Seeing as the holidays are behind us and that the typical purge happens AFTER the holidays, I have a question for you…

• How many of you out there have ever done a detox?  
• How many of you have ever put thought into the detox BEFORE you began?  I mean a well thought out “What are my intentions going into this?”,
• “What will I be doing differently once I am done to stay feeling as fabulous as I do when I first come out of it?”.

I recently hosted a detox seminar, speaking about the importance for cleansing for total body health, the types of cleanses on  the market, and why people cleanse.  It was very interesting once I came to the question I was asking “What happens after the cleanse?”  Yes, you may have intentions once you come out of the cleanse, but then life gets in the way and those faintly described resolutions fall on the wayside and the old habits return.  Working with various nutrition professionals over the years, this isn’t really a question I heard brought up.  And I believe it is something that needs to be in the forefront of the mind.

There are many different types of cleanses – weight loss, liver, colon, total body.  I think the weight loss is the funniest, because yes, it will rid your body of all the excess poo sitting in your intestine, but it is not a long term solution.  And it certainly isn’t ridding the body of anything that is actually causing the digestive issues or clogged receptors that are having you retain weight. And it is only a quick fix that pretty much gives you permission to continue with whatever lifestyle you have been living anyway.

And this is why I ask “What will you be doing differently AFTER the cleanse?”  Maybe you are following one of those 30 day programs complete with eating protocol for the 30 days, food lists, recipes, the whole deal.  And then you get to the end of those 30 days and you are all excited about how you feel and the new energy and the new shape you have.  And then life sets in, and having no plan in place, you are back at your old self.  This is why I am asking you to ask yourself – “What will you be doing differently AFTER the cleanse?”  Get that in place BEFORE you begin. Keep that a.m. exercise ritual you put in place during the cleanse.  Continue to avoid the dairy you now is causing bloating and digestive issues (what are you gaining by going back to it?).  All those fruits and veggies you were consuming during the protocol, are you going to stop eating them now? why?…

Seriously.  I am going to call you out on this because a cleanse should be the new road you are forging for better health.  Hire a personal chef to assist you in creating new recipes or write down the recipes you enjoyed while cleansing.  They are not just for the cleanse you know.   And if your friends don’t know what to do with the new you, that’s their problem, not yours.  You will find something to eat when you go out, and you will stay on your path for better health.  If they want to stay in their habit on 3 different meds and complain they cannot fit into their pants 4 days out of the month, that is their problem, not yours.  You passed that hurdle and have a new you.

What’s your plan After the Cleanse?  Mine keeps growing and changing as I continue on my health journey.   I am gluten free and dairy free by choice.  And 80% plant based.  I like my digestion and my energy levels this way.

What about you?

Being a Holistic Personal Chef and Public Speaker after being in the culinary field for 25 years, Chef Adrienne has made it her mission to empower people who are sick and tired of being sick and tired, through education, that they can change their health through food that tastes good and is good for them.

Adrienne can be found via FB @ The Food Whisperer; Linkedin @ Adrienne Falcone Godsell; Instagram @ I am the Food Whisperer; and TikTok I am the Food Whisperer.