This sugar baby survived a 2 week cleanse

Two weeks into my blended raw veggie, superfood cleanse and…

1.     EVERYDAY WORKS:

Everything in my closet fits and daily life is easier. My thoughts are clearer, anxiety largely gone, reactions are better, and mood is balanced.

There’s no random bloating, intense cravings, evening cramping, IBS, or constipation. There’s no time taken out to recover from odd meals, sugar spikes, or toxins from the night before.

I don't fear the dark corners of my mind as toxins spike my chronic inflammation, steal B vitamins and magnesium, and leave me without a mental life preserver when stress happens. 

I hadn’t anticipated the 'life is just easier' benefit of this Vitalist cleanse.

2.     I NOTICE MY RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD 

With my cells being fed and blood sugar balanced, I’m not actually hungry. BUT I still very much crave sugar to get me through dull moments and distract with a high. The lack of option is liberating and over time the cravings went down.

It’s nice to have the decision already made, to just feel the urge and notice it without struggling with whether or not to cave to it. My brain slowed down it's ADD search for sugary escape once it knew it wasn't an option. I enjoyed more natural focus.

3.     I'M LEARNING BALANCE 

After doing the first week by the book, I detected a craving from my body for animal protein. I had been on the easy to digest, raw, vegan, masterfully combined superfood blends. I had done the herbs, the castor packs, the tummy massages, the oil drinking, the rest, and even the dreaded coffee enema. It all felt medically good for cleanse purposes but not necessarily perfect for my body chemistry daily.

So I played with balance. I promised myself I'd focus on the wins.

I celebrated my exhibition of more discipline than I thought possible for my rebellious, impulsive, use-sugar-as-a-drug spirit.

Off alcohol and sugar the last month+ to prep and build slowly, I was able to celebrate how big of a deal that was and allow modifications the second week with total self love.

After the big liver and gallbladder flush, I observed a rebellion against the 5x/day herbs. I wanted to sneak in a deviled egg or cooked soup stripped of its original enzymes. I wanted spice intensive, flavorful, sugary curry.

And so 2nd week, I allowed myself, and I watched.

A bit of bloat creeped back in with harder to digest choices and less fluids but I retained a desire to continue mostly blended superfoods 70% of the time for ease and comfort.

I felt a welling pride that I was shifting my flexibility around previous all or nothing thinking and could hear my body's preferences.  I knew I could go back to 5 days of herbs and all blended before the next liver flush and really appreciated the ease these food combinations were bringing to my life.

I liked having the blueprint AND noticing where my wiggle room was on the spectrum. I was celebrating wins instead of counting personal errors.

Halle-friggin-lujah!

I love that my food spectrum no longer includes slurpees, ice cream snickers bars, or cheetos. Sugar and starchy processed carbs are my Achilles heel. Others may struggle with dairy or meat, but I really get worked over by blood sugar spikes.

A recent habitnutrition.com blood test had confirmed what I already intuitively knew: I had sensitive pancreatic cells struggling to release insulin so often. I am prone to diabetes if I eat common sugary desserts – even more so as my activity level downshifts with age.

Plus, like many people, I have chronic inflammation from fast living and high toxin exposure compounded with intense internal dialogue ~ {I suspect originating from early trauma and attempts to system override to prove worth through "productivity."} My already high cortisol levels don't need sugar's 'helpful boost' and the path I was on is ripe for an autoimmune disease.

Even knowing about inflammation's damage, I feared letting go of my sugary security blanket and frankly doubted I could. I had asked the universe for a done for me, easy, delicious way to break my patterning. And doing this first step FEELS HUGE! :)

I know I don't really have the luxury to continue to treat food like an escapist drug rather than information for my cells so I'm super grateful these blended drinks weren't gross. I had to find a better coping mechanism than sugar and the delicious Vitalist superfood blends made exploring this transition possible. The chocolate chia protein powder nut milk blend mimics a cold chocolate mousse and got me through cravings.

The Takeaway 

Experimenting with truly balanced blood sugar for 2 weeks has been such a gift. Having clearer thoughts, needing less sleep, feeling lighter in my body, enjoying a svelte physique, and reducing decision fatigue in the food arena has been great. I suspect the aloe in my favorite 'Aloe Detox' blended drink has also helped repair leaky gut damages to my intestinal walls. That drink will forever be found in my fridge.

Pretty excited to be past the all liquid part so I can get back to the Unicorn nutballs and the nut cheese, jalapeno chip Nachos. I love food and want to feel good and sometimes that's a tough balance for this sugar baby.

