Healthy Detox Challenge - NO FASTING

MochaMixAZ

Good Morning, Fitness Pal'ers!

Are you interested in participating in a 14 day HEALTHFUL detox? This is NOT fasting but focuses on a natural eating approach with the elimination of processed, pre-packaged, nutrient-empty foods.

Here’s the specifics:
-The detox should last 14 days. We’ll start this Friday, hopefully giving you time to stock up on what you might need (and what you might need to get rid of).
-For the 14 days, avoid ANY foods that you don’t know what all the ingredients are. This will cut out most crackers, breads, chips, cookies, etc. My personal rule of thumb is that when I detox, anything that I eat out of a box/bag should have less than 5 ingredients – of which I know and can pronounce all.
-Whole, fresh foods are key. Think back-to-nature. Eat a variety of fresh, whole, nutrient-dense vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, beans, legumes, organic meats. Choose grains carefully and make sure to check the ingredients.
-The detox will require that you prepare most of your meals at home so you can control the ingredients.
- Absolutely no chemical sweeteners (Splenda, this means YOU)
- Participants are requested to open their food diaries for view and add Challenge participants as friends. This is to help us all stay accountable
- At minimum, it is requested that you check in and post to THIS thread twice a week about your progress. It's likely that you will have some cravings during the process - and we can support each other to make it through the 14 days. In addition, encouragement can be given through your personal news feeds if you choose to add other participants as friends.

To make this manageable and the most-supportive challenge possible, participants will be limited to 12 people. First come, first serve.

This truly isn't a weight-loss challenge (although it's a likely byproduct). When I've done this successfully in the past, I've had a miserable few days of detox, followed by the most amazing boost of energy, elimination of cravings, and overall feeling of well-being. I've fallen away from this lifestyle and need help getting back to it. Are you in?!

CarlitaK

Ok i'm in!

superhippiechik

I am in.

partcho

I'm in. Are we waiting for the first 12 to start?

MochaMixAZ

So excited to see people joining! Check back here a few times before THIS Friday and I'll post more details and information. Detox Day 1 will be Friday, March 4th.

Lots more to come!

MochaMixAZ

Here is a little more information to get you started before our kick-off Friday.

Challenge Goal: To consume only natural food and food combinations, including fruits/vegetables, whole grains, eggs, organic dairy and meats while eliminating refined sugars, hydrogenated oils, additives, and processed foods.

Steps to Complete:
- (Optional, but recommended) Add those in this thread as friends.

- (Optional, but recommended). Open your food diary to be visible to friends. To do this, from your Home page, click on “settings”. Click on “diary settings”. Scroll down to Diary Sharing and select either “Friends Only” or “Public”. Click Save Changes.

- (Recommended) Remove temptation and cleanse your immediate access areas of processed foods, snack foods, unnatural sweeteners, and anything with chemical ingredients. You want to have access to foods found in nature without additives and processing. If the food is packaged, read the ingredients. If you don’t know what they are – don’t eat it!

- (Required) Start thinking about how you will accomplish a more natural approach to your food preparations for 14 days. This type of eating doesn’t lend to fast food fixes, and a little prep will take you a long way. (required)

- (Required) Commit to yourself that you will be a natural eater for 14 days. Our objective is truly NO SLIPS during this time… that’s the only way you will get the full benefits of the detox.

- (Required) Determine your minimum healthy water consumption per day. There are lots of websites to help you determine your personal goals. Find your goal, and plan how you will stick to it.

- (Required) Check back here at least TWICE per week and post something. It can be about your experience, a comment to another participant, a great natural recipe… but something. Stay involved and help motivate your peers. I will also commit to posting at least once a day.

(Optional) Begin thinking about what you are willing to do to deal with cravings as the pop up. Cravings should be anticipated, especially in the first few days.

- (Required) Review your current eating. Think about what needs to be eliminated for the 14 days. Personalize this challenge to meet your needs – as long as you are eliminating the processed foods, you will be in line with our goal. My list is as follows:

-- Foods to Avoid: Processed sugars, artificial sweeteners, food additives, processed foods
-- Foods to Include: Fruits, vegetables, organic meats and dairy, whole grains, lentils, beans, dark chocolate (as long as I understand the ingredient list!), spices, coffee (controversial, but I opt to include it)

(Optional) Read On to Learn More, excerpt from http://www.dietsinreview.com/diets/natural-foods-diet/:

Similar to the Whole Foods Diet, the Natural Foods Diet endorses a way of eating that is free of additives and processed ingredients. Rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, sustainably and organically-raised poultry, dairy, meat and whole grains, the Natural Foods Diet is in direct contrast to the Western Diet, which is comprised of processed and highly refined foods and is strongly implicated in adverse health conditions.

