Bottling Day 3 of Garden of Life's RAW Cleanse

If you read my yesterday's blog entry, you'll recall the high energy I felt yesterday. Adding on to what I previously shared, I also mowed the lawn in the afternoon in this HOT Florida weather and then went to a high-energy Zumba class that evening. Today is a new day, however, and my body is telling me to REST for the most part. I will be teaching a yoga class this evening, which can complement my take-it-easy feeling today. When we detox our organs, as is the case with this RAW cleanse, it's normal to have these feelings of needing to slow down. So, I will not fight this feeling but rather honor it...and feel blessed that I can.

Regarding Garden of Life's RAW Cleanse, I've previously given some details about the first two daily steps of the program:

1. RAW Cleanse Toxin Defense - Optimal Oral Health and Immune System Support

2. RAW Cleanse Organ Detox - Natural Detoxification of Organs and GI Tract

More info about step 3 is:

RAW Cleanse Digestion & Elimination -- Toxin Capture and Removal is the third and final step in the RAW Cleanse experience, helping to catch and hold undesirable compounds in the digestive tract and facilitate final transport from the body. Digestion & Elimination contains 800mg of RAW Food-Chelated magnesium to draw water into the colon for effective movement of intestinal bulk. RAW organic flax and chia seed act as bulking fibers to absorb toxins and pollutants while RAW organic coconut fiber facilitates intestinal flow and creates a positive microbial balance in the body." ~Garden of Life®

Bottling Day 2 of Garden of Life's RAW Cleanse

Perhaps you read about the probiotic mouth-swishing part of Garden of Life's RAW Cleanse in my yesterday's blog entry. After the 45-second swishing and just prior to yesterday's breakfast -- a freshly made green apple and lemon juice, I took three of the Organ Detox capsules that are designed to naturally detoxify the organs and GI Tract. Then, I took the remaining three capsules for the day with lunch, which was a blueberry, banana, Maca smoothie.

"Organ Detox is the second step in the RAW Cleanse experience, supporting normal removal of environmental toxins and pollutants from the body, as well as internally generated waste by-products.....This antioxidant, enzyme and amino acid rich formula supports healthy liver biotransformation and excretion of environmental toxins (and their metabolites) normally introduced into the body in small amounts." ~Garden of Life®

After taking the final three capsules at lunch, the next RAW Cleanse step wasn't until about an hour before bed. While that stage is my least favorite part of the cleanse, it's oh so good for the body, because it's the Digestion & Elimination stage. The only reason I say it's my least favorite part is because of the taste of the green powder that needs to be mixed with water or a low-sweet juice. HOWEVER, thanks to Charlie's tip to hold my nose and chug, well, there's no taste at all until I let go of my nose. Then, I just quickly grab some water to wash away that final taste. (Hmmh, maybe Garden of Life can turn this powder into capsules. I think I will suggest this to them. :-)) In any event, the result of this daily stage of the cleanse is well worth the not-so-good taste, because it's nothing like starting the day with a great release of toxins. :-) It really helps set the tone for the day, because the fresher and lighter the body feels, well, the fresher and lighter the day.

For instance, it's still early this morning...my husband and son are still asleep...and already I've done my probiotic swishing, had some wonderfully cleansing quiet prayer time with prayers from PrayerGoddess.com, done a bit of yoga (including my favorite headstand to refresh the brain), written a thank-you note inside of a card and delivered it to an associate, worked on an idea for The Vegetarian Muse, did some produce shopping and have unpacked the mangoes, avocados, papaya, cucumber, coconut, kiwi, strawberries and bananas I purchased. I know my son will awake asking for his favorite strawberry, banana smoothie, so now I'm prepared. Plus, yesterday, we had the sweetest mango we've ever tasted, and I'm thinking he's going to want that today, too, since he says he's upping his raw eating today. At 14, he's well aware of when his body needs a bit of cleansing, so he takes some all-raw or mostly raw days here and there. I wish he'd take more of 'em, but I'm happy and proud of his conscious efforts.

Okay, folks, I still need to take the first three Organ Detox capsules for the day with breakfast. So, off I go to do that. What's for breakfast? Cucumber, green apple, lemon juice.

Talk to you tomorrow!

Happy Cleansing,

Penny

Photo: Me pictured for Life's Journey Yoga & Wellness

Bottling the 45-second Probiotic Swish

RAW Cleanse™
The Ultimate Standard in Cleansing & Detoxification
For those looking for the ultimate cleanse experience, RAW has always represented the standard. RAW Cleanse from Garden of Life features uncooked, untreated and unadulterated ingredients that are designed to support your body’s natural digestive and detoxification systems.† ~ Garden of Life®

When I first did Garden of Life's 7-Day Raw Cleanse, I had planned to document the journey, but other tasks and such apparently took the place of that intended journaling. Today, however, I'm kicking off a new month repeating this cleanse, so here's my second chance to share some notes along the way.

The cleanse kicked off this Sunday, August 1 morning with swishing Toxin Defense in my mouth for about 45 minutes. This powder-like substance part of the cleanse is "a unique combination of oral and intestinal probiotics that work in the mouth to help inhibit harmful toxins from traveling further into the body." In the cleansing kit pictured above, there are seven packages of Toxin Defense to be taken each morning....for seven days. I shake the package a few times to be sure all of the mixture is collected at the bottom, and then I cut the package's top, pour into my mouth, add a good sip of water, and get to swishing. You may feel a few chunky parts at first, but the swishing quickly helps break it all down. Once you swallow, you'll notice a fresher-feeling mouth blended with that healthy feeling of knowing that deeper health started brewing beyond the mouth once the Toxin Defense was swallowed.

"This 'point-of-entry' defense contributes to overall immune function and promotes microbial balance in the gastrointestinal tract for proper digestion and elimination. The clinically studied intestinal probiotic contained in Toxin Defense helps to support healthy bowel function, elimination and a health gut-associated immune system." ~Garden of Life®

The Garden of Life's "suggestions while cleansing" are:

•Drink at least the recommended 64 ounces of filtered water each day.
•Eat fresh fruit, vegetables particularly crucifers and bitter greens (such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, endive and radicchio), seeds, nuts and lean protein- organic whenever possible, with wild caught fish. Note: I'll be doing all or mostly raw-vegan food.
•Increase your healthy fat intake by adding 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon each of organic coconut oil, flaxseed oil, cod liver oil and olive oil per day to your diet.
•Keep high allergen foods, such as dairy and wheat products to a bare minimum.
•Eliminate caffeine, tea, coffee and alcoholic beverages.
•Eliminate added sugar, refined flour, processed foods and fatty food with trans fats.
•Eliminate skin care products with ingredients you can’t pronounce.
•Use natural cleaning products.