detox plan

Happy Valentine’s Day! Love is in the air! And the stores, restaurants, and florists! The marketing pros encourage us to show our loved ones how much we care and appreciate them with our money. And let’s face it – it usually works! But of course we also know that one of the best ways to care for our loved ones is to first take care of ourselves to make sure we are happy, healthy, and available for them. Detoxing is a way to do that. Eating fresh fruit and vegetables, exercising, and meditation can naturally, safely help us detoxify. But even more, loving relationships have a healing effect on the body. There’s been numerous studies that show the positive health benefits of love. The up-sides include better stress management, better sleep, longer life span, and lower blood pressure. So wait – did you notice that? Both Love and Detoxification share these amazing advantages. That means Love is a Natural Detox! Simple and sweet. So Happy Detoxing and may your Valentine’s Day be filled with health, joy, and love.

According to statistics, one third of people who make New Year’s resolutions will break their promises to themselves by Valentine’s Day. What a downer! What is a resolution, really? In my opinion it’s a catch all for recognizing that we want to achieve something. A little more of this or maybe a lot less of that. Perhaps, we want to explore some new interests or actively seek out something or someone. Regardless of these singular goals, the source of it all is a personal commitment to ourselves that we are going to do something different in order to get different results – the desired results. This is much easier said, especially after the decadent holidays, than actually done. But realistically, how do we build credibility with ourselves without a mental shift? How do we create a new vision for our lives? Now that the excitement of January has died down a bit, thankfully, perhaps it’s a good time to Redefine ourselves more than make a list of resolutions to change. Maybe it’s about who we want to be and how we want to feel about ourselves? My vision for the last few years has been to be the healthiest, best version of myself. So according to people who know way more than me, I need to visualize what that will look and feel like so that I can start to create the energy that can manifest my vision. So for me, I want to feel vibrant, have bright, clear eyes, feel refreshed when I wake up, work in my purpose of helping others heal, feel energized from the food I eat, and on and on. By visualizing how I want to feel and who I want to be, the hope is to create the life that will not only encourage the change, but also support the permanent integration of that change. So, if you have already kind of, sort of forgotten your New Year’s resolution already – I say, who cares!! The odds were against you anyway. Lol! The real change is an internal shift into a brand new you. Ask yourself who do you want to be and then write it down, tell a friend, share it online, or create a vision board – just whatever feels good to you. But then visualize this version of you participating in your life every day. (Footnote: tweak vision as needed!) Believe in and visualize positive change in 2019. With your health, your finances, your relationships, etc. Redefine it by living and breathing it, then maybe the “doing” won’t be as hard. Since health is my focus – I can work with you (just email me) or I can point you to more resources that you can use on your own. But whatever you want out of your life this year, let’s avoid the resolution booby-trap and support each other in redefining our lives. Happy Detoxing Tamera at detoxyourway.com

Hi there! Ever heard the saying “Ignore an itch long enough and it will go away?” I used to only think about it in the literal sense. Like trying not to scratch an insect bite so there wouldn’t be a scar. But now I’m sure the person who came up with the saying had to be some kind of spiritual guru or something because the discipline it takes to not scratch an itch, literally and figuratively, takes practice and discipline. So what’s the itch you need to ignore? Is it the candy bowl at your office? The desire to sleep through the alarm and not get up to exercise? The buttered popcorn at the movies? Or is your itch more emotional in nature? Do you want to stay calm when a coworker pushes your hot button? Want to resist the desire to talk about your issues and instead just listen to your friend? Want to avoid getting defensive when a loved one is unhappy with you? It can take a tremendous amount of focus, self-awareness and honesty to learn how to stay through the discomfort of these everyday, very human and habitual responses to unpleasant situations and temptations. Trust me, I’m no therapist, but when I started journaling about the things I do that aren’t helpful or positive or cute at all – it was an eye opener. Maybe writing could help you as well. I invite you to make a list of the little or big things that snag you up every time. But this list is NOT to beat yourself up with negative self talk. It’s just to get you thinking about how and when something is triggered for you. Then hopefully you can recognize the next time one of them pops up. And then maybe the next time you might be able to recognize AND ignore. And then again and again. It’s not that Learning How to Stay will stop the challenges from coming along, but they should no longer stop your progress. You’ll know how to ignore the itch. Not easy at all, but worth it. Because on the other side of learning how to stay is the freedom and breakthrough we are all craving in our lives, relationships, and health. We’re talking about detoxing the body and the mind on another level. So Happy Detoxing

