Introduction by Ellie Drew: Carol Heywood-Babrauskas lives in Seattle, Washington. In the fall of 2006 she began a personal detox program, first with a colon cleanse, and followed by her own three day juicing detox. Carol’s results startled even her – she lost nearly 25-30 pounds between the first of October and Christmas, she had more energy, less pain, and a whole new look. People started asking Carol what she was doing to look and feel so great, and so she wrote the following basic tips about what she did. Carol is in the process of writing a book (or booklet) about her experience so others can enjoy greater health and lifestyle. It is with great pleasure she is sharing this information with us.

Carol's 3-Day Detox

THE BASICS –

1. Juice fast three consecutive days for the organs to complete a cleanse cycle.

2. Do it every week as a lifestyle. There is no need to do it while traveling or enjoying other special events. In other words there is no reason to be religious about it, but making it a lifestyle allows the mind to cooperate rather than fight the process.

3. Detoxing often times has “symptoms” such as tiredness, dark stools, moodiness, etc. Drink plenty of purified water to flush the toxins will help a great deal with this.

Carol writes, “I feel a big part of the success of this program is due to the elimination of toxins, which I have read fat hides in. ‘Eliminate the toxins and the fat dissolves away’ made sense to me so I kept my focus on eating healthy to eliminate the toxins. And since juicing is a very effective detox you will most likely have ‘detox symptoms’ for the first few rounds (weeks). Drink lots of water to help flush the toxins and alleviate any symptoms.

“Also it takes three days in a row for the organs to go through a cleanse cycle so I stick to this part very strictly. If I don’t have three consecutive days to do it I wait until I do.

“I drink 3 to 4 juices a day each of about 16 ounces. If I do less than that I suffer from low blood sugar symptoms in addition to ‘detox symptoms’ – not fun – so I drink enough juice and try and spread it evenly throughout the day. I do not follow any formula in my juice selection as far as which fruits and vegetables to juice as long as they are as fresh as possible, and I prefer to use organic whenever possible because of the cleansing aspect.

“You get the most nutrients from the juice if you drink it right away, but it is still very vibrant fuel even if you have to keep it refrigerated for a while. I would even say that if you are away from home at juice time you can buy an Odwalla, Naked Juice, or any of the fresher organic commercial juices, without violating any principals here. But fresh squeezed juice has a lot more nutrients and live enzymes, and charges up my systems much more effectively so it is worth the effort. Plan ahead and do the best you can.

“I find it quite easy to get through three days of this. I just kept saying to myself, ‘You can eat soon enough!’ Then I noticed an increase in my energy, a big decrease in joint discomfort, and I became much more flexible when dancing so it is much more fun! This gives me ample motivation to stick with it.

“There are lots of online resources for juice recipes, but my suggestions here will get you started. 

BREAKFAST –

“My breakfast juice is usually blended in a blender rather than juiced and usually consists of:

1 grapefruit

1 orange

5-6 strawberries

1 small (or half of a large) banana

1 oz whole leaf aloe vera juice (because I think it is really good for you)

1 oz liquid vitamin elixir of the moment

1 tablespoon of super green food powder (this really tastes yummy and sticks to the ribs for quite a while)

MID-DAY SNACK –

“Mid day I often do 4 carrots, 1 small or big beet, 1 whole apple, and ginger.  I love the color!”

DINNER –

“At night there is usually more variety and depends more on what I have as opposed to a set recipe. One of my regulars is 4 small or 2 large tomatoes, 4 celery stalks, red and/or yellow pepper and kale. I like kale the best of the leafy greens because it gives more juice than the others.

NITECAP –

“Sometimes I enjoy a nightcap of 2 carrots and 1 orange.”

BETWEEN JUICING FOR HUNGER PAINS –

“Whenever I feel a hunger pain in between juicing meals I find that hot liquids satisfies me and quiets the hungry beast, so I drink lots of full-flavored herbal teas to fill me up. I also drink 3 big cups of hot organic vegetable broth interspersed through the day (1–32 oz carton a day or more at times-very low calorie). There are a few different brands out there. I found that Imagine Foods Organic Vegetable Broth is the most satisfying. Lately I have been spicing it up with lime juice and a dash of cayenne pepper. 

RECENT ADDITION –

“Sorry for the indelicacy, but I have had varying reports about bowel condition – it must be a very individual response. I find that the solid waste just minimizes to the proportion of the intake, but some have reported bowel disturbances during the first rounds (weeks) that can go along with detoxing.  I found the detox symptoms measurably diminished after 3 rounds.”

Also, “About the same time I started my juicing program, I became convinced of the benefits of cayenne pepper and started taking a supplement. Although it was not my prime motivation one of the benefits is an increase in metabolism, so it is possible that my weight loss has been boosted by the cayenne. Since there are so many potential benefits offered by cayenne you might want to look into it for yourself. There is a great deal of information on the internet about the health benefits of cayenne pepper. If you decide to try it, make sure you start slow with a low dosage and always take it in or with food, as it can be hard on your stomach. Nature’s Way brand makes a series of cayenne pepper capsules that will take you carefully through the ramping up process that allows your body to adapt to gradual increases over a few months time. When I am juicing I only take one a day with my breakfast juice, which is thick enough to coat and protect my stomach.

“While I’m on the subject of metabolism boosting, I have recently come across information about coconut oil in the diet helps to metabolize fat so I also switched from butter to coconut oil about the same time I started juicing. Again, if you are interested in more info check it out on the web.”