I love carbs, sweets, salt, fried food, you name it.  Unfortunately, sugar and I have developed a bit of a love/hate relationship (weighing heavily on the love side).  I was never much of a sweets person until I went to culinary school.  And then everything changed.  Having an amazing dessert every afternoon for 6 months will do that to you.  These days I always leave room for dessert and have become just as much of a baker as a cook (people often ask me why the blog is called Savory Simple when I share so many dessert recipes.  There’s your answer.)  But there’s a downside to all the sugar.  The more I consume, the more I find myself craving additional sugar and food.  That’s kind of nutrition 101, but it REALLY applies to me.  I like to joke that I’m really good at eating when I’m not hungry.  For that and a few other reasons, I detox a few times per year.

For 7-10 days, I cut out all sugar, gluten, dairy, caffeine, soy, and processed foods.  People always ask “What do you eat??  Is that healthy?”  I enjoy veggies, fruit, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, eggs, coconut milk, nut milks, meat, etc.  If you’re a decent cook it’s actually quite easy.  And any meal plan with guacamole is alright by me.  After several days I feel amazing.  Tons of energy, no cravings and and even a sense of euphoria.  It kind of resets my body.  And then it’s back to business as usual!

I began my most recent detox this past Sunday and this one took things a step further.  I’m doing a “High Raw” detox which is 75% raw.  The only cooked foods I’m eating are quinoa and beans.  When I first read the details of the cleanse I was very hesitant.  Could I do this?  Would it be enough protein?  Would I be hungry all the time?  What would I eat????  Talk about leaving my comfort zone.  But it turns out there’s plenty to eat and none of it’s boring.  I haven’t been hungry at all and my cravings have completely vanished.

I’ve done cleanses with a few local companies and this time I’m working with Lisa Consiglio Ryan from Whole Health Designs.   I’ve worked with her before and her detox programs are incredible.  She has graciously allowed me to share a recipe from this latest cleanse for Energy Booster Juice.  Fresh juice has been a great part of this process (though it’s still easy to detox without a juicer). Since Lisa knows a lot more about this stuff than I do, I asked her to explain some of the benefits of juice and detoxing:

Detoxing is important (at least once every season). We are exposed to environmental toxins that we can’t control either due to construction or the beauty products we use on our skin, the largest organ. Not to mention the processed foods and GMOs. We’ve been depleted of nutrients due to factory farming. 80 years ago we were getting a better quality of produce, etc… now we have to take responsibility for our health and a great way to get a reboot and give your body a break is cleansing.

As for juicing, the main reason is to feed your blood liquid nutrition immediately. Your cells will be able to soak up the chlorophyll from the plants and use it quicker and more efficiently without having the body work too hard.

I’m always going to love the butter, sugar and flour. Food is something that brings me a tremendous amount of joy.  But I think it’s also important to take a timeout once in awhile for balance and good health.  Please visit Lisa at Whole Health Designs to learn more about her wonderful programs!  You’ll be glad you did.

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