Diary of a metabolic Detox – Day 9

 The First Blip

 Day 9 – coming to the end of the 3 day liquid only diet, and this has certainly been more of a challenge. Up until now I really felt the benefit of cutting out wheat and dairy and significantly reducing sugar. My stomach felt flatter and I felt lighter, I hadn’t really been hungry, and I’ve felt far more energetic.

The ‘liquid only’ days started well with my kitchen overflowing with piles of fresh vegetables, and the surfaces covered in mixers, blenders and bowls of soup. Day 1 (Sunday) was fairly straightforward and I ventured into new territory with a beetroot and squash soup for lunch and then a white bean and rosemary recipe for supper; with the UltraClear shake as an afternoon ‘snack’. So far, so good.

Monday also started well. The Super Nutrition smoothie at elevensies hit the spot and my carrot, red lentil and coriander soup was a triumph. By the afternoon, however, I started to feel bloated, and in spite of drinking plenty of water and going for a long walk, my blood sugar crashed and I felt quite weak and shaky. I have to admit deviating and having a handful of almonds which my body felt they needed (and was the only thing I could quickly buy whilst out and about that wouldn’t ruin all the hard work.) Back home to an early night, and I’m glad to say I woke today feeling really good again.

I’ve learned that the trick is to include as much protein as possible in the soups – and also to not try to be too rigid about sticking to liquids only. Everyone is different, and in my case, that handful of nuts was obviously badly needed.

The liquid days are a great way of resting the digestive system, but also for including really good quantities of the fruits and vegetables which will help the liver carry out all phases of its filtration and detoxification function. Detox programmes with limited nutrients and a lack of essential enzymes can trigger the process but not provide enough support to carry it through its various stages, which can leave you feeling extremely unwell. So, whatever you do, avoid the drastic fasts and water only versions and stick to a programme which feeds the liver!

My other hiccup today has been my trusty blender, which decided mid-morning that it no longer liked its job description. After several frustrating attempts at blending the beetroot, celery and broccoli for my liver cleanse juice with no luck, I gave in and resorted to a new one courtesy of Morphy Richards. It has two flasks so now I have somewhere to store my spare smoothies and juices! Having read the other ‘detoxer’ posts on our forum, it appears I’m not alone and that at least one other blender decided it had developed an intolerance to beetroot.

Thanks to my new toy, I eventually whisked up a delicious liver cleanse juice and a fabulous pea and mint soup for lunch. Tonight I’m back to leftovers from yesterday’s carrot soup – but adding ginger and turmeric to give it a twist. A day of vibrant colours, which all helps make the meals more palatable and interesting, but it would be lovely to have some fresh crusty bread with it. maybe next week.

Tomorrow: proper food again, and a much-needed day off from the kitchen and washing up bowl….but with that, new hurdles to overcome!

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