When I get back from vacation I am going to do a two week detox. I will eat only fruits and vegetables for two weeks – no caffeine, sugar, grains, dairy, meat etc. I try to do this at the two major seasonal changes where I live – fall, when the temperature drops significantly and we move most of our lives indoors; and spring, when we start to venture outside again. I find the winters the hardest – the cold cold, snowy weather. The dry heat. The need to wear socks to bed. The shiver as I undress. Detoxing at this time of year helps me with my sugar & carb cravings that I tend to find get worse in the cold winters! The spring detox is usually a caffeine-kicking exercise for me, because I usually fall off the coffee wagon during the end of winter, as the cold, snowy season brings out a lethargy in my physical body that I don’t have the rest of the time!
My husband will not be doing this with me. I am a vata-pitta. He is a pitta-kapha. He does his own version of detox, by doing the 5-2 diet, where he fasts 2 days a week and eats a minimal amount once a day. I cannot go for hours on end without food, and struggle with meal skipping, so I find that this bi-annual detox is the best way for me to press the reset button on my system.
Research suggests, however, that the longer we live together, the more our health behaviors (or lack thereof) will align. I have seen this health concordance play out over the last few years with my husband. Initially the green smoothies that I made for myself for breakfast were referred to as “green sludge” and were actively avoided. Now they are requested. The green soups were deemed too boring and lacking in meatiness, until they were covered with a large mountain of my freshly harvested sprouted broccoli seeds or with a dollop of my delicious kim chi. The question is, will I start to be able to fast for chunks of the day, the more my husband does this?
I have found that the only way to make these detoxes work for me, as I continue to navigate family life – feeding three kids, teaching, writing, etc, is to make it a full life detox. Clear out the cupboards, donate old clothes, shred old documents, go through the toy boxes, etc. I have to make the active choice to make this detox be a personal, but complete experience.
Interesting research on choices suggests that limiting choices makes it easier for people. We simply get too overwhelmed when we have too many things to choose from. I see that in one of my family members who finds the options in an American sandwich shop too overwhelming for words – bread, meats, cheese, vegetables, dressings etc. Just make me a sandwich already! I know that I will find it easier to navigate this detox if I have a few simple, convenient choices at hand, at all times. So, my plan is to make big batches of soups & marinated salads that will be there, on the shelf when I open the fridge, so that I will make the right choice, and not get tempted by something my kids are eating! I also need to make a plan about my daily choices regarding the detox – e.g. mondays – office, tuesdays – bedroom, wednesdays – playroom etc so that I have a daily house plan to stick to and I won’t procrastinate and obfuscate and find a reason not to detox my house too!
So, consider joining me. This does not have to be a complicated process. You can do it for a week, see how you feel and then keep going if it’s working for you.
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In peace & healthy digestion –
Tamsin