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

What we eat is one of the most important things that impacts our health, along with our thoughts and environment. There are diets that support a healthy body and of course diets that don’t. Use the diets below to support whatever stage you are on in your self-healing journey. If you know that you are in need of an immediate diet change, you can go cold-turkey on a High Fruit, Raw Food diet for the deepest level of detoxification and impact on your health. If you are a newbie to detoxification and want to start small until you are ready to go further, check out our 3 Super Simple Detox Diets. Just know that you will experience some discomfort as your body may go through mild (low grade fevers, headaches, skin rashes, or constipation) to more severe (persistent diarrhea, painful aches, etc) healing crises. While this does signal that your body is moving to a new level of detoxification and victory is near; these experiences can be unpleasant. Should they alarm you, you may go back a level or two from your current detox diet until the symptoms are more tolerable. Then over a few days gradually move back up to the detox diet ladder. For all diets below – no alcohol, caffeinated beverages, sodas, bread products, pastas, dairy, processed foods, added sugars (white, brown, candy, chocolate, maple syrup), eggs, fast foods, or fried foods.   Highest Level of Detoxification: High Fruit, Raw Vegan Food Diet This diet will bring the highest level of detoxification and includes some savory raw soups that will be easy to digest and will slow down healing crises without stopping detoxification completely. To go even deeper with your detoxification, by pass the raw soups and allow the astringent power of the fruits to move the cellular stagnation. Breakfast: Fresh squeezed or pressed Fruit juice Fruit (don’t mix melons with other types of fruit or food) Snacks: Fruit, fresh fruit juice Lunch: Fruit, berries or melons (only) Dinner: Fruit, berries, melons (only) Blended raw soups with non-sweet fruits such as avocado, cucumber, red bell peppers, etc. (Only when desiring something savory or needing to slow detox) High Level of Detoxification: High Fruit/Steamed Veggies This diet will allow the body to detoxify rapidly, but will allow some savory salads along with the fruit. Breakfast: Fresh squeezed or pressed Fruit juice Fruit (don’t mix melons with other types of fruit or food) Snacks: Fruit, fruit juice, or veggie juice Lunch: Fruit, berries or melons (only) Dinner: Fruit, berries, melons (only) Blended raw soups with non-sweet fruits (avocado, cucumber, red bell peppers, etc) Large vegetable salad (plenty of leafy greens, variety of colorful veggies, no dairy, no meat, only small amounts of raw nuts – if any, avocado in small amounts, and small amounts of cold pressed oils) Moderate Level of Detoxification: Fruit and Veggies This a great diet to stay on after detoxification and wish to be vegan. Breakfast: Fresh squeezed or pressed Fruit juice Fruit (don’t mix melons with other types of fruit or food) Snacks: Fruit, fruit juice, or veggie juice Lunch: Fruit, berries or melons (only) Large vegetable salad (plenty of leafy greens, variety of colorful veggies, no dairy, no meat, only small amounts of raw nuts – if any, avocado in small amounts, and small amounts of cold pressed oils) Dinner: Fruit, berries, melons (only) Blended raw soups with non-sweet fruits (avocado, cucumber, red bell peppers, etc) Large vegetable salad (plenty of leafy greens, variety of colorful veggies, no dairy, no meat, only small amounts of raw nuts – if any, avocado in small amounts, and small amounts of cold pressed oils) Steamed vegetables Vegetable broth soup Baked sweet potato   Transition into a Detox Diet: Fruit, Veggies, Baked Lean Meats This is a good prep diet for the 7 Day Detox. It can also be excellent after you have thoroughly detoxified and regenerated your body, but don’t want to be a strict vegan. Breakfast: Fresh squeezed or pressed Fruit juice Fruit (don’t mix melons with other types of fruit or food) Cereals: oatmeal, millet, brown and wild rice, buckwheat (soaked overnight in water or juice, or barely cooked) Snacks: Fruit, fruit juice, or veggie juice. Raw Nuts Lunch: Fruit, berries or melons (only) Large vegetable salad (plenty of leafy greens, sprouts, various colorful veggies, no dairy, no meat, only small amounts of raw nuts – if any, avocado in small amounts, and small amounts of cold pressed oils) Dinner: Fruit, berries, melons (only) Large vegetable salad (plenty of leafy greens, various colorful veggies, no dairy, no meat, only small amounts of raw nuts – if any, avocado in small amounts, and small amounts of cold pressed oils) Steamed vegetables Blended raw soup Cooked vegetable broth soup Baked sweet potato Only every other day: Baked fish, chicken, turkey, and lean beef – only lightly seasoned with herbs and sea salts. No sauces or gravy.