No pain = all gain!

My first cleanse experience came with a light Brown Rice cleanse in mid January. The cleanse consisted of phasing out certain foods over a few days and then eating only vegetables, fruits, brown rice and limited protein for a week. We also drank cleansing herbal teas. The initial focus was to essentially re-set the system, but in addition to that I definitely learnt the most about how much certain foods have an impact on our system.

Over the past 6 years I have been battling with keeping my back strong as a result of simply being hard on it with all the activities we do. Chiro, massage, daily stretching and strengthening were the focus in keeping the back working the way I’m hoping for. This has been working, but requires dedicated commitment and I know it when I slack off. The one message that one Chiropractor kept telling me is that I need to look at my diet.

In general I would say that I had a pretty balanced diet and something that worked for me. The area that this Chiro kept telling me about was dairy and the inflammatory effect it had on my system. At the time I passed this off, but when I completely cleared it from my diet for 2 weeks it was clear that it did have a negative effect on my back. During the cleanse my back felt the most mobile it felt in years and I could hardly believe just how good it felt!

Once the cleanse had finished it was clear to me that I had to cut out as much dairy as possible. The other area that became obvious is that I don’t drink enough fluids which, I believe, is the case with most people. Having to take down litres of tea each day during the cleanse was good evidence, as my body felt way better. The last item that I believe is part of this inflammatory effect through my diet is bread, but I’m still working on that one. I’m now working out the best balance, as a heavy emphasis on fruit, veggies and hydration seems to be the answer.

–Matt Delany, March 1st, 2012