A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A DETOXING NUTRITIONIST

A detox is something I do once - twice a year as a means to flush the unavoidable toxins in our world today and to help revitalise my digestive system and energy levels (did you know the average Aussie has 3-5kg of toxic waste in their bowels?!). Although I have a very balanced and nutritious diet throughout the whole year, I find a detox takes my energy to another level, mentally helps me focus and makes me sleep like a baby!

When I asked people to detox with me, the results were so incredible I now run 2-4 detoxes per year where I take a limited number of people and guide them every step of the way. It's not about a quick fix, it's about re-setting your habits and prioritising your health. I currently have one program running with the next one starting on March 20th so I thought I would share with you what a day on my 21 Day Detox entails..

6 basic principles:

- no sugar or processed foods (including honey maple syrup, stevia, rice malt syrup etc)
- no gluten
- no caffeine
- no alcohol
- no smoking or drugs
- no red meat and dairy (only for the first 10 days).

Note: eliminating the above is one aspect to the detox, however, what makes this program different to other detox's is that I have carefully designed it to support the biochemical pathways that actually breakdown and eliminate toxins. If this isn't achieved (like in a juice detox for example), those toxins can be drawn out and left lurking around in your system!

21 DAY DETOX - Day #1

5:30am: wake + apple cider vinegar in water

6:00am: Exercise. Depending on the day it is either a high intensity workout to work up a sweat or a more gentle morning of walking or yoga paired with a sauna to ensure we're still sweating out those toxins. This is followed by lymph brushing before a quick shower.  The reason for lymph brushing is to move stagnant lymph fluid which helps in reducing fluid retention, improving circulation and eliminating toxins. Not to mention it's also great to firm the skin!

7:00am Breakfast: Antioxidant Smoothie (spinach, zucchini, banana, psyllium, turmeric, ginger, lemon juice, protein and coconut milk) + Detox Tea from Love Tea. Antioxidants are extremely important when detoxing to support the liver in excreting toxins but also to help combat any inflammation.

10:00am Snack: piece of fruit and nut butter + a Detox Tea.

12:30pm Lunch: Green Detox Salad (cabbage, spinach, celery, green beans, peas, capsicum, mint, tamari pumpkin seeds, quinoa, lentils). Greens and bitter greens are helpful for a detox and although this is plant based recipe, amino acids are needed to break down toxins, so that is why I add quinoa and lentils to the salad.

4:00pm Snack: Bone Broth + Detox Tea. Bone broth is a mineral rich liquid full of essential nutrients required for detoxification, and also in the form we can easily absorb. We use a whole organic chicken to make our broth and the deliciously slow cooked chicken is added to meals for extra protein throughout the week.

6:30pm Dinner: Vegetarian San Choy Bow. This is an example of one of the plant based dinners using quinoa and tempeh, however fish and chicken are also included and red meat is introduced in small amounts in Phase II of the 21 days.

8:00pm: Detox Tea + Meditation. Stress needs to be kept to a minimum while detoxing as it will exhaust our bodies energy stores and drain our adrenals. We need this energy to go towards repairing and rejuvenating our important organs and cells so meditation is recommended to help manage stress levels. 

9:30pm bed time, including 8 hours sleep. This is when the magic happens, when our bodies are at rest. Ensuring 8 hours sleep per night will allow our body to get to work repairing any damage from toxins and reconstructing our overworked organs and cells.

Note: the timings of the day are completely up to you, as long as you tick off the list for the day from the eating plan and other activities recommended (lymph brushing, meditation etc).

If you think a detox is for you then don't miss out on my next program starting Monday 20th March (registrations close Thursday 16th March). There's no better feeling than after completing a practitioner guided detox!