Before: Before Beginning

Do not stop any prescription medication that you are currently taking unless advised by the prescribing physician. If you are taking any prescription medications or if you have a medical condition, ask your medical doctor or health care practitioner before starting this detoxification program.

Do not undergo this program if you:

• are pregnant or nursing
• are actively trying to become pregnant (do not try to conceive until two weeks after the detox is completed. Important: all participants using birth control pills should use a back-up method during the detox and for two weeks after completing the program.
• are less than 18 years of age
• have a gallbladder disorder or obstructions of the bile ducts or intestinal tracts
• have active cancer
• have bipolar disorder
• have type I diabetes
• are taking anti-seizure medication, chemotherapy drugs, anti-arrhythmia medication, and/or blood thinners
• are taking any other prescription medication that requires consistent blood levels
• have an allergy to one or more of the ingredients in any supplement.

Talk to your doctor before starting this program if you have any health condition. If you have high blood pressure or type II diabetes and your health care practitioner advises you to complete this program, increased monitoring of blood pressure and blood sugar is required throughout the 21 days.

If you are cleared for a detoxification program, and are taking prescription medications, do not take the supplements and your medications at the same time of day while on the detox plan. Always consult with your prescribing physician.

During: The 21 Detox Plan

The 21 Day Detox is a restricted, yet nourishing diet that emphasizes many allowed foods that can be eaten in whatever quantity is desired. Common food allergens are eliminated to free the body’s healing energy and to improve gut health. Nutritionally dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, coconut, and nuts and seeds are emphasized. There are many delicious recipes to choose from including some of my absolute favorites such as: Coconut and Sweet Potato Chowder, Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, and Raw Berry Ice “cream”. With some willingness to explore new foods and recipes, you’ll find some great new additions to your routine. Many people tell me years after taking my class that they are still making my recipes regularly! I love hearing that people are incorporating these healthy dishes into their lives.

A supplementation plan is outlined for each week, and requires four main supplements. A morning drink is made up of liquid bentonite clay which binds and eliminates toxins in the bowels and prevents their reabsorption and psyllium fiber which prevents constipation and decreases recirculation of bile salts. Throughout the day the Liver Detox Support is taken to support and protect the tissues, and an optional detoxifying tea can be consumed. Coffee, black tea, alcohol, and cane sugar are eliminated on this diet, but green tea is allowed.

After: The Retox

Hopefully by now you feel better than you’ve felt in a very long time. Your health conditions have improved, your skin is clear, your energy is boosted, you feel lighter, clearer, and more in control of your health. You have the will and determination to have chosen a new road for yourself, and with continued effort and awareness you can stay on this road that will continue to lead you to the health and wellness you deserve. I strongly believe that it is our obligation and gift to feel the best we can while on this life’s journey. We all deserve to feel as strong and vital as possible, and when we do, we can be more present and more active as we complete our life’s work.

A New Road

Don’t let this new road be a detour, but a newly built highway with a faster, sleeker design and a more appealing destination. There’s no turning back to that old, bumpy road that filled you with pain and fatigue. Of course we will still have indulgences and vices and Thanksgiving dinner, but we’ll be conscious of our choices and their effects on our bodies and we’ll be avoiding chemicals and eating whole foods most of the time. “Most of the time” is a great goal. Don’t make this about being perfect. Just do the best you can to eat the highest quality foods you can afford, drink pure water, get adequate rest, fresh air, and exercise most of the time.

Also Known As: You Do Not Have to be Good (or Perfect!)

My favorite poet, Mary Oliver, wrote a poem I love called Wild Geese. It’s one of my life’s mantra, and I remind myself of the poem often, especially when I start to feel guilty about life, food, love, parenting, exercise, the dog, and on and on and on. I just repeat the first stanza over and over to myself until I start to feel better. It works every time.

Here It Is:

You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting – over and over announcing your place in the family of things.