Now that we're more than two weeks into our Healthy Living 21-Day Community Cleanse, I wanted to take the time to answer some of your common questions about the program.
Why do a cleanse in the first place? Can I just adjust my diet without doing any sort of a kick start?
Yes, you can. A cleanse is really just a kickstart or an entry point to a healthier lifestyle. The goal is to get healthy. The beauty of a cleanse is that you usually feel so much better that you want to maintain that way of feeling, so it motivates you to keep eating well and avoid possible food allergens.
In this cleanse, what are you actually cleansing? Are we eliminating more pesticides and chemicals? How do we know?
Detoxification is what your body does naturally to neutralize, transform or get rid of unwanted materials or toxins. It is a primary function of the body, constantly working and interacting with all other functions of the body. So when I am talking about detoxification, it is about improving and optimizing the function of your body's own detoxification systems.
This is done by decreasing the amount of toxins we put into our bodies while at the same time supporting our body's detoxification and elimination systems with the nutrients it needs to function properly. We cannot tell for sure that we are eliminating more chemicals, as there are no reliable tests to show that, but I believe that we can assume that by supporting our detoxification system, that is happening.
I read your roasted salmon recipe -- looks great! Can we use other types of fish as part of the cleanse? Which do you recommend and why? Also, I was wondering what was actually cleansing about salmon? I've read that fish contains mercury.
Yes, you can have anchovies, black cod, wild salmon (fresh and canned), herring, canned sardines and trout. Larger fish have greater potential for high mercury levels in their bodies, which is why we suggest you stay away from big fish such as tuna and swordfish. Eating smaller fish with low mercury levels is essential.
Wild salmon is a great choice because it has healthy omega-3 fatty acids. I recommend Vital Choice (www.vitalchoice.com) as a source of fresh-caught, sustainably harvested Alaskan salmon.
National Geographic also provides a Seafood Decision Guide on their website to help you make the best choices about which seafood to eat.
You mentioned trying meditation in a park -- is it OK if the park has the noise of people enjoying the outdoors? Or should you try to find somewhere quieter?
You can try to find a quiet part of the park, or if the noise of other people is distracting, you can certainly look for a quieter place to meditate. The idea of a park was just to get folks outside into nature.
I find that when I try to meditate, my mind jumps all over the place. Are there any other resources you can recommend to assist with this process?
It's normal for your mind to wander when you begin your meditation practice. When this happens, keep returning your attention to the breath. Stay with it, and over time your mind will wander less and less. This is a great piece by Jack Kornfeld called Developing a Daily Practice on how to add meditation and awareness to your daily routine.
Love the tennis ball DIY massage -- do you also recommend getting professional massages? If so, how often and what technique? What are the benefits?
Yes. The physiological benefits of massage include improved blood and lymph circulation and muscle and general relaxation. These, in turn, can lead to removal of waste products and better cell nutrition, greater elasticity of tissues and faster healing of injuries. It all adds up to relief from soreness and stiffness, better flexibility and less potential for future injury. But obviously there is a cost to massage, so the tennis balls are a great self-help, free alternative.
Since the concern in cow's milk is the chemicals and hormones, is raw milk from grass-fed non rBGH cows okay? Do you think goat's milk is better than cow's milk?
The chemicals and hormones in cow's milk are a concern. In addition, many people have trouble digesting lactose and the protein casein in cow's milk. Then the process of pasteurization and homogenization take out much of what is good for us in milk and creates fats that are foreign to most human digestive systems. If you have digestive problems such as gas, bloating and diarrhea or constipation, I recommend cutting out dairy from your diet for at least 2 weeks to see if the symptoms subside.
I cannot tell you how many patients I have seen over the years whose chronic constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, chronic sinusitis and allergies cleared up when they stopped eating dairy. But if you tolerate milk, then I recommend you drink raw milk from grass-fed non-rBGH cows if you have a reliable source and you can get it in your state. Sheep's milk and goat's milk are easier to digest and give us the same nutritional benefits, including calcium.
You mention trying to replace dairy with other nondairy alternatives. But I've heard that milk is a good source of vitamin D and calcium (since you need vitamin D to absorb calcium). What are some other good sources of both nutrients?
I don't recommend relying on dairy for calcium. Instead, eat lots dark green leafy vegetables, sea vegetables, canned salmon or sardines with bones, sesame seeds and nuts. And you can always take a calcium supplement. And definitely don't rely on dairy for your vit D, you would need to drink at least 10 glasses of milk to get a minimum requirement of vit D. The best sources of vit D are sunlight and vit D3 supplements. For healthy bones, exercise frequently and supplement with at least 2,000 IU's of vitamin D as well. Many people need more that 2,000 IUs of vit D, so please get your vitamin D levels checked!
