to properly function. I think you'll find it changes things in ways you never thought possible.
The Plan:
1. We'll begin our journey to health on January 3rd by doing a 3 day juice fast. No, I'm not talking about orange juice.. Aka nature's version of soda. I'm talking about green juice. Vegetable juice. Don't throw in the towel yet, it's delicious, I promise. It takes some re-framing of your concept of juice but after that (somewhat intensive) re-framing (and recipes from me), you'll enjoy it. Obviously, some things must be considered before doing this: like pregnancy, high exercise demand, etc, and it never hurts to ask your doctor (though they may look at you kinda funny) but for the vast majority of people, short term fasts have many health benefits. For example, it is one of the most powerful tools for resetting inflammation in the body. It helps prevent aging of the brain and maximizes brain function. Fasting facilitates the breakdown of toxins stored so deeply in our body, they would otherwise be left to continue to propagate damage, sometimes for decades. It kicks in the mechanisms that repair our genes and DNA which play a role in disease and cancer prevention. HGH or human growth hormone is activated, this activates our bodies repair mechanisms promoting healing and the breakdown of fat. One of the most important byproducts of fasting is the break it gives your gut. Allowing it to heal and better absorb nutrients and protect your body from harmful pathogens.
2. After the 3 days of fasting we begin 30 days of pretty hard core healthy eating. January 6th-February 4th. For this we will follow the guidelines of the Whole30 diet. The Whole30 diet consists of, well, exactly what you would think, whole foods for 30 days. It goes further than that and restricts you to only whole, unprocessed foods that are low inflammatory foods. This is the kicker, your body can do amazing things when it isn't inflamed. Another interesting property of this "diet" is that is changes the way you want to eat. We did this earlier in the fall, my husband, Casey and I. You could say that my husband has never had ANY self control with food his entire life, and I wouldn't tell you that you were exaggerating. The man used to eat Reece's Cups like potato chips before falling asleep. Nightly. He is one of the lucky ones who can eat anything, anything, and not gain weight. In short, this leads to no need for (even the slightest) bit of self control. After our first round of the Whole30 he doesn't even want sweets. He wants to eat a salad for lunch each day. To watch that evolution, has been nothing short of remarkable. Find out more of the details on the Whole30 here: http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/
If you are saying to yourself, "this is too hard," I want to say this to you (as taken from the Whole30 site): It's not hard. Don't you dare tell us this is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Birthing a baby is hard. Losing a parent is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You've done harder things than this, and you have no excuse not to complete the program as written. It's only thirty days, and it's for the most important health cause on earth-the only physical body you will ever have in this lifetime.
I believe in this. I've seen it change the lives of my patients and in my own home. It can change you, from the inside. Join us, you only have one body, one life time, nourish it. Nourish it better.
Keep up the momentum by joining us in our plan. Subscribe to the blog for recipes, as well as juice and meal ideas throughout the month. We are excited to share this journey with you.