PRO ________________________________________
• Rich in fresh and unprocessed foods
• A diet rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains has been linked to a decrease in many diseases
• Promotes appreciation of food in their natural form
• May help to reduce weight
• Endorses growing home gardens or supporting locally-raised food
• Environmentally friendly
CON ________________________________________
• Way of eating requires discipline
• Requires that you have access to plenty of fresh food

The Natural Foods Diet is a lifestyle eating plan that avoids the use of additives, artificial flavorings, refined flours and sugars, hydrogenated oils and food colorings.

Heavy on fresh vegetables and fruit, whole and unmilled grains, organically-raised meats and poultry, legumes, nuts and seeds, the array of food in the Natural Foods Diet makes it a perfect way of eating that can be followed by someone who chooses to consume meat or not.

A typical day on the Natural Foods Diet may look like this:
• Steel cut oats topped with berries and honey for breakfast.
• Green salad with almonds, avocado and lemon juice for lunch.
• Organic chicken breast with broccoli, asparagus and wild rice for dinner.
• Desserts and snacks can be fresh or baked fruit and nuts and seeds.

gnutrifitness

OK I'm in...My diary is locked, I will post the key on friday!!....Good luck:flowerforyou:

SlimNana48

Will you tell us who the 12 are so that we can become friends with each other for our extra needed support? I’m very excited about doing this, & I hope everyone who joined mean business with staying in touch with each other.

In order for this plan to work we all will have to work the plan. :bigsmile: Let's do this TEAM!!!!

CarlitaK

Hi everyone,

I have done a couple cleanses before, but am looking forward to simply doing this without the herbal pills and simply eating healthy. That said, I find it overwhelming to think of what to eat and what not to (I'm a list person). Below I have posted the recommended food guide from the Recleanse detox that I did a year or so ago. I am not recommending that detox, but the meal plan is really helpful! I will be following this list of things to eat during our detox that starts Friday.

ANIMAL SOURCE PROTEINS
Chicken**
Eggs**
Yogurt
(skim milk with live bacterial culture) Turkey**
Fish
Red Meat**

VEGETABLE SOURCE PROTEINS
Adzuki Beans
Black Beans
Black-eyed Peas
Fava Beans (Broad Beans)
Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)
Kidney Beans Lentils
Lima Beans
Pinto Beans
Soy Milk (unsweetened)
Soybeans
Tofu

FRUIT
Apple
Apricots
Banana
Blackberries
Blueberries
Cherries
Dates
Grapes
Figs (sulphite free)
Kiwi Fruit Melons (all types)
Papaya
Pear
Pineapple
Prunes (sulphite free)
Plums
Raisins (sulphite free)
Raspberries
Strawberries

VEGETABLES
Artichoke
Arugula
Asparagus
Beet Greens
Beets
Bell Peppers (all types)
Broccoli
Brussels Spouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumber
Dandelion Greens Eggplant
Garlic
Kale
Leafy Greens
Onions
Parsley
Peas (all types)
Radishes
Spinach
Sprouts
Squash
Sweet Potato
Tomato
Zucchini

WHOLE GRAINS
Barley
Brown Rice
Buckwheat
Bulgar Wheat
Kamut
Millet Oats (slow cooking)
Quinoa
Rye
Spelt
Wild Rice

FATS and OILS (unrefined and cold pressed oils)
Avocado
Butter (unsalted)
Flax Oil Sunflower Oil
Walnut Oil
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

NUTS and SEEDS - (Raw)
Almonds
Brazil Nuts
Coconut
Filberts (Hazelnuts)
Flax Seeds
Pecans Pine Nuts
Pistachios
Pumpkin Seeds
Sesame Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Walnuts
Raw nut and seed butters (from list above)

BEVERAGES
Fruit and vegetable juices (sodium free and unsweetened)
Coffee and Tea
Green Tea
Herbal Teas
Mineral Water


HERBS and SPICES
Allspice
Basil
Bay Leaf
Cayenne Pepper
Celery Seed
Cilantro
Cinnamon
Cumin
Dill
Dulse
Fennel Seed Garlic
Ginger
Kelp
Mace
Mint
Oregano
Parsley
Rosemary
Tarragon
Turmeric

* Purified water recommended whenever possible.
** Free range recommended whenever possible.

CarlitaK

In addition: this is what that cleanse recommended avoiding:

AVOID

Preservatives, colourings, flavourings, salt, sugars (in all their forms) and other sweeteners of any kind
Hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated or refined fats and oils
Frying, deep frying or overcooking your food
All flours, ground grains, breads, pasta and cereals
Condiments with added sugar, salt, colourings or flavourings
Mushrooms, peanuts, white potatoes, farmed fish and yeast
All dairy except plain yogurt (skim milk with live bacterial culture)
Alcohol

* Purified water recommended whenever possible.
** Free range recommended whenever possible.

