A detox?? You mean choking down gross powdery drinks and piles of horse pills? Well, no, not exactly. I recently finished my second 26 day detox. Why? I’m glad you asked! Did you know your liver completely regenerates every 90 days? Did you know the average person could be walking around with up to 15 pounds of mucous? Yuck!
You regularly change the oil in your car. Why? Because if you don’t, the old oil will completely gum up the engine and eventually ruin it. Our bodies deserve just as much (or more!) attention, including keeping things “cleaned out” and in good running order. Everyone should consider a detox, at least once a year, preferably twice. And guess what? It’s not actually that difficult!
Here’s a peek into what my days looked like during the recent detox, which, by the way, involved NO gross powdery drinks or horse pills whatsoever! Just whole, nutritious foods and some delicious recipes! As a Green Smoothie Girl apprentice coach, I finally decided in May that maybe I should at least try the 26 day detox that Robyn Openshaw, the Green Smoothie Girl, spent years researching and creating. How hard could it be, after all? Fortunately, not really hard at all!
The detox, a vegetarian plan, is designed to detoxify all the major bodily systems, one by one, with each “phase” lasting anywhere from 2-7 days, depending on the system in focus. It begins with the colon because good elimination is essential for safely and easily eliminating toxins. Consuming only fruits and veggies, then gradually adding a few grains and legumes, your body is able to focus on releasing toxins rather than spending a lot of energy digesting proteins, sugars and processed foods. Eliminating salt (the very hardest thing for me!), even “good” salt like Pink Himalayan or Celtic gray sea salt allows your cells to more easily release stored toxins.
Is this the only way to detox? No. Plenty of plans exist. But I like the fact that this one uses whole foods and targets each major bodily system, one at a time. The Detox manual is 203 pages chock full of terrific information, recipes, and step-by-step instructions for each phase. There’s flexibility, too, as I learned early on.
During my first detox I lost 8 pounds, and while the ultimate goal is not really weight loss, it is a fringe benefit. Since I have about another 45-50 pounds to lose, it tends to get a lot of my attention. This second one I lost about 12 pounds, though altering things more than the first time, apparently successfully!
Day 1:
My biggest issue is overeating, which despite causing misery, still plagues me! Glad today is the start of the detox. Looking forward to simpler food, but will miss salt! Food: 2 Pts of No-Fruit smoothie (actually pretty tasty), 1+ c soaked oat groats, 2c roasted cauli, baked sweet potatoes (4 small –I was hungry, ok?), cuke-tom salad, and Hippo Soup (don’t ask – I have no idea why it’s named that!).
Day 2:
Got pretty full today but ate less than yesterday. I think I just don’t stomach this portion very well (no pun intended). Basically same as yesterday but only 2 baked sweet potatoes instead of 4.
Day 3:
Won’t be too hard to lose weight in this first phase since I’m heartily sick of the Hippo Soup and the tom/cuke salad, neither of which I liked in May. Will try roasting all the veggies today when I make the next batch. Really looking forward to the smoothie days. I ate more of the same from days 1 & 2, but no Hippo Soup – not ready yet.
Day 4:
Glad today is the last day of this phase! Had the roasted Hippo Soup tonight and it was actually really good, especially with the addition of a little cayenne. Bill liked it, too; we both ate 2 bowls. Guess I will always roast all the veggies anytime I make this in the future.
Days 5-7:
About like this: Classic green smoothies, 3 qts, added banana. Also added 1 avocado, frozen zucchini, flax, flax seed oil. Had 1 pt of Bill’s smoothie from day before because mine only makes 2.5 qts. Had the last pint of Bill’s as well in the evening. Too hungry.
Day 8:
Not bad for my first day back to solid food instead of smoothies. But then the dumb Hockey Pucks (yes, that’s their name) weren’t done in time to take to work, and I forgot to take the grapes for lunch, so ate those for dinner along with a small sweet potato, a little roasted veggies and the Purple Heaven (one of our all-time favorite recipes – we make this a LOT, detox or not!). Okay, 2 c of millet is too much, but 1 c isn’t enough. Will try 1 1/2 c on Monday. Felt full all day, uncomfortable stomach by 8 pm or so. Didn’t overeat except the millet in the am.
Days 9-13:
This phase, except for the Hockey Pucks, is my favorite phase. The millet porridge with orange sauce is the bomb, we all love the Purple Heaven, and the Hot Pink Breakfast Smoothies are yummy! Down about 6 pounds so far.
