Before Dana’s program, my knowledge of detoxing and cleansing was minimal at best. Honestly, I didn’t have much interest in it, nor did I feel inclined to do one. But I knew I needed a change, one that focused on taking care of myself. I had a pretty hectic year between an 8-month renovation of our home, two moves, and my mother-in-law’s illness, which had me frequenting back and forth to the U.S. several times this year. My eating habits for almost a year now would make a nutritionist’s skin crawl. I was what you call a forager, but not the good kind, indiscriminately grabbing a bite to satiate my hunger until the next time I got hungry. I hardly sat down for a meal; I just made sure the kids were fed well because there was always something else I had to go do. Then when my husband commuted back for the weekends we usually ate out.
It just so happened that Dana being one of my closest friends is also a health coach. So during one of our many Whatsapp chat sessions, I said I could use some help, and she suggested why not try her Clean Eating Program. I have to say at first I was somewhat hesitant, mostly because I didn’t know what I was signing up for. She calmed me and told me not to worry; she would provide all the tools needed to get through it. I just had to take a leap and try. I agreed.
As the date approached, I started getting the emails with the tools; the recipes, the shopping list, the short topic sheets related to the benefits of cleansing and what to expect. It was a bit of reading, but I was actually enjoying it. I printed everything out, organized it in a nice folder in a very nerdy manner I might add, and carried it with me everywhere. And like a good student, I perused through it during any spare moment I could find.
I went shopping and bought most of the stuff on the list. I couldn’t find everything, but there were suggestions on how to get around ingredients that were hard to obtain. I was ready for this. Most significant was my cutting out Pepsi, which was a big deal for me. I have been drinking Pepsi since high school; nothing could come between my Pepsi and me. I had always figured that since I don’t drink and I don’t smoke, I’m allowed one bad habit. Pepsi was it.
My first day of cleansing went rather well. I expected a headache, which came, but it wasn’t terrible. The second day was the same. The third day I was headache free, and I thought this is not bad at all. I thought the worst was over. So the fourth day went rather well until nightfall, when a massive migraine hit me. My legs were cramping at night. Admittedly, I was totally debilitated and stayed in bed most of the day. I thought this would last a day or two like the last time, but it didn’t. It went on for five days straight. I have to say it was rather excruciating. I couldn’t believe I was going through such severe withdrawal symptoms just because of coffee and Pepsi. I knew Pepsi had a lot to do with it, because I would wake up craving something really sweet, so to curb the craving I would help myself to a few grapes.
I kept asking Dana, is this normal? When is this going to end? She reassured me this was going to pass, to hang on, and suggested ways of relieving myself such as drinking lemon teas and taking magnesium supplements. I started to notice a pattern to my migraines, the duration of the attacks would decrease and the frequency between them would increase. I also wasn’t craving grapes anymore. I woke up one morning and the lingering buzz between migraines was gone. And the migraines ended, just like that.
I’ve been done with the program for awhile now, and haven’t had a migraine or slight headache since my withdrawal episode. I’m still abiding by the general guidelines of the program, which I decided that I want to incorporate into my lifestyle from now on. I’ve pretty much eliminated sugar and white flour from my diet. I allow myself to have a cup of coffee once or twice a week, mostly to appease my husband who lost his coffee buddy, but I substitute honey for sugar. I’m eating much more vegetables, and now I make sure I eat only grass-fed beef and organic chicken. I drink much more water, and I completely stopped Pepsi for good. I don’t even miss it. That is something I still can’t believe. I couldn’t believe how unknowingly addicted I was to caffeine and sugar.
The program, the coaching and the support group helped me tap into a willpower I never knew I had. The temptations were huge, and somehow I was able to resist. My withdrawal symptoms left such a lasting impression on me, I now know I never want to be dependent on anything that could make me feel that miserable again. In addition, my perception of food has completely changed. When I see a dish, I break it down in my head and think about all the ingredients in it and think about the implications each may have on me. I determined from the transition phase of the program in which you slowly reintroduce foods back into your diet that dairy and I do not mix well. So I eliminated dairy. I shop differently too. I have become very meticulous about checking ingredients on labels and have discovered how many yucky additives there are in foods that are packaged to make us believe they are good for us. And by the way, not everything labeled “organic” is good for you. So I also check the labels on those too. I cook so much more now, using the recipes as a resource and experimenting with some ideas of my own.