MochaMixAZ

Good Morning, Natural Foodies!

We're only 2 days away from our kick off this FRIDAY! How is that cleansing your cabinets going? Having any trouble? If you are or are wondering about a specific food - post about it here. Our participants include an RN Health Coach (me!) and a dietician (she can disclose who she is if she'd like)!

I did mine last night and started thinking about what I was going to miss most. There are 3 things that are going to be VERY tough for me to give up:

-Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds (Corn, whole grain wheat, sugar, whole grain rolled oats, brown sugar, vegetable oil (canola or sunflower oil), rice flour, wheat flour, malted barley flour, salt, rice, corn syrup, whey (from milk), honey, malted corn and barley syrup, caramel color, artificial flavor, annato extract)

- Starbucks multi-grain bagel. Well, bagels of all varieties actually (flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour), water, cracked wheat, sunflower seeds, sugar, rolled oats, whole wheat flour, raisins, degerminated yellow corn meal, contains less than 2% of each of the following: sesame seeds, salt, yeast, guar and xanthan gum, inactive dry yeast, palm oil, soybean oil, ascorbic acid). Darn the xanthan gum and palm oil with it's saturated fats!!!

- Splenda. I just love this stuff.

But I'm already gearing up and trying to cut back a little today and tomorrow in prep for COLD TURKEY on Friday.

How about you?

CarlitaK

I dont' have too much junk anyway, so should be good. I will however miss diet pop, splenda, bread, my boyfriend's homemade pasta and chocolate!

I want to know about multivitamins.. can we still take them?

I take Calcium plus with magnesium and vitamin d and a women's multivitamin

I also take bee pollen for energy......

MochaMixAZ

I dont' have too much junk anyway, so should be good. I will however miss diet pop, splenda, bread, my boyfriend's homemade pasta and chocolate!

I want to know about multivitamins.. can we still take them?

I take Calcium plus with magnesium and vitamin d and a women's multivitamin

I also take bee pollen for energy......

This is my personal opinion - science and the research doesn't agree on the benefit of supplements.

I think if you've always taken them, you should continue. You may want to check the ingredient list and just become aware of any fillers they may use.

I personally opt to shy away from supplements as I believe it's possible (very, very, very hard, but possible) to get all the goodies in with food. However, I don't in any way discourage their use.

MochaMixAZ

Good Morning, Challenge Participants!!!

We are on our final countdown to kicking off our 14 day natural food detox. Are you ready???!!

I am sending this message as an email and also will post it to our message thread.

Hopefully you have had a chance to read all our posts thus far. Here is the link to our message board: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/183726-healthy-detox-challenge-no-fasting

The easiest way to get there quickly is to click on Message Boards, then click on “My Topics” at the top of the page. Then you can easily scroll through and find this thread. Remember, please post at LEAST twice a week.

Participants include:
CarlitaK
superhippiechik
partcho
nutrigaby
SlimNana48
MochaMixAZ

This is a tough challenge, but I know that we can do it! It’s important to keep the following in mind, beginning at MIDNIGHT TONIGHT:

1. If you don’t know the ingredients, DON’T EAT IT. This may rule out most restaurant meals, pre-packaged foods, anything from a vending machine, sodas, chips, some breads, crackers, etc.
2. Natural, natural, natural. Avoid processed foods. Read ingredient lists religiously or prepare at home. If you have any questions on the validity of a food, please post it here – we are all here to help.
3. While this is not a weight loss challenge, you may want to weigh yourself prior to beginning. During the detox, I don’t restrict myself as much on portions, but have always lost weight by opting only for real foods. (I think it’s true: eat naturally= eat less)
4. Maintain your food diary every day. Consider opening it to be viewable by your friends or challenge participants. As a participant, take time to review others’ diaries and provide feedback.
5. Prepare yourself for some initial cravings. Remember – our goal is 100% here. A slip up can bring you back to detox day 1. For the next 14 days, be excessively vigilant.
6. If you’ve been reading the posts, you’ve already started working out a plan for how you’re going to get your water in, prepare you foods, etc. Work your plan!

Congratulations on embracing our challenge. I am 100% POSITIVE we are going to feel GREAT!!! I’ll bet you’ll even consider adopting the natural option after our 14 days due to the amazing benefits you are about to experience.

Let’s do it!
Deon

CarlitaK

Ok: new question

What is everyone's thoughts on the following during the cleanse:

Olive oil, grapeseed oil

Balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar

MochaMixAZ

Hi, Carlita! Here's my 2 cents:

Olive oil - yes, yes, yes. Great choice.

