gwyneth paltrow

Squeaky Clean!

Posted by Judy Moon

I am in the home stretch now of the 21 day Clean Program and feeling fantastic! My last post Let’s Talk Dirty described in detail just how I roll up my sleeves and dive in to this yearly endeavor. There’s a lot of information to share and I tried to break it down and keep it simple. I forgot to mention two important things –

The Blender!!!

I would HIGHLY recommend getting yourself a high speed powerful blender. If you have the cash, the Vitamix  is the Rolls Royce of blenders. Everyone who I know who has one LOVES it. At the recommendation of a friend, I went with the Montel Williams Health Master, 4 payments of $33.33. I wasn’t sure if this was something I was really going to stick with at the time, so I wasn’t ready to make the commitment to the Vitamix. I can honestly say that blender is used at least 4 times a day in my house between my husband and myself and I love it. It does everything the Vitamix does and it’s never disappointed me. There are several other options out there, Nutri Bullet, Ninja, Blendtec to name a few. There’s lots of comparisons and charts and blogs – do your homework, see which one speaks to you. You won’t be sorry you did.

Bodywork!

Getting some extra bodywork during the cleanse is a great way to support all of the hard work you body is doing. You may feel a little headachey if you are a big caffeine drinker, you may feel tired and sluggish in the beginning, or your digestion may get a little sluggish at first. Getting some therapeutic massage, reflexology, thai massage, shiatsu or reiki will make the process so much easier.

I leave you with one of my favorite recipes that I discovered last year during Clean. It’s from goop – you can always count on Gwyneth, like if you are looking for a juicer – her 2014 gift guide listed the Easy Health Angel Juicer Gold, only $4,739. I love what it said underneath it – “Absurd, but awesome.” All kidding aside, I found this super yummy recipe on goop last year and it is the perfect breakfast when the sky is grey and the thermometer outside reads ten degrees!

Chai Gingerbread Shake 
Dr. Alejandro Junger
Blend until smooth. Drink before it cools for optimal digestion and to warm you up!

  • 1 cup warm brewed rooibos chai tea (easy to find)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger (or a tablespoon or two of fresh squeezed ginger juice)
  • 1/2 cup almond or coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons almond butter
  • coconut nectar, raw honey or stevia to taste
  • optional: 1 scoop protein powder of your choice

Enjoy!

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January = Clean

Posted by Judy Moon

January is always an exciting time of year – full of resolutions, good intentions, and goals. I love all of the energy the New Year brings – it’s kind of like a fresh clean canvas. What do I want to create for this year?

January at my house also means The Clean Program. Created by Dr. Junger and made famous by Gwyneth Paltrow. It is a 21 elimination detoxification program. It is the perfect thing after the holidays and all of the over-indulgences that can occur. What I really liked about this program is that you CAN EAT! It’s not about being hungry, or juicing or fasting. I know those things have their purpose, but this program seemed very doable to me. Just stick to the list of foods that you can have and you’re good! The “eating factor” was also the tool I used to rope my husband in to doing it with me as well. It is definitely easier to do with the buddy system.

I tried a 3 day juice cleanse once after a vacation week at the beach. I felt like I needed a boost to get me back on track to healthy eating.  I used Catalyst Cleanse – it couldn’t be easier. They have done all of the homework and created the perfect combinations of what you need throughout the day. There are six bottles numbered in what order you drink them. I have to say they were all pretty tasty. Day 1 – easy  peasy. Day 2 – I felt a kind of “sloshing” in my gut most of the day. Day 3 – was definitely ready to be done and to chew on something. To all of you who have done the Master Cleanse – I salute you! You all deserve a trophy or some sort of award. I put you in the same category of those brave ones who do the Tough Mudder runs. The juice cleanse though did open my eyes to something I had been taking for granted before – the pleasure of eating and chewing.

This is the fourth time my husband, Joe, and I have done Clean and it seems to get easier every time. We both struggle with different parts of it – he misses coffee and bread, I of course miss my red wine and cheese. The mantra becomes – “it’s only 21 days.”

I don’t buy the kit from the website. I make my own shakes and get our supplements at Whole Foods.  We don’t always have a soup or shake for dinner, sometimes we have a light meal from the list of foods you can have. I found a great blog from two sisters that is really fun and inspirational – Spinach For Breakfast. I also really enjoy this Chai Ginger Bread Shake from Goop. They have some really great recipes.

If you are feeling like you need a little kick in the pants in the healthy eating department or you need to really detox and reset – I would say give it a shot. If my beer drinking, chicken wing eating husband can do it – anyone can!

What do you do to start the year off right?

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