Hi Folks – I
cannot begin to tell you how tumultuous these last two weeks have been. I need a wooo sah moment or just a simple
vacation!!!!
I started theparasite cleanse two weeks ago with Well Diva Lifestyle (formerly known as Soul Food Therapy). On day 2 of the cleanse,
I broke rank and had ice cream (it was my birthday after all)! The following week I had to travel for
work. Traveling has always been tricky
because you never know what the food selection is going to be in the airports or at your final destination. Last year I wrote a series of articles that about diet and travel (Airplane Food parts 1 - 5). The difference in last year's saga was that I was not limited to foods parasites hat (FPH). Most
locations I visit are not metropolitan areas with a wide array of health food
options. Plus, I always use traveling as
a means to get the naughty treats I normally refrain from (during a stress free
week!).
So here I go on
a week long journey out of town, away from my kitchen stocked with foods
parasites hate (FPH) and into the realm of foods parasites love (FPL). I never really paid attention to the food
choices (healthy or otherwise) in regards to what parasites hate. It’s sad to say but MOST of the food
available in the marketplace (restaurants and grocery stores) is a parasite’s dream! I wouldn’t be surprised if the general
population was riddled with parasites based on the components of the standard American
diet (SAD) that we consume.
So how did I
manage? Did I give up? Well…yes…and no. Let me explain.
1 – I searched
for food and snacks that parasites would hate in the airport. It was quite disappointing and
frustrating. I found some snacks…..but
they WERE NOT TASTY! I’m always talking about how healthy food should taste
good but I was very disappointed and not eager to continue to torture myself.
2 - I stuck to
my standard late night supermarket trip to pick up healthy snacks. This time, I
included smoothie ingredients and a very small blender ($20). I had a smoothie EVERY morning for breakfast
but it went downhill from there. I did drink ample water and had no elimination issues.
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| Late night grocery haul - berries, pineapples, nuts, basil, mint, coconut water, unsweetened peanut butter, celery, blender, water bottles, straws, crushed red pepper, lemons, small knife |
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| I'm done.....EXHAUSTED........ |
3 – I compromised
and ate foods parasites LOVE (FPL).
Examples: cheese on my salad with ranch dressing. Yeast rolls for lunch.
Veggie nachos for dinner (with grilled veggies, beans, avocado, cheese and corn
chips). I had a stress episode on the
last day and ate lasagna…………………and potato chips…..and a donut!
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| Lunch - salad with ranch and cheese - I added the nuts and pumpkin seeds |
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| Lunch - salad, cole slaw and the forbidden potato salad |
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| Dinner - veggie nachos (forbidden cheese and corn chips) |
So I was on the
edge and actually jumped in the water. I
felt slightly guilty…and even more disappointed because I did not stick to the
program. I’ve rebelled during a cleanse before, but this time it just felt so hard.
Here’s what I learned:
1. It’s really hard to remain faithful to a
cleansing program while away from home. When your comfort zone (the home kitchen) is
stripped away and you are left to protect the cleanse in a “hostile”
environment it can get rough. I had
difficulty and temptation even in the grocery store! I was so hungry in that grocery store a box of Nutty Bars was screaming my name!
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| Late night TEMPTATION |
2. Life happens. You do the best you can, pick up the pieces
and start again. There is no need to feel guilty or beat myself up.
3. I’ve been exposed to another wellness
activity and feel empowered that I can repeat it…..and actually complete the
program.
4. My advice to others is plan to do a
cleanse when you don’t have anything else to do…no birthday celebrations,
travelling, or visitors. It can be done,
but takes a lot more effort, and when you are away from home, you can never
predict what type of food will be available. Granted I could have eliminated the
cheese.........
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| Peanut butter and jelly smoothie ingredients (blackberries, strawberries, peanut butter, coconut water) |
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| Pineapple, strawberry and mint with chia and coconut water |
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| Infused water (lemon, mint and strawberries) |
Next steps:
1. Continue to pay attention to the foods I
eat so that I can have a balance between foods parasites hate and love.
2. Continue to eat pineapples and pepper
along with the other yummy recipes I created while on the cleanse.
3. Try the parasite cleanse again
when there is less excitement in my life.
I'll leave you with key messages that have helped me: just do your best. Life is a
journey. Things are not always going to
go as planned, but having a measure of self-control still goes a long way. Will power is key in completing any
challenge. External forces can pressure
your resolve. It’s up to you to manage
it, but don’t beat yourself up about falling short. Just get back up and try it again.
Even though the parasite cleanse was rocky, I’ve
been enlightened on what parasitic symptoms are, how bad the standard American diet
is, and how to manage my diet better.
Whew!
Peace and love!
