Our Standard Process 21 Day Purification Cleanse Journey

 Our Standard Process 21 Day Purification Cleanse Journey

Many of our clients have been recommended the Standard Process 21 Day Purification Cleanse. Recently 3 of us True Wellness staff members decided to sign up for this cleanse together. It was surprising, difficult, emotional and great! Here are just a few of the things we learned from those of us who believe we were already eating really clean! This is the good and the bad of our 21 days....

1. Meat- Originally it was not as difficult to give this up. Sooner then later two of us realized just how difficult it was to work long hours seeing clients without any meat. The third member felt great without it and will likely continue to eat far less meat then she did previously. 

*Verdict- go with your gut. If you have a physically or mentally demanding life, add small amounts of lean protein when needed (3 ounces one time a day). We relied heavily on Pumpkin Seed Butter for additional protein. 

2. Sweets- We are all self proclaimed chocolate lovers. It was shocking how many times we found ourselves craving something sweet. We found that Date Balls helped tremendously. (In food processor add dates, sea salt, melted coconut oil and raw pumpkin seeds. Process well, roll into balls and refrigerate)

*Verdict- If you have a mean sweet tooth, don't get caught off guard. Have some fruit or date balls ready to snack on. 
  
3. Coffee- This was the just about the hardest part for 2 out of 3 of us. Caffeine withdraw is real. When reading over the Purification Program, we did not take their advice to wean yourself off. Boy we wish we had! Headaches and brain fog lasted up to 4 days!

*Verdict- Starting lessening your coffee intake at least a week before you begin the cleanse. If you are still not able to tolerate it, we suggest just a small amount of organic decaf. 
 
4. Breakfast- Once we got used to having vegetables for breakfast, life got better. It was hard to wake up on have broccoli or brussel sprouts first thing, but ya know what? We ended up really enjoying it!

*Verdict- This is one part of program that we will put into our breakfast menu more regularly, more veggies!
 
5. Snacking- It is shocking to realize just how much food we were picking at and snacking! Packing the kids lunches, making dinner, after and between meals, having coffee...lots of food that we were eating and not even hungry for!

*Verdict- We are watching more carefully what we put into our mouths during the snacking times. Try to have food you can eat easily accessible while on the program to not be tempted to stray from the diet.
 
6. Eating out- While we did try to avoid eating outside our homes altogether, it can be hard to totally avoid. We found it best to not go out completely famished. Fix yourself some sauteed zucchini noodles with roasted tomatoes to take the edge off. That way you will have greater success when you go out and realize there really isn't much you can have!

*Verdict- Do your best, eat before you go. There is no question, some times its just easier to go out. However it should be more a special treat and not a weekly or biweekly occurrence after finishing the cleanse. 

7. Joy of food- By the time we got to the first weekend in the 21 days, we realized how much joy and emphasis we put on food over the weekend! It was startling! 

*Verdict- keep yourself busy and try new recipes over the weekend! Give yourself something to look forward to.   Since ending the cleanse, we have not starved ourselves from the special treats that bring us joy, we just do them very seldomly.
 
8. What we noticed- Just to name a few: clearer eyes, weight loss, more energy, less joint pain, more consistent bowel movements, better sleep and more

*Verdict- This program was hard, emotionally and physically. However we did it and feel so much better!  We will cycle through the 21 Day Purification about once a year. We highly suggest this for most of our clients.
  
9. Finishing the cleanse- Some of the things we noticed coming off the cleanse was sensitive digestions and clogged sinuses, which is to be expected. We are continuing to keep our diets rich with vegetables, even more then previously. We are cutting back on coffee and moving to decaf, a shock to us all! We are even keeping up the shakes!

*Verdict- we are limiting our dairy and meat intake while eating more veggies!