Happy 4thof July!
Holidays are those times when all of the things we love come together – good food and family & friends. But when you’ve decided to change your eating to elevate your health, holidays can be a little tricky.
I mean, first of all, there’s just so much delicious food involved. Then you may have friends and family that are skeptical or even flat out against your choice to change your diet and detox yourself with “just fruit and veggies”. There will also be those who don’t oppose it, but just won’t understand why you aren’t drinking a beer or eating a hot dog or hamburger at the backyard barbeque.
So, do decline and stay at home, bring your own food, or go and eat nothing at all and more than likely have to explain your choices?
I think us Detoxers fall into Three General Categories at times like these: The person getting ready to begin their detox, the beginner that’s only a few days into their detox plan, and then the detoxer that has already gotten a week or two at least of detoxing under their belt. How you handle the celebrations depends on which one you are.
1) Just Getting Ready to Start. If you haven’t yet started your transition diet at all or if you want to go cold-turkey on a raw food, fruit or juice detox and haven’t begun yet, then I would say wait until after the holiday to start.
Yep! That’s right – I’m suggesting you go right ahead and eat whatever you want (within moderation). Most will tell you not to postpone your health – no matter what is on the calendar. And I agree in theory, but I’ve been there too many times to agree with that in practice. Many people (I am one of them) need to feel like they have gotten certain tastes out of their system before making a drastic change. If that’s you too, then wait. There’s no sense in feeling like you’ve deprived yourself of a gathering with friends and all the traditions of the holiday.
However, after the festivities please don’t continue to postpone your detox. Give yourself permission to enjoy the Holiday and then start your detox plan with solid commitment and without looking back.
Also, if you are dealing with a difficult health condition then understand that a heavy, mucus-forming meal will probably worsen your condition. In your case delaying the detox isn’t the best solution. You may still need to sit this celebration out even if you haven’t started your official detox plan.
2) Beginning to Detox. If have already started your raw food, fruit fast, or juice fast detox– like in the first few days, I will suggest that you kindly decline any and all invitations that will expose you to comfort foods and things that will tempt you.
In the first few days of a detox, your mind will be playing tricks on you and tell you it’s ok to eat the baked beans, chicken wings, and cole slaw. “Just a bite. It won’t throw me off that bad”. Do yourself a favor and avoid the temptation. If you’ve already made it through the first day or two of a detox – keep the momentum going.
Unless you have the will of steel – the temptation can be too much. Only you know your state of mind. But I say give your mind a chance to get solidly in sync with your intentions before testing yourself.
If staying away completely isn’t an option. Then a good work around would be to eat your food at home, then join the gang later for only the fireworks display. Or take a fruit spread over to the location before the cooking begins, say hello to everyone and make your excuses before the aromas from the grill get started. If the festivities are at your home and there’s no escape, make sure you have plenty of fruit and veggie options on hand. It will be tough, but you CAN do it.
3) Detox Pro. If you are at least a week or two into your detoxification plan, feeling good and determined to see it through, then you are pretty much out of the danger zone. Congratulations! That means you can be amongst all the temptation and not only resist, but not feel like you are missing out on anything. Your fruit and veggies are all you want and need. That’s the detox “high” and it’s a beautiful place to be.
You now have a lot of options. Here are few suggestions:
- Bring Fruit to the gathering – it’s the dead of summer and it’s hot as hellfire. Since fruit is so light and refreshing, it’s easy to chill your favorite fruit, slice it up and serve it on a platter. Since fruit is often on the menu at outdoor barbeques, you’ll fit right in. No one will notice that you didn’t grab any ribs.
- Make a gallon or two of infused fruit water. (How amazing was the first spa that introduced us to cucumber water.) Explore all kinds of fruit combos here – grapes & apples, kiwi & strawberry, coconut & pineapple, lemon& blueberries, etc. Just slice the washed fruit in the water and refrigerate overnight. To add even more flavor and color, splash in a bit of fresh fruit juice. You’ll be the barbeque rock-star!
- Make your favorite raw salad and bring enough for everyone. Make sure to include the veggies that truly satisfy and fill you up. For me that’s avocado, raw nuts, sweet bell peppers, and cucumbers, but the possibilities are endless. This makes going to the barbeque stress-free and you’ll likely avoid the “why aren’t you eating meat” question. And undoubtedly, there will also be other guests that will thank you for the tastier, more filling alternative to the typical carrot and celery sticks. Again, the barbeque rock-star!
So whatever you do, do it guilt-free. It’s not selfish to decline or cancel a celebration when your health might suffer otherwise. It’s also not the end of the world to push your detox plan back a day or two, or to get off track a little on a Holiday. We’ve all been there and done both.
Just never lose sight of your ultimate health goal.
The main thing is being healthy enough to celebrate with friends and family now and making sure you can in the future!
Happy 4thof July!!
Tamera at Detox Your Way