Day 18: More salad!

Having done a tiny bit of interneting I found someone I could email Liver Cleanse questions. I sent an email and received a response back in the same day. Here is the email:

Hi Cybil,

I was passed your inquiry to try and assist you.

I am seeking clarification about Dr. Cabot's Liver Cleanse. I recently started week 4 and although I feel better I am not losing weight (though that is NOT the reason I went on the cleanse) and I want to make sure I am doing this correctly. I am allergic to legumes so am having trouble with the protein portion of the meals.

Firstly, the liver cleansing diet is not about losing weight as it is designed to help cleanse the liver - weight loss is a bonus. Also we have had many people who do not lose weight till they end of the program and even after the 8 week period - just depends on their metabolism too.

Having looked at your blog, yes you do need much more salad - every day at least one raw salad.

Yes more vegetables - vegetables every day - preferably steamed and yes vegetables in your juice will constitute part of your vegetable intake each day but ensure you have salad or other vegetables each day to give you the fiber to help move the waste material out of your body with the help of regular water every day - up to 2 litres of preferably filtered water each day to help move the toxins from your body and to keep your body hydrated too.

Aim for more protein with most meals. If you can not have legumes, have raw, unsalted nuts, seeds, eggs, poultry and fish/seafood.

Enjoy good fats such as olive oil, avocados, coconut milk/cream, nuts, seeds, fish and so forth.

Don't skip meals and aim to have something every 2 -3 hours in this initial stage, so as to keep your blood sugar levels stable, to reduce cravings and then poor food choices.

But I am mostly trying to discover if I need to drink the raw juice and water every morning if I am already having a raw juice and fruit shake for breakfast.

The idea is to have 2 glasses of water upon rising to hydrate the body and to have a glass with lemon juice to help cleanse the liver and to enjoy a vegetable juice but what you can do is have the lemon juice in with your first 2 glasses of water and either have the vegetable juice as you breakfast or have it later in the day or even in the evening if this suits your lifestyle better - the important thing it to have them sometime during the day.

Also what are the differences in week 2 and week 4. Is it just not to eat meat other than fish and to cut out excess oil?

The first 2 weeks of the program and the last 2 weeks of the program are basically the same. They are to gradually lead you into ( week 1 and week 2) the actual liver cleanse ( mid 4 weeks - week 3, 4 ,5 , 6,) and gradually lead you out of the cleanse ( week 7 and 8).

The difference, primarily, with the mid 4 weeks is the absence of poultry and eggs.

The crux of the liver cleansing diet is no dairy, no red meat, no deep fried foods and no preservative and processed foods.

All the best to you.

So there you have it. My questions answered. I think I am going to start trying to have the morning juice in the Am and then have another juice in the PM with a salad for dinner if I can make my lunch at home. I still am having some trouble with the protein for the 4 weeks. No poultry and eggs leaves nuts and seeds.

The cheap organic peaches I got from Fresh & Easy are now mostly ripe. I cut them up and froze them. They will hopefully get me through most of the winter. I have 2 gallon size bags! I love Fresh & Easy. I go later in the evening when they are removing the stock for the day and get some really great deals. Last time it was 75 cent cartons of strawberries. This time, apples, peaches, carrots, and oranges - ALL ORGANIC. Nice. :)

Really watched my water intake today and tried to keep the carbs from grains lower. I so easily slip into pastas and rice when given the chance. So the water in the AM is really important. So this is what I'll make sure to do. Also the salad with every meal. Going to do this too. I have discovered that I ADORE salad with fruit and nuts. Or fruit and balsamic dressing. So darn tasty.

BK: The rest of my juice from yesterday AM.

Snack: Apple, pecans, honey (this has become my favorite sweet treat)

Lunch: HUGE salad w/ peach and apple

Snack: Leftover soba noodles w/ olive oil and salt. Maybe 1/2 cup of cooked noodles.

Snack: Almonds 3 handfuls

Dinner: Nori paper w/ avocado and the rest of the orange sushi eggs. Nectarine on big salad. 1 large peach while cutting up peaches to put away...I had to bite all of them you know to see if they were better for raw eating or to freeze for juicing!