The only detox I am doing this January is for my wardrobe…
To be honest, I was all settled in front of my computer ready to write a post on “January damage control” and… I just couldn’t. I don’t feel like I need a detox myself. Yes, I probably deviated from my normal way of eating with a total of (whopping!) three glasses of wine over the last two weeks. A few bites of chocolate macaroons.. or a cappuccino made with regular milk. Hardly a detox material if you ask me. While my brain might still remember those foods my body has long forgotten it. That’s reason number one.
The main reason, however, is that writing a food plan for a cleanse was making me feel like a hypocrite. You see I have been trained in over hundred dietary theories from ancient science of life to the latest research in bio-chemical effects of food, connection with neuroscience, micro biome, blood type. I have been taught the art of visual diagnosis, Chinese five element theory, deconstructing cravings and food-and-mood connection.
Nutrition is not a science. It should be. But it’s not. One of my teachers, Dr. Barry Sears (of The Zone Diet) once said that there are three things in life that rely on faith: religion, politics and nutrition! Could not agree more. Not to mention all the contradictions from different dietary theories all backed up by “science”! So I went into it with a cool head trying to sort truth from fiction. Took molecular biology courses, kept falling asleep with texts in biochemistry, was a total bore at dinner parties talking about digestion and absorption of lipids (my dear friends - please forgive me!)
Interestingly, as soon as I started working with people all that knowledge became sort of irrelevant. The real miracle was seeing that all the answers pertaining to the optimal way of eating have always been known to the client. For better or worse, the universe has been leading me to work with people who need to quit dieting and start listening to themselves. Reclaim self-trust and inner authority in the realm of food. Myself included!
When you listen to your body’s needs it is impossible to feel bad from food choices if you choose based on how you feel. I know sounds like a tautology. Which I suppose it is. But it took me a while to figure that one out.
If you really overindulged over the holidays you might be tempted with a hard core detox. In fact, you might think the damage can not possibly be “unwound” unless you feel miserable. Well, I can’t tell you what to do. Be your own boss. I do wonder, however, what if you use that same will power and discipline reserved for a juice cleanse to stay “ in the middle of the road” and do what actually feels good? The only will power you need is to let go of fear and start paying attention. Struggle is never an answer.
There is a lot of great information out there but information alone can not heal! The knowledge does nothing to change eating habits. Telling people what to eat or not to eat is useless. And I keep coming back to the only thing that seems to help: a way to access the inner authority that knows on the body level what is good for me.
How does one do that? No, no, I wont say: “get a health coach”. You don’t need a health coach to do this work. Although, having someone with the experience and knowledge clearly helps.
It really starts with paying attention. For example, there are books written on what clean eating is. Which foods are real and which are not. In my book, however,
Real food is whatever you eat while paying attention to it.
Even if it is a chocolate chip cookie or a KitKat. If you ate it with full attention that it deserves your body will know what to do. That’s just one tiny example. There is a world of tools, tips and tricks that help you get to that place. Just not enough space to write in one post!
Some of you out there have no problem with dieting and have been used to paying attention to your body’s needs all your life. I admire it. This message is for those who think being healthy takes a lot of hard work. And when trying hard does not work… we try even harder!
Suddenly, I am itching to actually tell you about what makes a good cleanse if you are going to do it anyway. Even in January. There are ways to make it as nourishing as possible even including raw foods. It is about what you add to your cleanse rather than subtract. If you ask someone to clean your house you need to give them a hoover. Same with doing a detox. It takes a molecule to remove a molecule of waste. Actually, it takes more than one. We need to provide a lot of ammunition to our bodies (read: protein, right fats and lots and lots of greens). Ok, I think another post is coming. Watch this space.
And what about the wardrobe? I am allergic to clutter so my wardrobe gets a detox every two months or so anyway. I keep a fixed number of good-quality identical wooden hangers and if I buy something new something old has to go. Especially, after all the Christmas presents and shopping in California. Hello J. Crew, James Perse, J-anything! Thank God for Vestiaire Collective. I also take a few weeks after sorting through my things to wear as many outfits as I can to decide if an outfit no longer works. Sometimes it is hard to tell unless you wear it. I am brutal about getting rid of anything that is old, faded, grey instead of white, shrunken, bubbled up or just not cool. No sentimental feelings, sorry! Today, my de-clutter effort also includes the kitchen and the office. No stone unturned. If you want something new and good in the new year make room for it, right?
Happy New Year!
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