Happy & HEALTHY New Year!

Those two things go hand in hand for me… and when I’m not in a healthy place, I cannot be happy. The reverse is also true, when I’m unhappy I do not feel healthy and tend to get sick.

This tortuous cycle has plagued me most of my life, but was never so intense as it was last year. To get the full back-story, CLICK HERE. Now that you have the back-story, let’s dive in to the last 7 days of my health detox!

***It’s important that you note that this detox and supplement program was designed FOR ME. However, there are vitamins and supplements, as well as recipes and food guidelines that we can all try. I’d recommend you try your own cleanse under the supervision and guidance of a medical or holistic practitioner.*** 

Shake it up baby! I’ve always been a smoothie girl, but now I’m an OPTICLEANSE GHI (no sugar or stevia) 1 – 2 times a day girls. Thank God it tastes good (I like the chocolate better BTW).

This week I made a shake every morning for pre-breakfast, and I cut out a TON of food… I’m not eating:

• Wheat, gluten
• Grains (no corn, quinoa, oats… nothing except rice)
• Soy
• Dairy
• Sugar (ALL SUGAR)
• Alcohol (and coffee – which I don’t usually drink anyway)
• Pork, non-grassfed beef, non-pasture-raised chicken
• Most fish
• Legumes
• Nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers)
• Fried foods
• Mushrooms
• Eggs
• High sugar fruits – melon, dried fruit, dates, grapes, etc.

I’m also taking ~26 pills a day and other liquid supplements (supplements, thyroid medication and vitamins). What am I taking?

• 7,000 mg Vitamin D
• Saccharomycin 2x per day
• Probiotic Eleven & FloraMyces 2 pills each, 2x per day for 2 months – then switched to Probiomax Daily 2x per day
• ActivEssentials for Woman – 5 pill pack 1x per day
• Liposomal Glutathione (spray in mouth – MOST POWERFUL ANTIOXIDANT)
• Methyl b12 1x per day
• Amla Gold (Vitamin C) 2x per day
• B Active (B Complex) 2x per day
• AlaMax CR 2x per day
• Cytomel 1x per day (thyroid medication – prescription)
• CoQ Max Ubiquinol 1x per day
• Ashwaganda 2x per day
• Calcium & Magnesium Liquid 1 – 2 TBSP before bed – helps me sleep too!
• Nattokinase 2x per day
• Next week I’ll add “Drainage – Homeopathic detox liquid” and Pregnenolone 1x per day (“feel good” hormone)

That’s not all folks – I’ve also started:

• Switching to all-natural organic products – soaps, shampoo, make up, toothpaste, deodorant, gum, etc.
• Drinking alkaline water
• Dry brushing 1x per day (for lymphatic system)
• Meditating 1x per day (“Calm” app)
• Exercising – yoga, dance, walking
• Writing & setting intentions for each day
• Sleeping more – sorry Eric (my husband has to get up with the kids and dog most days now!)
• BREATHING more!
• Drinking herbal teas with Royal Jelly
• Reading funny and inspirational books like “Judgement Detox” by Gabby Bernstein and “The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck” by Mark Manson.

I’m OVERWHELMED!..

AND, this is my “job” – helping people heal through food! I’ve worked with LOTS of people with very complex dietary restrictions, and yet I’m still overwhelmed. I can’t imagine going through this process with a full time (commuter) job, or limited cooking skills, or no knowledge of nutrition.

So, I decided to chronicle this detox, and create a cookbook with my FAVORITE recipes that I create… to make this detox process easier and more delicious for YOU 🙂

Here’s my story so far:

