This weekend, I felt in dire need of a spring cleaning. Not of my house... of my body. On Saturday night, I decided to do a quick cleanse that releases the toxins and matter out of your bowels. I have done this particular cleanse before with positive results. I used a product called Oxy-Powder, which is basically oxygenated magnesium, with a few other natural ingredients added in. Magnesium is a natural diuretic, and in fact, is the main ingredient in "milk of magnesia". It totally cleans out your bowels by pushing the matter out - and, let me tell you, (this might be too much information) but there always is a lot of matter to be pushed out! Once my bowels were clean, I wanted to be very thoughtful about what I put back into them again. The first thing I did was to take 2 probiotic capsules to increase the "good" bacteria in my gut. We all have millions of bacteria in our gut, much of which is considered "good" bacteria that are completely necessary for "eating up" the toxins and waste, and which help with elimination. The "bad" bacteria in our guts are what multiply when we eat sugar and processed wheat, flour, etc. The goal is to feed your body healthy foods so that you can multiply the "good" bacteria and enable the proper absorption of nutrients into the bloodstream. The "good" bacteria are also responsible for keeping our immunity high - they are very, very important to our good health.
For breakfast, I ate steel-cut oatmeal (which has lots of fiber) and blueberries (which have lots of antioxidants and vitamins) and a touch of agave nectar (for sweetness). I am a snacker so I had a mid-morning snack of plain greek yogurt (which has twice the amount of protein than regular yogurt) with 2 tablespoons of sugar-free apricot preserves (100% fruit) and a tablespoon of ground flaxseed (I buy it pre-ground). I commonly eat greek yogurt for breakfast, but it is good as a snack too. For lunch, I had a piece of Ezekiel bread (toasted) with a tablespoon of almond butter on top and some green grapes. My afternoon snack consisted of a banana and a handful of unsalted, mixed nuts. For dinner, my husband grilled beef tenderloin (which has very low fat) and I made baked crispy kale (so easy - chopped up kale sprinkled with olive oil and sea salt, baked at 300* for 20 minutes, then sprinkled with balsamic vinegar). Kale is full of B vitamins and fiber, and it gets crispy when it bakes - it's delicious!I am feeling better and more energetic now that my body has been cleaned out. I do love that the act of "spring cleaning" makes me more aware and thoughtful of what types of foods I put into my body. Lately, I am not as concerned with the calorie count, and more concerned with the quality of the foods. If I listen to my body, it tells me when it is full. I just have to keep paying attention to it.
