Reflections on 21 Days of Purification
These days, almost everyone has a busy schedule, travel, and family events that “get in the way” of a purification. What we learned was that planning was absolutely essential to stay on track. For example, last weekend we spent the afternoon at the beach. We could have easily decided to grab food to-go or stop by a restaurant before or after our beach adventures. However, we planned ahead. We made shakes before we left home and packed a lot of snacks to curb hunger while at the beach. We packed hummus and fresh veggies, dried apricots, apples, and grass-fed beef jerky. We also did this for any extended travel. The same was true for meal planning at home. Meal preparation was essential! (If you’d like to learn more about meal preparation, attend our Meal Prep Workshop tomorrow, September 28 at 7:00 at Fit Body Boot Camp.) Even something as simple as cutting up onions, peppers, and other vegetables on the weekend after shopping assisted in saving a lot of time during the week. One other key to a successful purification is looking at a menu prior to choosing a restaurant during purification. While there are many restaurant options that worked well with purification, there were also several we passed after looking at the menu online, this was especially true for the first 10 days. Fortunately, thanks to applications like Yelp, this was an easy task.
Changes for Kristi
I have noticed several positive changes. Overall, my digestive system has been working better and while I didn’t lose weight, I know I’ve lost inches. Had I replaced two meals with shakes, I definitely would have lost weight as well as inches.
My skin is much more clear, this was my number one goal of purification. I’ve struggled with my skin for the past year and a half and I’ve had difficulty identifying the root cause. I know that it has to do with my gut bacteria and some sort of sensitivity but I haven’t been able to narrow down the cause. Because of the elimination of common allergens, dairy, eggs, and nuts, I’m able to add things back into my diet one at a time to see how I react.
For me, this was not without a couple of challenging circumstances. I had a low-grade headache, on and off throughout the cleanse. It was nothing that was unmanageable but that is a common side effect of any cleanse. It is definitely a sign that my body was trying to work through things in different ways. I also really struggled with not eating protein for the first 10 days, after day 10, things were much easier.
Changes for Dr. John
Dr. John has had an increase in energy, better sleep, and has noticed an increase in bowel movements which means his digestive tract is working more efficiently. He has also lost about ¾ of an inch around his waist. Dr. John didn’t experience any negative changes, he has done several cleanses in the past and this was by far the easiest to manage.
Where do we go from here?
We will be adding the eliminated foods back into our diet slowly. For example, I want to add one type of nut at a time to determine if nuts are the cause of my skin issues. We do not consume a lot of dairy products. We do use plain, Greek yogurt to make sauces and in cooking so we will add that back into our diets. We also enjoy feta or goat cheese on salads and in other dishes. Feta and goat cheese are made from sheep and/or goat’s milk and are much easier to digest than cheese made from cow’s milk. We don’t eat a lot of grains but we will add those back in on occasion.
Standard Process, the company that created this purification system, offers a cookbook that has a Post-Purification Pantry list and recipes. Just because the 21 days are over, does not mean the work is done. Now that our bodies are cleansed, we can work to see continued improvement! We plan on sticking to our back-on-track mindset and seeing long-term benefits. One of the huge benefits to this purification is that the kit includes enough shake powder to drink two to three shakes per day. For most people, this means that the kit includes enough shake powder to continue your plan for several weeks after purification. Including one shake per day in your diet will extend the results past the 21 days.
Are you thinking of trying Purification? What are your goals?
Feel free to reach out to us at the office by phone, email, Facebook, or in person. We are happy to answer any of your questions! We are holding a Purification Workshop on October 10th at 6:00 pm at our office. If you begin your Purification in October, you will be done well before the holiday season and you will be better prepared to jump start a healthy holiday season!