1. Day 1 – Tues, Jan 2, 2018 – I think I am still hungover from NYE. Too much champagne, not enough water! What to eat? Shake w/ chocolate & organic cherries, coconut milk, ground flax & chia. Then energy tea w/ royal jelly, GF toast w/ soy-free organic Earth’s Balance Butter… by dinner I was SO HUNGRY, I caved 🙁 Pasta w/ chicken sausage, tomatoes, spinach, garlic & onion. It was good, but I was pissed that I caved so quickly!
2. Day 2 – Weds, Jan 3, 2018 – Today I am determined to get it right. Shake w/ berries, almond milk, ground flax & chia. Energy tea w/ royal jelly and a GF waffle plain. Shrimp pasta with black rice noodles in a coconut amino acid, spicy peppers and green onion. THEN my friend Bina came over and made a DELICIOUS Indian Fusion dinner*: Indian spice rubbed grass-fed steak w/ caramelized red onion and garlic on top, then turmeric roasted cauliflower & broccoli, and cilantro coconut rice. *This recipe will be in the book for sure!
3. Day 3 – Thurs, Jan 4, 2018 – Feeling good today! Made a vanilla shake w/ berries, flax & chia. Made a left-over rice bowl for lunch with the steak & veggies from last night’s dinner. Herb Roasted organic (and pasture raised) chicken. Loads of good tea (snow storm day), royal jelly and lots of water. Went sledding with the kids – that was my exercise!
4. Day 4 – Fri, Jan 5, 2018 – ANOTHER Snow Day. I didn’t sleep at all. Sick baby in bed with us, then the school calls (twice) at 5AM to tell us no school! UGH! I forgot about the no-eggs thing and had eggs and grapefruit for breakfast with a shake and tea. Whoops! Then I slept for 2 hours because I was so sleep deprived. Skipped lunch and made a nice dinner with coconut amino teriyaki salmon*, cayenne spiced sautéed bok choy and organic rice. *This will also be in the cookbook!
5. Day 5 – Sat, Jan 6, 2018 – Need to get OUT of the house! Had a big shake, tea, GF toast and went grocery shopping. Came back to drop the groceries and ran off to my first Yoga Spark class. It was AWESOME! I’m hooked. My sister and brother-in-law came to hang out for the day. They all had sandwiches and I made leftover salmon, rice and veggies. We played music all day. They went for a walk while I stayed with my 3 year old who was not feeling well (still), and then I made grass-fed burgers with lettuce and hot sauce and a side of roasted cauliflower & butternut squash fries – yes this will be in the cookbook too.
6. Day 6 – Sun, Jan 7, 2018 – ANOTHER sleepless night. Thank God Eric let me sleep in. I got out of bed around 9:30AM. WOW. Made my favorite Avocado Smoothie using the OptiCleanse Shake Powder. For lunch I made a coconut yogurt parfait with berries, almonds, raw pumpkin seeds, cinnamon & nutmeg… it was delish and I was feeling good. THEN, my 7 year old had the genius idea to go to Hibachi. We agreed and I figured I could find SOMETHING to eat. Whoops… I was wrong! Salmon cooked in Tamari (no gluten, but SOY!), steamed rice, and sautéed veggies (he used butter, I know it!). Then the chef did the trick where he shoots zucchini into your mouth. If you catch one you get a long distance squirt of water… or in my case, SAKE! It was so good going down, and then… as soon as we got home I was bathroom bound for hours. Well, I think we can all safely say I cannot eat soy nor dairy nor alcohol right now or else I will be SICK!
7. Day 7 – Mon, Jan 8, 2018 – After last night’s debacle, I HAVE to be good. Shake, tea, GF toast. Tahini and organic carrots, big salad with fresh fennel, avocado, and lemon, pinch of sea salt. Cleaned the house, ran around to help with the kids, and sat down to write this! Then I got invited out to dinner with one of my BEST friends who has been going through a lot too, and we both needed a night out desperately… so we braved the weather on a Monday night, and went to Char in Port Chester. I did not drink – although they had 40% off wine… killing me… and I had gluten and soy free shrimp, roasted cauliflower and a large salad and did not eat the tomatoes. YAY! Successful night out without cheating 🙂 And definitely good for my soul and happiness to catch up with my dear friend!

TOO MANY PILLS!

I made 2 crucial mistakes with supplements in the first week:

1. I didn’t follow instructions in SLOWLY adding new supplements one at a time, then waiting 2 – 3 days to see how my body would respond. Whoops! I probably introduced 4 new pills at a time, each day, then on Saturday (Day 5) got sick from taking so many new vitamins and supplements.
2. Because I was so overwhelmed by taking so many pills, on Sunday & Monday I started emptying some of the pills into my shake… before asking my doc if that was okay. Last night I asked my doc his opinion on that, and he replied:

   NOT A GREAT IDEA AS THEY ARE ENCAPSULATED TO GET TO CERTAIN AREAS OF THE GUT. OPENING THEM MAY INTERFERE WITH EFFECTIVENESS.

PROUD MOMENTS: 

• I am VERY proud of myself for sticking to the plan even though I am the only one I know doing it!
• I’m amazed by my willpower, especially when I’m cooking delicious (non-detox) meals for my family and clients.
• I feel good, happy, and excited 🙂
• I am overcoming my fear of short term pain for long term gain!

Stay tuned for days 8 – 14 next Tuesday! Thank you for your love and support. I hope that by sharing my experience I can help inspire you to take a stand for your health 🙂

Love & yum,

Lindsay “Mama” O’Neill