The Divorce Detox Diet has nothing to do with your waistline or the number of celery stalks you consume in a day. This diet is not about cleansing your body; it’s about cleansing your mind and your heart.
There are no sign-up fees, no special formulations to purchase. All you need is some motivation to feel better and some direction to get there.
The Divorce Detox Diet Guidelines
To be avoided:
people that bring you down
“shoulds,” both from yourself and others
always/never thinking
cyberstalking your ex
painful reminders and mementos
victimization
To be consumed in small amounts:
social media
movie or Netflix binges
pity parties and days spent in bed
alcohol
comfort foods
blame and guilt
To be consumed in moderate amounts:
reflection and analysis
distractions
reading about and/or listening to stories of divorce
After a few weeks on the Divorce Detox Diet, you can expect to feel lighter and freer as you shed a little more of the weight you’re carrying from your past.
If you’re anything like me, you find that your life’s to-do list grows longer each year while your available time seems to grow shorter. Perhaps you make the same resolutions each season (lose weight, eat better, stress less… sound familiar?) only to find that you do not have the freedom in your schedule to fulfill them. I know I find that the longer I live, the more I want to accomplish, and yet the responsibilities I carry continue to grow. The following are five strategies that I have used to transform my life that don’t take much time (or money!).
Green smoothies are gaining in popularity as people realize that they are a great way to increase your consumption of leafy greens in a easy and great-tasting smoothie.
You may be amazed to discover that spinach can be make to taste like a mint chocolate chip shake or that kale can be blended into an apple crisp smoothie! Green smoothies are a great, easy way to eat (okay, actually drink) your veggies while enjoying great flavor and the convenience of a shake.
Leafy greens are low in calories yet high in vitamins, fiber and minerals. Their high water content means that it is difficult to eat them whole and raw in large quantities but this same characteristic makes them very blendable. It is quite easy to make almost half a pound of greens disappear into your smoothie!
In addition to the greens, these smoothies are chock full of other healthy ingredients: fruits, nuts, seeds, spices and even dark chocolate. These filling foods mean that these smoothies make a great snack or even a meal and can be a great component of a weight loss plan.
Many of these recipes are kid-friendly and can be a great way to encourage a greater intake of fruits and vegetables.
One of my favorite benefits of green smoothies is that they are easy. The greens don’t require any special prep. The oven is never turned on. All I have to do is throw a bunch of ingredients in the blender and let the machine do its job. It doesn’t get any easier!
This collection of recipes is sure to please your palate and your health!
Before recently signing up for a marathon, I consulted a friend of mine who is extremely erudite in the biochemistry of nutrition and supplementation. I eat a very healthy diet: vegetarian leaning towards vegan, gluten free, and containing very few processed foods. My shopping cart looks more like a garden than something from the grocery store. This diet, along with frequent and intense exercise, offers some protection against many of the common western maladies: high cholesterol, hypertension, high blood sugar, etc. Yet, my way of eating also predisposes me to some deficiencies, notably iodine and iron, which will need to be remedied as I begin to ramp up my training.
Herbal supplements (Photo credit: Ano Lobb. Follow on Twitter: @healthyrx)
As I researched and purchased supplements yesterday, my mind made connections. Why is it that most of us easily accept that our diet can benefit from supplements, yet we ask that our primary relationship fulfill all of our needs?
Stay with me here, I’m not about to pull a Gingrich with the suggestion of an open marriage.
The Hollywood ideal that we have all grown up with is that you have a single soulmate, one who is bonded to you in every way and anticipates and meets all of your needs. Is this even possible? Like with designing a diet, it is important that your primary relationship addresses your need for macronutrients: respect, love, security, and whatever else is on your “needed for emotional survival” list. However, we are more complex than that, each of us has a need for micronutrients as well, and our primary partner may not have all of these available. That doesn’t mean that we need to endure those deficiencies or throw out the partner. It means we need to supplement.
Sometimes, the need for nutritional supplementation is obvious; if you lack vitamin C, scurvy rings the alarm bells before long. However, some deficiencies are more subtle, exacting changes that can easily fly under the radar, such as a general feeling of fatigue or weakness. Emotional malnutrition is the same; some gaps are apparent, yet others may not be so forthcoming and leave you functioning, yet not optimized.
Like with nutritional deficiencies, the first goal is to identify what your needs are; unfortunately, a blood test for emotional needs has yet to be developed.
Once you have identified your deficiencies, the next step is determining how to address them. Perhaps you find a friend that can fill the gap or engage in an activity that fills the need. I make sure that I always have people in my life that are “gentle souls,” providing me with that energy balance that helps me feel complete. Some of these people have no idea of their role, as I may not even know them very well; however, even a brief encounter leaves me refreshed. Relationship supplements do not need to be people; I also use yoga to help fill my requirement for gentleness as well. Be creative and don’t be afraid to look beyond the obvious. Oh, and I already checked, GNC does not sell this one in a bottle.
Finally, be aware that your supplementation needs may change over time. If you enter a new relationship, you may find that different needs are met and new gaps are revealed. Even if the relationship is constant, you may not be, thus opening up the need for different or new supplements. Perform a frequent check-up on yourself to make sure you are not slipping into mental malnutrition.
A diet that does not contain the basic required macronutrients will not sustain healthy life. Likewise, a primary relationship that does not meet the basic needs of both partners will not survive. For those micro-needs; however, don’t be afraid to supplement, as the proper balance of nutrients can take you from surviving to thriving.
One of the RSS feeds I subscribe to is a message board/ virtual support group for those following an extremely low carb diet (many of them are cycling between high and low calorie (<500) days as well). I initially signed on so that I find some new recipes or hear about new products, as I eat relatively low carb. What I found was something else entirely.
In reading the posts the last several weeks, a few patterns became immediately apparent.
First, no one seemed to be a long-timer. Everyone was new to the low carb, calorie restricted world or they talked about how they tried it in the past, regained the weight, and now are back for a second (or third, or fourth…) go-round. It was obvious that this way of eating could not be sustained for long. Eventually, their willpower won over and they reverted back to their typical diet (which, in most cases I would assume is the Standard American Diet, often abbreviated S.A.D.). This would lead to the weight being regained in a short time frame, often with additional pounds piling on.
I also noticed how harsh people were on themselves. It seems this diet is doomed to fail, yet people internalized their failures. These negative emotions in turn seemed to make them feel like they are not worth a healthy lifestyle or a healthy weight. Instead of the Up-Day, Down-Day of calories they are trying to follow, it seems as though most cycle through “good” days (not “cheating”) and “bad” days (rampant “cheating”).
Finally, exercise is not only seen as an optional component of the plan, it is often discouraged. Exercise can make you gain weight. In the form of muscle. That’s a good thing, but only if you are looking at a picture larger than the bathroom scale. I would also assume that it is rather difficult to muster up the energy to move at all, much less vigorously, when you’re subsisting on fewer than 500 calories a day.
When I read comments from people like the above, it makes me sad. I wish that they would realize their worth and fuel their bodies with real foods in appropriate amounts, rather then alternate between starvation and binging, pride and shame, and self-control and self-hate.
As I have said before, what we choose to eat is a deeply personal matter, but, please, show your body that you care.
Lessons From the End of a Marriage 