Remember:
- keep taking the CL Liquid as usual until it is gone
- ease back into your regular diet slowly
- allow yourself to have a new ‘normal’ diet … perhaps leaving out bread, or pasta, or refined sugar
- write down how you are feeling right now, date it and note that you are on Day 12 of a 12 Day Cleanse

Tomorrow we’ll talk about what to do next … but just for today bask in the feelings of a job well done!

Sometimes people feel that those last couple of days don’t matter, but really if you’ve come this far why stop now? Why not gain the benefit of the full program and stick with it for a couple more days.

Your likely feeling pretty good by now: more energy, less aches, pains and bloating and those cravings have become all but a faded memory. Maybe your weight has shifted just enough that your clothes are feeling comfortable again.

Look back at the past couple of weeks and realize just how far you came. Sure there may have been some uncomfortable moments, and maybe you had an episode of feeling different as your friends were eating detox no-no food while you gracefully and confidently made more healthful lunch choices.

Did you notice that about an hour after that lunch you were alert and energized, while your friends were feeling bloated and foggy?

So become your own best guardian, and hang in there! You’ll be glad you did.

If you completed yesterday exercise, you have already given some thought into the foods that you missed and didn’t miss during this cleanse. This is a very important exercise because it helps reshape the way you think about food, and may have even pointed out some of the foods that you eat simply out of habit or convenience.

So lets expand on that simple exercise from yesterday.

1. What three detox friendly foods have come to be your new favourite comfort foods?
2. If these three foods were to continue to be your new favourite comfort foods, what three not-so-healthy habit foods are you willing to remove from your regular diet?

Its time to start thinking about how you are going to ease back into ‘normal’ eating habits … and if your ‘normal’ has perhaps changed during the course of the cleanse.

Here’s a little exercise to help:

1. Take some time today to write down all the foods that you miss and can’t wait to eat again.
2. Categorize the foods on your list as being ‘single ingredient foods’ and ‘multi-ingredient foods’.
3. Plan on leaving the ‘multi-ingredient’ foods off your plate for at least another week.
4. If there was a food in your diet before the cleanse that you don’t really miss, then don’t bring it back into your diet.

Example:
1. Foods missed are: cheese, oranges, bread, muffins, cookies, ice cream, raisons, honey, beer, ketcup
2. Single Ingredient Foods: oranges, raisons, honey. Multi-ingredient Foods: cheese, muffins, cookies, ice cream, beer. Don’t miss at all: bread, ketcup.
3. The first week off the cleanse, re-introduce the single ingredient foods that you miss, and leave out the multi-ingredient foods that you miss until at least the second week off the cleanse.
4. Leave bread and ketcup out of your diet, or only eat occasionally.

Well past the halfway mark, and closing in on the last few days of this detox. Cravings have subsided. Energy levels are returning to normal.

You may even at times ‘forget’ you are on a detox program.

Its important to see it through the full 12 days, for its these last few days that your body and mind start to think that this lifestyle is ‘normal’ or at least a new normal. The body has an amazing ability to adapt, and what at first seemed so foreign (like living without bread) now seems completely natural.

If your not there yet, have faith that you will get there. Health improvements begin when we stop fighting with ourselves and allow our actual nutritional needs to dictate what we eat, rather than our taste buds and habits.

Hang in there. Health and longevity await!

Bonus Recipe from the Wild Rose D-tox Cookbook

Kale, Corn and Beet Salad

Serves 4. Cook the beets the day before while preparing for another meal. To easily peel the beets, press their skin with your thumb under water once they are cool enough to handle.

4 cups kale leaves, finely sliced
2 medium cooked beets
1 cup corn kernels, fresh, canned or frozen
1 tsp tarragon leaves
¼ tsp salt
Pinch pepper
¼ cup Basic Oil and Lemon Dressing, (see previous post).

• Steam kale, with lid partially uncovered, for 3 – 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, peel, quarter and slice beets and place in a medium bowl.
• Add corn, tarragon, salt, pepper, dressing and toss.
• Enjoy!

It is possible to eat out while on the detox … it just takes a little bit of planning and the courage to ask for what you want.

Most restaurants are more than willing to work with you to customize their menu to suit your needs. Fast food places are not able to customize changes, so all the more reason to stay away.