Grapseseed oil - I'd say yes again.

You do want to try to be aware of the extraction processes used. (Chemical vs. pressed).

Both oil choices are high in unsaturated fat, low in saturated fat, and cholesterol-free. The high smoke-point of the grapeseed oil makes it a great choice for saute'ing, too.

As for vinegars, I'm also a big fan. You do still want to read the labels and avoid common ingredients like: caramel, sugar, colorings.

superhippiechik

OooooooK. So I am going to be the lush here and ask. Is there an all natural wine or something? Don't hate on me or judge me,please.:blushing:

MochaMixAZ

LOL No Judging here. "Natural" is a tough way to classify wines, but there are some that would fit the bill. Usually, if you look for organic wines, that's a good first start. After that, you just want to look for no added sugards, no adjustments to aciditity, and no other additives. Again, check your ingredient list - that will help you most.

It's up to you if you want to include alcohol as part of your detox. Wine is high in sugars and alcohol, making it somewhat undesirable to overall detox. After detox, there is lots of research to *support* the consumption of drinking a glass of red wine a day.

Just as weight loss and drinking are personal decisions, so is detoxing. Make this regimen work for you. Bear in mind that drinking alcohol during the detox can greatly reduce the benefits. Consider steering clear of alcohol for the 14 days, then returning to whatever consumption is right for your after. In doing so, the body can reap the benefits of both the detox and the wine (Blatantly stolen from http://www.ehow.com/about_5409623_wine-affect-detox-diet.html )

gnutrifitness

Ok, I must confess I have a party on saturday! So I will keep on track with the food but maybe I will drink some "healthy" alcohol drinks like wine and 1 beer. I'm a registered dietitian and I think those are the better choices. I won't exceed the limit, just 1 or 2 drinks...after that I will stay on track, I swear!:drinker:

gnutrifitness

I forgot, the key of my diary is 123!!!

superhippiechik

Almond milk?

jennyab

Hi MochaMixAZ, this sounds fantastic and just what I need, I'm wondering if it is too late being that it starts tomorrow? If not I would LOVE to participate!

MochaMixAZ

Good Evening, Everyone!

We are READY TO BEGIN! I can't wait!!!!!!!

I just got back from my market and restocked my cabinets and 'frig with all the stuff I'll need to get me through the next few days. How are you all doing with your preparations? And tonight's dinner is my preservative sendoff (a frozen pizza!) and a double glass of wine.

We've added one more brave soul to our Challenge: Welcome jennyab!

- Make sure you take a moment and unlock your diaries (or provide the key) so we can all review, starting tomorrow
- READ, READ, READ your labels
- Post at least twice a week - let us know how you're doing and check back often to provide support and encouragement to others

I can't wait to get started!! Talk to everyone tomorrow!
D.

MochaMixAZ

Ok, I must confess I have a party on saturday! So I will keep on track with the food but maybe I will drink some "healthy" alcohol drinks like wine and 1 beer. I'm a registered dietitian and I think those are the better choices. I won't exceed the limit, just 1 or 2 drinks...after that I will stay on track, I swear!:drinker:

LOL. I hear you. I'm glad it's early in the detox. You still have to live, right? LOL

I was lucky enough to be able to enlist my boyfriend to participate with me. It helps that I'm the cook in the house. :-D

jennyab

I am so excited! I'm grocery shopping tomorrow morning for just a couple more things. I think the worst part will be no diet soda, I love the stuff too much, but it is time to quit. Anyway, super excited we are all doing this together, thanks for letting me join last minute!

gnutrifitness

OK, question 1: can we use stevia as an alternative sweetener, the natural one?....question 2: protein powder, without artificial colors and sweeteners, can we use them?

superhippiechik

I am excited but worried I will let you all down with my non-dairy creamer and wine. :embarassed: I always stock fresh stuff so I am ready....

partcho

Sorry all, I decided I can't commit to this group right now. Good luck to all of you!!

superhippiechik

Please forgive me but I dont think I can do tis now. I am so sorry,please don't bash my commitment when I am gone....Good luck!

jillbarnes

If this challenge only started on Tuesday! I'm currently out of town and know I would not be successful until home. Especially since I'm going to a dieter's nightmare on Saturday (a local fair...full of fried food), while I can resist most foods I will be nibbling on a few things. I might check in and if I'm still feeling up for the challenge, start late? Good luck everyone!

MochaMixAZ

Almond milk?

You'll have to check the ingredients. Unfortunately the ones I looked at have a LOT of addititives, can be high in sugar, and frequently contains unnatural flavorings. Check the ingredient list to help you decide.