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New Year, Same You, With Some Good Intentions
A resolution is a firm decision to do a determined goal and that sounds just so overwhelming.
An intention is an aim or a plan and resonates more with where my heart is this year. I love the word intention because in medicine it means the ‘healing process of a wound’ and that is exactly what I hope 2022 has in store for us.
Most people have trouble following through with their resolutions and let’s be frank, these last 2 years have been so incredibly difficult, the last thing we need is another failure!
Instead, let’s try to reframe this year with the hope of setting some good intentions. We can all try to eat a little more healthy, nutritious food, add more colorful vegetables to the plate, and even cook a little more often for ourselves. The trick is to set your expectations where you can manage them and make an easy soup instead of some elaborate recipe you found in a foodie magazine.
January Detox
I think the easiest time to set these intentions is following the holidays when it’s cold out, our families are gone, we are exhausted, and back to work. It’s soothing to the soul to sip on warm herbal teas instead of going out and buying fancy cocktails. It feels nourishing to eat hearty soups instead of binging on leftover sugar cookies and so I replace the old treats with something healthy, but just as comforting. It’s a great time to toss all of the leftover veggies in some broth and give your digestive system a rest.
This is why I love to do the Food Foundation detox in January. Not because I want to punish myself and take away the cookies and cocktails, but because I feel like I’ve had enough of those and am ready to add in more nourishing foods that make me feel good.
If you want to join me, the registration is open and we will begin as a community on Sunday, January 9th. You can begin on any day you please and once you purchase the detox, you will be able to join us at any time throughout the year. I love the idea of starting and ending together so I will be there every morning on social media to help you through with my very own tips on how I intend to support a healthy body. I welcome you to join us completely or just join us for that quick video and take home what works for your good intentions.
This year I like the idea of beginning on the weekend because you can get prepared for the week ahead. I love any chance you can cook once and eat twice so we will think about how to batch cook and make being healthier a little easier. This is not a crazy cleanse where we have complicated recipes and have to eat rabbit food, it’s about eating what you have on hand and how to have healthy options on hand at all times.
What is Detox?
The most important concept of detoxification is that it is a natural process. You do not need to do anything and your body will naturally try to detoxify from the many toxins you ingest. The problem however, is that if you’re anything like me, you tend to over ingest too many toxins during the holidays and our livers become overwhelmed. It’s OK, we are human, and we have been hard wired to indulge. You work hard, you play hard, am I right?
Though I know many of us would rather die than ask for help, I’m giving you permission, and begging you to ask me because I love to talk about detoxification, the liver, and all things comfort food. It’s OK to ask for help in January, to slow down, and support your body with good, healthy intentions. Many religions practice fasting around the holidays and I’m simply providing a healthy removal of processed foods to mimic this beautiful ritual.
It’s important to detoxify the many toxins because without being properly eliminated in 1-2 bowel movements every day, our bodies can be overwhelmed with toxins in the bloodstream that can cause headaches, inflammation, skin rashes, breakouts, hives, muscle and joint stiffness and pain, indigestion, constipation, reflux, foul smelling gas, breath, sweat etc. etc. If you are suffering from any of these, please know it is not a forever problem, and we can absolutely address it.
Although detoxification is a natural function of the body, it is a nutrient necessary process that needs to be replenished. Your body uses B vitamins, especially B3, B6, B12, vitamin A, vitamin C, zinc, copper, selenium, magnesium, other minerals, sulfur, many amino acids, and a large number of other nutrients in order to move toxins through the liver and out of the body so they are not left in the body as carcinogenic or inflammatory compounds. Thus, by avoiding toxins, and by eating foods rich in these nutrients you can provide your body the tools it needs to detox naturally.
I emphasize this because I think many of us try to “cleanse” the body by drinking only celery juice, or eating only vegetables and it just doesn’t need to be that hard. You can have good intentions to eat more vegetables this year without trying and failing at a vegan diet. Though a short cleanse can be a very therapeutic tool when done with the guidance of a professional practitioner, it is not a sustainable way to detoxify naturally. There are simply not enough nutrients to fuel detoxification and promote healing and growing new cells and tissues in the body.
Why This Specific Detox?
The Food Foundation detox is a gentle program to support you in finding the proper foods that fuel and nourish this system while avoiding the foods that overwhelm detoxification. I have led the detox for 8 years now and have added and removed appropriate tips based on the current scientific evidence. The recipes have all been made in my kitchen and fed to my own children, and are set up more like templates so you can change out veggies or proteins you may or may not enjoy.
I originally wrote this detox when I was trying to give up sugar and the many ailments I was suffering because of my addiction to it. I tried every detox out on the market and was the unbearable client that wrote in with 100 questions. What I found was that there was not a lot of support out there and doing a detox was hard. I poured my heart into writing a detox that made sense with the science, but had a person on the other end who understood everything you were going through.
That person is still me and I’m here to show you my process, as ugly as it may be on social media. Tune in every morning at 8:30am PST and watch me as I struggle through my own 28 days and share my secrets on how to succeed. I can promise you, the struggle is worth it because that feeling when the toxins are finally out of the body, and your liver is functioning like a high performance machine is amazing.
You will sleep better, wake up with more energy, stop craving the junk food, and enjoy the taste of your delicious food. You will feel less bloated, less cranky, less brain fog, and you will be amazed how your skin feels better, your hair feels thicker, your nails grow longer, and you feel a little sexy, enough to… just wait I promise you will feel like your best self again.
Join us!
If you want to join us, register by January 9th. If you want to just tune in every day for a few good tips, please leave comments below. I love to hear from you and it helps my own very real struggle to stop eating dark chocolate after every meal.😉 Whether you join me or not, I wish you many blessings this year, to be your best self, same you, new year, with just a few new healthy intentions.
Your Wellness Muse,
Jessica
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Other articles in the detox series:
You're Invited To Detox -- Movement For Detoxification -- Clean Products For A Healthier Home -- 3 Old Nutrition Myths Busted