I’ve been inspired to do a cleanse for a couple  of months now. A series of events made me hopeful that I could reverse my celiac disease and various food intolerances. After an expensive allergist, testing negative for H. Pylori, a Prilosec prescription and negative reaction and trying home-fermented probiotic rich foods,  I got desperate. A few books helped me spawn the idea that I could spend a few months really restricting my diet and healing my gut to possibly reverse my current food intolerances and negative reactions.

I can’t eat gluten and  adapted to that life style change fairly easily. However, I would kill to be able to eat pizza and beer again… or just not have to worry about being sick for three days if something accidentally got in my food. I also started to have bad reactions to dairy and my stomach was constantly hurting.  My throat frequently gets raw and I lose my voice every time I eat large amounts of dairy. Having lived in Wisconsin for 5 years, I love cheese more than is humanely natural and the thought of cutting out dairy forever is very, very upsetting.

So I made the plan: It’s fluid and has the potential to change, but there are a few large goals that I hope to keep and a few smaller more flexible ones.

Large Goals:

• No Dairy, Corn, Soy, Gluten, Grains, Natural and/or artificial Flavors
• No alcohol, chocolate or caffeine (this one is going to be hard)
• The first drink of the day will be Celery Juice – this is supposed to stabilize acid levels in the gut
• Eat primarily raw fruits and vegetables. Don’t feel abashed about high-sugar fruits and veggies. Drink herbal naturally caffeine-free tree (peppermint, ginger, fennel etc).
• Track everything! Heal the gut and learn what I can and cannot eat long-term.

Smaller Goals:

• No night shades – for the first 2-4 weeks
• Try to eat only RAW fruits and vegetables for 2-4 weeks
• Juice a lot – the core ingredients should be apple, celery and cucumber. Apparently this is a good mix of electrolytes to keep you stable and stave off hunger
• Slowly reintroduce things to the diet. The first things are avocados, sweet potatoes, bone broth, nightshades, pasture-raised all natural meat.
• Make it 2-3 months
• Don’t eat right before bed
• Drink lemon water in the mornings

I’ve made it a lot easier by planning out meals for a couple weeks at a time. I’m hoping to plan meals a couple weeks in advance and stay consistent with the goals. If I feel awful or can’t maintain my activity level, I’ll introduce potatoes and broth quicker. If I’m feeling great, I’ll try to go longer.