3 ways to increase your Dopamine

The dopamine naturally produced by your brain makes you feel good and have self confidence. You get a rush of rewarding dopamine in response to pleasurable activities like food, sex, and nailing your to-do list.

On the other hand, without enough dopamine, you may feel sluggish, depressed and uninterested in life. Here are some different methods to boost your dopamine levels if you're feeling a little low.

1. EAT YOUR WAY HAPPY

a.  Tyrosine.  Almonds, avocados, bananas, low-fat dairy, meat and poultry,

Lima beans, sesame and pumpkin seeds all help your body to produce more dopamine. Well sourced soy products, fish, dairy, and meats also help.

Here is MY DAILY SUPPLEMENT.

b. Increase your antioxidants. Dopamine is easy to oxidize, and antioxidants may reduce free radical damage to the brain cells that produce dopamine.  Antioxidants:

• Beta-carotene & carotenoids: Greens, orange veggies & fruits, asparagus, broccoli, beets
• Vitamin C: Peppers, oranges, strawberries, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts
• Vitamin E: Nuts and sunflower seeds, greens, broccoli, carrots

c) Phenylethylamine (PEA), an ingredient found in chocolate, elevates dopamine. PEA also provides weight loss-related therapeutic benefits. You can order this online. Talk to your doctor beforehand. I recommend Dr. Stephanie Daniel of functionalmedicinesf.com

2. MOVE, REST... and SET GOALS!

a. Exercise increases blood calcium, which stimulates dopamine release and uptake in your brain. Try 30 to 60 minutes of walking, swimming or jogging to jump-start your dopamine levels. It also ups your endorphins. A genuine laugh or a stretch gets your endorphins going, which is similar to a dopamine high. 

b. Sleep. One of the best ways to feel energized and ready to tackle the day is to get plenty of sleep. Help the body rebuild your dopamine stores Don't get fooled by the temporary Dopamine burst you get from skipping sleep. It's an evolutionary work around the body provides to get you through sleep deprivation but comes at a price. You'll feel fatigued, groggy, and irritable, but your dopamine levels will be through the roof for a short time.

c. Goals make everything a game!

Reach a new goal. Dopamine is all about pleasure and reward. We can absolutely train our brain. Whether it's important to you to get to the coffee shop on time or finally get that PhD, reaching a new goal will put your pleasure centers into party mode. Every little goal counts.

3. SUPPLEMENTS & MEDS

a. Try a supplement.  Vitamin B6 & L-Phenylalanine (DLPA) can elevate dopamine in the brain. Here are the bundles I've put together from top companies. WholeFoods & boutique shops like Rainbow Grocery also carry good brands.

b. Medication that increases dopamine. Depending on the symptoms you're exhibiting, your doctor can prescribe medication that will increase your dopamine levels. The brain tends to upregulate over time and attempt to adjust back to your base level which results in many people taking more and more of the substance to achieve the same levels. Here is what is currently out there.

• ADHD: If you're really struggling to focus on tasks and experiencing hyperactivity, your doctor can prescribe psychostimulants like Ritalin to inhibit dopamine reuptake (putting dopamine away). More dopamine is left in the synaptic cleft, where it has its effect.
• Depression: Low dopamine is associated with depression. You can talk to your doctor about starting an antidepressant if natural methods don't work to relieve symptoms of low energy. Most antidepressants deal with serotonin, a different neurotransmitters associated with calm bliss over dopamine's motivated reward. The most popular Dopamine affecting antidepressant on the market is WellButrin. The major downside is the body's adjustment to the additional epinephrine on the synapse making the drug less effective over time. It can affect sleep in the beginning as well. And if your Dopamine issue starts higher up in the chain at nutrient absorption or toxin levels, an antidepressant will bandaid over the symptoms at best.
• Parkinson's disease: People who have Parkinson's disease often experience involuntary bodily movement. A dopamine booster called levodopa is often prescribed for Parkinson's patients. There is some correlation to low dopamine being a possible cause of Parkinson's. Scary!

Apparently there's even something called ECT (electro-convulsive therapy -- once deemed precarious is now returning in popularity) have shown to be effective in raising dopamine levels. I'm assuming it's an electrical impulse strategically sent to a specific part of your brain. Hadn't heard of this one.  Talk to your doctor.

SUMMARY:

Eat, sleep, & move to feel good. Structure your day around little winnable games to enjoy boosts of dopamine throughout the day. Sleep enough to refill the tank. When in doubt, nap or sweat it out. You deserve to feel good.