An Easy Guide To Detox Diets At Work

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Fasts should not be tortuous dreaded experiences. I am a firm believer in reducing the headache / detox / pain element of the fast and getting to the revitilising, cleansing feeling as soon as possible.

This is what I have found useful when it comes to fasts:

Plan your fast

I do not just start a fast, simply because I know that if I just go into it without some prep work I will have a myriad of difficulties including in particular sharp headaches to contend with and I cannot manage that, particularly when I am working.

If I plan my fast, I reduce my exposure to those aches and pains – they become more like a dull tension at most and they do not last for very long.

Give coffee before you fast and give it up slowly

Learn from my mistake here – I tried to go cold turkey on coffee and just died.

By the time I realised what I had done, I was already in so much pain that even starting to drink coffee again could not have helped me – I had serious headaches and some of the worst back pain of my life. I was quite shocked by that as I did not think I had a particularly bad coffee habit. As someone who was based in an office, I would certainly have had about 3 cups of strong coffee a day and that was all it took for me personally to have quite a horrendous coffee detox.

I am a great believer in avoiding unnecessary pain. If I had my time again and if I knew the effect that the coffee detox was going to have on me I would have done the following:

The key thing is that I would have started slowly and given up coffee over time – I would have left my “key” cup of coffee i.e., in my case, my morning cup of coffee alone and I would slowly have cut back on my other cups during the day – switching to tea, then herbal tea, then water.
Two tips here – I thought I was drinking good herbal tea that I bought from the local deli until I actually tasted herbal tea homegrown by a herbalist. She gave me her chamomile tea and it might as well have been a completely different thing to the shop bought herbal tea. There was just no comparison, her tea was full of flavours whereas what I had on my desk was just completely bland and flavourless. If you are struggling with herbal teas, particularly if you are trying to switch over from strong coffees and teas, it might be worth going to a specialist tea shop, tell them what you like and get them to give you a proper blended tea. It made a massive difference to me and a good herbal tea is literally like herbal medicine. Also when you drink a lot of strong tea and coffee, your taste buds can become a bit dulled as regards subtle herbal tea flavourings so i would just say the tea shop owner – they tend to be very happy to help – that you need a strong tasting tea and even say to them that you are looking for a substitute for a strong tea or coffee.
The second tip is if you are partial to a cup of strong “builders” tea and not in a space yet where herbal tea is to your taste try Rooibos. When I was transitioning over to herbal tea I found Rooibos great because a good one is the closest I have come to a black tea flavour.
I am personally in two minds about decaffeinated coffee – I am not entirely convinced that it is a brilliant substitute for coffee. However in my very early days of trying to give up coffee, in particular when I was trying to crack the morning coffee addiction I certainly relied heavily on decaff options when I just needed a coffee. You can then in time try to substitute your decaff for a Rooibos, another herbal tea etc.

In short I would not bother doing a fast until I had kicked the caffeine habit and had at least saved myself the caffeine withdrawal headaches.

Sugar

Sugar is a big issue for me because I have a massive sweet tooth. Again I would not leave the sugar detox until the fast, I would just ease myself out of relying on it in the weeks coming up to the fast. For me, there is a very clear spot in my day where my sugar addiction rears up and that is at the end of the day – I am partial to a sweet treat in the evenings. I am not sure if this particular addiction will ever leave me, however I would try at least in the run up to a fast to cut down on processed sugar and maybe go for some dates or figs in the evening instead.

Now I should mention here that I cheat somewhat by eating fruit which by its nature has a lot of natural sugar. I usually have fruit and orange juice for breakfast and figs and dates in the evening for my treat.

Drink lots of water

Everyone says to drink lots of water on a fast for obvious reasons. I drink lots of water during a fast just because there is no question for me that it makes the fast a lot easier and a lot more painless. Any of the common ailments associated with fasting such as bloating or other digestive problems pass much faster when you are properly hydrated and can just flush everything out of your system.

Timing

There is just no point in doing a fast if you are ridiculously busy. There is no point in making yourself more tired, stressed and miserable about something else to worry about.

An Easy Guide To Preparing For A Fast

There are various other steps you can take to help prepare yourself for a fast. Before you start any fasting, you should have a close look to your eating habits. It makes no sense to fast when before and after the period of fasting, you still continues with poor eating habits. Properly preparing the body for fast not only makes the fast easier but also improves the results.

Educate yourself as much as you can about the fasting technique which you are going to use.
Write down all the instructions for your fast. Organize a plan and schedule on paper before you be begin. This is important because once you begin with your fast, you might try to convince yourself to quit. The schedule can act as a contract you have made with the fast you must keep.
Taper off your addictions and habits in the days prior to your fast. Cut down on caffeine, salt, sugar and cooked food and meats etc. If you cut them all of a sudden, expect to experience headaches, stomachaches and a general feeling of discomfort.
Begin eating smaller quantity meals prior to your fast. Resist the temptation to eat a big last supper the night before you fast. Cut down your meals a few days before it signals your mind, stomach and appetite.
Gather everything; you will need for your fast before you begin.
Eating a plant based diet can support you in creating harmony and health. Your preference should be to eat things rather than cooked food. Select organic fruits and organic vegetables that have been grown in natural sunlight and that have completely ripened in the sun.
Drink the highest quality of fluids that are available. Water is of the highest purifying quality.
Use mild herbal teas. One or two cups of the herbal tea may support the purification and best possible function of your body.
Drink all the fresh fruit and vegetable juices you like and especially the dark green juices.
Eliminate dairy products, refined flour, products, eggs and sweets.
Use olive oil and coconut oil for cooking purpose. Use not more than 2-3 tablespoon of oils per day. Do not use butter.
Do not use any caffeine, alcohol, stimulants or recreational drugs before and after fasting.
Do not eat any fried food.
If possible, drink a warm cup of lemon water and ginger tea. Also, drink a green drink each day.