The last 3 days of supplies...

Okay. So we decided a while back that we (Husband and I) needed a healthy reset. Our diet wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either. Husband had a Dr. Pepper & Oatmeal Cream Pie addiction and I just had to have chips and chocolate on occasion, with a side of coffee all day. Otherwise we ate a pretty balanced diet…except for those other things…um. It was time for a change. We’re getting older (mid-thirties), and feeling it. We wanted to see if we could do a reset on our cravings and maybe feel a little better too.

I did some searching online and found a detox on the GOOP website from Organic Avenue. I also found a couple of reviews of it and thought I might give it a go. It’s pretty extreme, so I didn't count on my husband agreeing to partake, but happily, he did. We decided to go for it. Then put it off. For about a year.

I have to say that that year has been a tough one. My health started declining and I was having some pretty weird and terrible symptoms. 3 doctors and 2 specialists later and I still don’t know what’s going on with my body. I figured that it’s a new year and medical science has given me nothing, so it can’t hurt to try. Here we go….


GOOP DETOX
Text and Recipes straight from the site, with some substitutions and sources of my own at the end.

First thing in the morning:
Wake up your system with a trio of elixirs in any order — just down the hatch!
• Combine 8 oz. of pure alkaline water with Organic Avenue's Alkalizing Salts, a powerful alkaline boost from Dr. Young
• 1 oz of pure aloe vera juice to improve bowel regularity and increase nutrient absorption
• 1 oz of chlorophyll, diluted with up to 8 oz. of purified water to oxygenate and boost nearly every major body system

Mid morning:
• Mix a scoop of Organic Avenue's Green Powder with 1 liter of pure alkaline water for energy and a raw organic anti-aging boost
• After 20 minutes it’s time for a fresh pressed green juice. My favorite is a simple blend we call YoungLOVE* (see recipe below) that is just juiced cucumber, spinach, and celery. Remember to chew your juices — sip, enjoy and no gulping!

Lunch time:
The basic building blocks of food are carbs, plant based proteins, and fats, so for lunch enjoy healthy sources of each that also support the cleansing process:
• Lemon Lime Shake (see recipe below) with citrus, coconut, cucumber, and avocado
• Young Alive Green Shake (see recipe below) — green juice blended with avocado, flax oil, and Himalayan salt
• And another liter of water with Organic Avenue's Green Powder to keep the plant-based energy going

Mid-afternoon:
• Time for some nutrition with an extra flavor kick — enjoy some raw soup like carrot ginger soup (see recipe below) featuring carrots, ginger, and orange juice.
• And make time for another green juice, on the Love Young cleanse it would be the MellowLOVE* (see recipe below) — cucumber, parsley, celery, romaine lettuce, green apple

Early evening:
Give your body some roughage to aid its nightly sweep. A simple salad of raw, organic ingredients (see recipe below) is a satisfying and delicious end to the day. Add your favorite raw vegetables or even organic edible flowers for something a little special — because cleansing is not about deprivation, it’s about abundance of health.

Later evening:
Drink only water or herbal tea after 9pm, and allow yourself to go to bed early if possible to give your body extra time for house-keeping. Look forward to waking up knowing you gave your body amazing nutrition, a break from new toxins and the support to clean up old ones.

Be sure to drink plenty of pure alkaline water throughout the day, take time throughout the day to notice your stress level and your breath and make adjustments if possible, get out and get active — even if you only have a few minutes to spare, and start again the next day. Try for 5-7 days, and feel free to rotate some different raw organic vegetables into the recipes to keep it interesting and delicious.

Some people are intimidated by green juice, but there is just nothing else like it to get clean at a cellular level and start the year off right with energy and clarity. If you have a juicer and a good blender you can easily make the essentials of this program for yourself at home. Look for ingredients like aloe vera juice, chlorophyll, and alkaline water at your local health foods store.