Day 12:
Felt pretty good yesterday and today. Didn’t overeat. Went for a walk 2 nights in a row, plus a lot when getting groceries. Might get over 10k steps today, we’ll see. Terrible, terrible allergies ALL DAY LONG. Sneezing, runny nose, itchy face and throat. Thought it might turn into a sinus issue. Tried everything, the oils, Cold Calm, homeopathic allergy meds. Nothing really stopped it, just slowed it down a bit. I’m used to sneezing and runny nose in the ams, but this literally went on the entire day. I was congested and sounded like I had a cold.
Day 13:
Allergy symptoms gone, except for a tiny bit in the am like usual. Really weird. I didn’t eat anything different yesterday than the day before, so who knows what sparked it. Surprisingly, the Black Bug Soup wasn’t bad. Now I wonder if I seasoned it enough the last time I made it, in May. Ate 2 large bowls.
Days 14-26:
Moved into the kidney cleanse phase – 2 days of nothing but watermelon and fortunately, I love watermelon, so it was easy, then I actually “inserted” and followed the Andreas Moritz Miracle Liver & Gallbladder cleanse* as it meshed well with the detox, so did a liver/GB flush on the 3rd Saturday night of the detox. The following Monday, I had my first ever colon hydrotherapy session, which was fascinating and proved I was releasing stones, albeit very small ones.
By the time the 26th rolled around, I’d lost just over 12 pounds and was feeling light and energetic. I will definitely repeat the detox in January when they do another “group” nationwide one. My next adventure is to do the 30 day Kickin’ Candida Cleanse which begins September 1. And great news!!! I can have salt again!
All photos (except for top image) taken from The GreenSmoothieGirl Detox Manual, pages 122, 126, and 122, respectively.
Published by Robyn Openshaw/GreenSmoothieGirl.com
Lindon, UT
November 2013 (July 2014 Update)
Copyright © 2013-2014 Robyn Openshaw/GreenSmoothieGirl.com
Food photographs copyright © 2013 Katie Dudley
All rights reserved.
* I would recommend buying the paperback version of this book, not the Kindle. I bought the Kindle but ended up buying the paperback when I realized there was a lot of back and forth searching for protocols, resources, etc.
Cheryl
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Healthier, Chocolatey, Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Fabulous article.
Thanks for sharing!
What is the no fruit smoothie recipe?
The no fruit green smoothie is 1/4 c fresh lemon or lime juice, 2 c water, 1/3 dropper or squirt of liquid Stevia, and a huge handful of spinach or chard with stems. I also added doTerra ginger, wild orange, and/or Citrus Bliss essential oils. Really pretty tasty.
I know this is an old post, but I noticed you included Citrus Bliss essential oil in your smoothie. That particular blend is not safe for internal use… Diffusion and Topical only :).
The contributor who wrote this post is no longer on the team, so I’m answering ‘for’ her. 🙂 Thanks for clarifying for us!
I know this was an old post but I wanted to know if you drank the epspm salts before the liver cleanse like Andreas Moritz suggests?
Thank you for all the information. It was very helpful. I, too, am a born-again Christian! I have been researching the 26-day detox and wondering what to do since I live in Canada and cannot receive the manual except through digital means. The comment about buying the hard paper copy was just what I needed to know! Thankfully, I have family in the US who can order the manual and mail it or bring it to me when they come to visit. Thanks so much for your interesting blog. I have five children also – so far!
Hey Christie, it’s nice to meet you! 🙂 I’m so glad Cheryl’s article was helpful!
Day 1 comment response: Hippo soup(?)… it’s named after Hippocrates. I’ll let you google to find out why it’s named after him, if you don’t already know. This recipe/philosophy part of GSG detox is from the Gerson therapy.
On Day 2. But my PDF file of the 26th day detox. Did not tell you how much flour to use for the hockey pucks. Can anybody help? And does it say to use quinoa flour or not to? The recipe was on page 110.
This post was written by a contributor who is no longer on the team. I hope someone else can chime in and help!
I didn’t know
Sweet potatoes were allowed the first phase. Is this new?
I’m sorry, Saskia, Cheryl wrote this post for me several years back, but is no longer actively writing. I myself have not done the detoxing she describes here. Sorry I couldn’t help! Have you tried Googling the protocol and what is and isn’t allowed?