Our Experience with a 14-Day Detox

My husband and I just finished a 14-day detox where we gave up sugar, alcohol, caffeine, dairy, and grains! Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy. I think I had the hardest time with no caffeine or grains. For fruit, we could only eat berries (all kinds), apples (ditto), and avocado (yes, it’s a fruit!).

• I normally eat a pretty clean diet but I enjoy my grains (quinoa and rice especially) as well as Greek yogurt and cheese. Why so strict? Well dairy and gluten are two of the most inflammatory food groups out there so we needed to go without for the two weeks. You can do anything for two weeks, right?

What did we eat? We ate lots of veggies (veggie chili and stews figured prominently), healthy protein (chicken, fish), and green smoothies (greens, protein powder, avocado and berries). And nuts, lots of nuts (mostly almonds, walnuts, and occasionally cashews).

• Meal preparation on the weekends was really key for us and ensuring we had a lot of healthy snacks on hand (hummus and cut veggies; nuts and seeds).

I’m not going to lie. The first couple of days were really tough, I think because of caffeine and sugar withdrawals. It is important to slowly wean yourself off these two especially because they are so additive. I always get headaches if I go without caffeine, and sugar is more addictive than cocaine! I had been slowly decreasing the sugar in my tea and lattes to where I just put the tiniest amount of honey or sugar for sweetness.

• Normally I have a cup of tea or two in the morning or a café latte.

• During the detox, I drank matcha green tea with cinnamon and some warm almond milk. I got used to it but still missed my tea with milk and my café latte.

Despite these challenges, I think we both agree the detox was worth it. My husband and I both noticed that we felt more energy during the day and had less bloating and brain fog. We slept better and woke rested.

• I was hungrier than him, likely because I have a larger appetite than him but also maybe because I wasn’t getting enough protein in my lunches. We were supposed to aim for 20-25 grams of protein at each meal. I supplemented with nuts and tried to get more protein in at my meals.

• Overall, he lost seven pounds and me, four. Men tend to lose weight more readily than women so this was to be expected. I really wasn’t trying to lose weight so that worked for me!

Going forward, we both want to maintain some aspects of the detox. We are trying "dry January" (no alcohol for the whole month) but enjoyed a cocktail to celebrate the ending of the detox. We both also hope to keep the added sugar mostly out of our diets. We got used to sugar substitutes (stevia is allowed and cinnamon adds a hint of sweetness) or forgoing sugar in our drinks. We hope to keep that going for the future.

• I’ve had a cafe latte since the detox ended and it was nice but not all that I remembered to be honest! I will try to keep my green tea (minus the matcha) going as my morning drink and enjoy the occasional black tea with milk or cafe latte. We also both found unsweetened almond milk as a good substitute for milk in our morning hot beverages.

We both are pretty active normally but we started doing 20–30-minute walks after dinner which was such a nice way to reconnect after a long day while helping with digestion and glucose (sugar) stabilization. That is something I hope we can continue.

• Another activity I added to my routine is daily meditation with the Insight Timer app. I love Sarah Blondin’s guided meditations and am hoping to continue along the path to make meditation a habit rather than an occasional indulgence. I really am starting to crave my morning quiet time so much!

I hope your New Year is starting off right and even if it hasn’t…it’s not too late to start. Every single day is a brand-new opportunity to do the things that make our body and soul happy!