RECIPES

YoungLOVE* Green Juice
Makes 2 servings
    •    12 oz celery juice (¾ of whole bunch or ¾ lb celery)
    •    12 oz spinach juice (1 whole bunch or just under 1 lb spinach)
    •    12 oz cucumber juice (1 large or ¾ lb cucumber)
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MellowLOVE* Green Juice
Makes 2 servings
    •    6 oz spinach juice (½ bunch or just under ½ lb spinach)
    •    8 oz celery juice (½ bunch or ½ lb of celery)
    •    6 oz cucumber juice (½ large or 1/3 lb cucumber)
    •    12 oz romaine lettuce juice (1 bunch or 1 lb romaine lettuce)
    •    ½ oz parsley juice (1/3 bunch or 1 oz fresh parsley)
    •    Small pinch of Organic Avenue's Himalayan Pocket Salt
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Lemon Lime Shake
Makes 3 servings
    •    1½ Hass avocado, roughly chopped
    •    1 large cucumber, roughly chopped
    •    1 ½ c young Thai coconut meat, roughly chopped
    •    4 c young Thai coconut water
    •    ¼ oz Stevia powder
    •    ½ c lemon juice
    •    ¼ c lime juice
    •    Small pinch of Himalayan salt
Combine all ingredients in a high-power blender such as a Vita Mix and blend well until completely smooth.
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Young Alive Green Shake
Makes 2 servings
    •    ½ large cucumber
    •    1 oz lime juice
    •    6 oz grapefruit juice
    •    1 Hass avocado
    •    ½ lb spinach
    •    4 oz raw coconut milk
    •    1 tsp Organic Avenue's Green Powder
    •    1 tsp Soy Sprout Powder
    •    10 drops Organic Avenue's Alkalizing Drops
    •    4 sprigs of fresh mint
    •    14 cubes purified water ice
Combine all ingredients in a high-power blender such as a Vita Mix and blend well until completely smooth.
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Carrot Ginger Soup
Makes 2 servings
    •    ¾ lb carrots (about 2½ carrots), roughly chopped
    •    1 c coconut meat, roughly chopped
    •    1½ Tbsp shallots, diced
    •    ½ c coconut water
    •    ½ c orange juice
    •    ½ clove of garlic
    •    1 Tbsp minced ginger
    •    1 Tbsp miso
    •    Pinch of cumin
Combine all ingredients in a high-power blender such as a Vita Mix and blend well until completely smooth.
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Young Love Salad
Makes 2 servings
Salad:
    •    2 oz baby arugula
    •    2 oz baby spinach
    •    3 oz mixed baby greens
    •    1 yellow squash, cut into thin strips
    •    1 zucchini, cut into thin strips
    •    1 c broccoli florets
    •    1 c cauliflower florets
    •    ¼ carrot, cut into thin strips
    •    12 cherry tomatoes, halved
Dressing:
    •    4 oz extra virgin olive oil
    •    1½ oz lemon juice
    •    3 oz shallots, diced
    •    1 tsp fresh tarragon, chopped
    •    Pinch of mustard seed
    •    Pinch of black pepper
    •    Pinch of Himalayan salt
1. Wash all of the baby greens to remove grit and use a salad spinner to dry thoroughly.
2. If you have a mandolin, it is best used for cutting the vegetables into thin strips. If not, you can use a knife to cut sticks of the carrot, zucchini and squash.
3. To make the dressing, place all ingredients in a high power blender such as a Vita Mix and blend until smooth.
4. Toss all the ingredients together with 6 oz. of dressing to coat all the greens.


SUBSTITUTIONS:
I got most of my supplies for this online. The rest I got from the grocery store and didn't have too many problems…except for the “young Thai coconuts”. Um. Okay. I live in a pretty tiny city and no way was this going to be available. Also pretty sure if I asked for it I might get slapped. So I bought unsweetened coconut and reconstituted it in warm water for the “meat”, bought pure Coconut Water from the drink aisle, and a single can of Organic Coconut Milk did me well. As for the weirder ingredients? Bam:

• Green Veggie Powder
• Alkalizing Salts (I like Grey Celtic Sea Salt)
• Aloe Vera juice (not gel)
• liquid Chlorophyll
• Stevia powder
• Soy Sprout Powder
• Alkalizing Drops (PuripHy pH drops or equivalent )
• Alkaline Water: Baking Soda (for Alkaline water, 1 tsp. per 8 oz.) OR fresh lemon juice OR just use the damn Alkalizing Drops you just bought (headdesk). Oh well, I'll use it for something....
• Miso paste

A LOT of work, but we’ll see how this baby goes!

Stay tuned for Part 2 – GOOP Detox / Cleanse: Process and Results