When eating out on the detox stay away from:

• sauces that may be full of sugar and thickened with flour
• breading on chicken and fish
• salad dressings and condiments (full of sugar and vinegar)
• bread, buns, biscuits and crackers
• cheese and other dairy that may be hiding in foods such as mashed potatoes
• drinks that are full of sugar and artificial flavour

Here’s a few helpful hints:

• Ask for lemon wedges and olive oil to use as salad dressing
• Choose meat and fish dishes without breading
• Hold the sauces and ask for extra spices such as rosemary, black pepper, etc
• An assortment of olives makes an excellent appetizer
• Choose sparkling water or soda water with a wedge of lemon or lime
• Pass on dessert
• Ask for lightly sautéed or steamed vegetables
• A green salad with lightly grilled chicken or poached fish is a perfect meal

Hungry? You shouldn’t be. The 12 day detox isn’t about calorie restriction … you can, and should be, eating enough to feel satisfied and have the energy you need to go about your day.

By Day 5 many people say that they are hungry and feel deprived. If this describes you, I encourage you to get creative with your meals. You can eat as much as you want, it just needs to be the right foods.

If you can’t remember what are good foods to eat, you can click here to refer to the detox information sheet

Don’t forget to use spices and herbs to make your dishes flavourful and yummy.

Bonus Recipe from the 12 Day Detox Recipe Book

Caesar Salad Dressing

Yields 1 cup
Olive oil solidifies when stored in the fridge. If the dressing becomes solid, hold bottle under warm water for a minute or leave at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.

1 egg yolk
¼ cup lemon juice
2 – 3 anchovy fillets
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• Place egg yolk in a food processor along with lemon juice, anchovies, garlic, salt, pepper and blend for 1 minute or until ingredients are pureed.
• Mix the two oils together and add slowly in a steady stream to the processor while it is on high speed.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and blend for 30 seconds.
• Transfer dressing to a jar and store in the refrigerator.
• Try using lime juice instead of lemon juice, for variety.

By Day 3 and 4 of the detox you may be having some cravings for something sweet … in fact you may be feeling like if you don’t get something sweet to eat, really sweet … like a hot fudge brownie covered in caramel sauce you might just explode … ahem … sorry about that …

Speaking of cravings … here’s how to cope:

• Berries are allowed on this detox and you will be surprised just how scrumptiously sweet frozen blueberries will taste at this point
• Cold Apple slices are also a good sweet-craving-squasher
• Rice cakes smothered in almond butter
• Carrot and Celery sticks
• Fresh, raw nuts like almonds and cashews (no peanuts)

What do you like to snack on while you are getting over the sugar withdrawal blues?

WARNING: Don’t read if you are squeamish …

Day 2 and I’m just starting to feel the effects of the herbal supplements … most notably the laxative effects. Anytime you take herbal cleansing formulas its very important to ensure that you are having at least 2 – 3 bowel movements every day to keep your system well cleared out.

Having said that, sometimes taking four Laxaherb pills each day (2 in morning and 2 in evening) can be a bit much for some people. So by the end of Day 2, if you find the program to be too laxative, simply cut back the Laxaherb supplement by 1 or 2 daily. For example, you could take 1 Laxaherb in the morning, and 1 or 2 in the evening. We are each individual, and its ok to adjust this herbal supplement to fit your physiology.

DOUBLE WARNING: the next paragraph gets graphic!

You should cut back on the Laxaherb if:
1. Your bowel movements are mostly liquid
2. During a bowel movement, you find yourself doubled over with cramping that lasts more than 5-10 seconds
3. Bowel movements are urgent and you fear you won’t make it to the bathroom on time

Usually cutting back by 1 or 2 Laxaherbs per day will quickly relieve any discomfort.

For some people, the Wild Rose 12 day D-tox actually has the opposite effect – they become constipated while on the cleanse. If that happens to you, make sure you are drinking plenty of water and engaging in moderate exercise everyday. (Even just walking around the block after dinner can be helpful.)

If you still need help, you can increase the Laxaherb supplement by 1 or 2 daily. If after increasing the Laxaherb you are still experiencing constipation, you may want to add in a product called LBT3, which is a specific herbal formula to tone up the lower bowel.

Ok … there you have it … the Laxative talk.

Happy Cleansing!

Started off with unsweetened Blueberry & Ginger Shake, made using the Raspberry Shake recipe , (substituting frozen blueberries to replace raspberries and omitting the dates.)

Second breakfast (why not?) is homemade hummus with carrot and celery sticks.

Lunch is a super salad made with quiona, greens, nuts and raspberries, dressed up with a splash of fresh lemon juice, olive oil and fresh ground sea salt and black pepper.

Dinner consists of homemade veggie and bean soup made with turkey stock , served over cooked brown rice and a handful of greens.

Snacks today are rice cakes with butter and almond butter, sliced apple, and raw pistachio nuts.

Day 1 is usually an easy day. You may experience slight cravings for something sweet or a ‘need’ for junk food. A brisk walk or other exercise can take care of those cravings pretty quickly.

Make sure you drink plenty of fresh, filtered or spring water.