I'm having trouble sticking to the no caffeine rule -- I keep getting headaches. Do you have any suggestions?
I suggest that you taper off of coffee very slowly. You can make your coffee with 1/2 decaf, then slowly go to all decaf. This will reduce the withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches. Then I would recommend switching to black, green or herbal tea instead of coffee. The tea has less caffeine than coffee, it's less acidic and gentler on your system. You may also want to check out herbal coffee substitutes. If you're having trouble sleeping, you really want to cut out the caffeine. And my patients are always surprised to realize that they have more energy when they cut out caffeine.
You mention trying soup and a salad for a light lunch and dinner, but I've heard that so many soups are packed with sodium. Do I need to be worried about this?
The best way to control the amount of sodium in your soups is to make them yourself! Making soup at home is easy and delicious. You can even cook a big batch and freeze individual portions for a quick, healthy meal. We have recipes on the website here. If you're buying soups, Amy's Organic and the Imagine brand have some low-sodium options.
How much is considered "too much" sugar? Should we try to pick products that have sugar under a certain number of grams?
The best thing is to keep in mind that 4 grams of sugar = a teaspoon. So if you're looking at a nutrition label, you can start to get a better sense of how much sugar is in the food or drink. Hard to say exactly how much is too much as we are all different, but keep it to a minimum. Try get your sugars from fruits.
I like to eat a lot of fruit, but I've heard that too much fruit can be too much sugar. I thought I just needed to avoid processed sugar. Can too much sugar in any form create an imbalance?
Yes this is true, for some people too much fruit can be too much sugar. For instance, if you have candida or get yeast infections, you should not only avoid processed sugar but also limit your consumption of fruit because the yeast feeds off sugar. If you don't have a yeast issue, fruit is OK, but I recommend having a balance of protein and healthy fats at every meal. And I do not recommend fruit juice for anyone (unless freshly squeezed and occasional).
For the dietary portion of the cleanse, why are certain fruits and vegetables allowed, but not others? Like grapes, bananas and oranges, and eggplants?
In the Cleanse diet, we cut out all the foods that cause allergies, sensitivities, inflammation or that are hard to digest. We cut out grapes and bananas because they are high in sugar. Oranges, grapefruits and strawberries cause sensitivities for some people. The nightshade vegetables -- tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and peppers -- cause inflammation for some people.
For the tennis ball neck and shoulder release -- what are some other big tension areas, besides the neck and shoulders? Do you have any tips for relieving tension in those other areas?
Yes, we hold tension all throughout the body, from our shoulders to our lower back, hips, feet and our wrists and hands. I'm a huge fan of yoga for relieving tension from the body. ART (Active Release Technique) is also great for treating soft tissue injuries. The tennis balls are also great for relieving tension in your feet and hips. If you liked the neck and shoulder release, here is another video demonstrating a tennis ball foot massage.
I feel so much better on this cleanse, especially after giving up gluten. I've been tested for celiac disease which came up negative so my doctor thinks it's all in my head. Are there any other tests to test for gluten sensitivity?
You can definitely have gluten sensitivity even if you don't have celiac disease -- this is extremely common, it is not in your head! There is a large range from mild gluten sensitivity on one end and celiac disease on the other.
It is believed that celiac occurs in about 1 percent of Americans, whereas gluten sensitivity or where some immune reaction occurs to gluten occurs in at least one in three Americans. This is why so many people who are chronically ill or who have undiagnosed problems or just have a vague feeling of unwellness do so well when they stop gluten. Gluten sensitivity does not show up on blood tests for celiac, but it can still produce many symptoms.
Since you feel so much better without gluten in your diet, the best thing to do is continue to avoid it. You can eat non-gluten grains including buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth, rice and millet. You can have gluten-free breads and brown rice cakes or gluten-free crackers (the Mary's Gone Crackers brand is good). The Ezekial brand, although gluten, is sprouted grains and often well tolerated by many people with gluten sensitivity.
You can read more about gluten sensitivity on the blog:
http://www.drfranklipman.com/questions-and-answers-on-gluten/
http://www.drfranklipman.com/questions-and-answers-on-glutenpart-2/
http://www.drfranklipman.com/feel-good-fast-let-go-of-gluten/
Hope that clears a few things up!
Dr. Lipman and the Be Well Team
Email: support@bewellbydrfranklipman.com
Call Us: 888.434.9483
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Wondering What To Eat?
This post details a sample meal plan, and Cleanse-friendly foods, recipes and snacks.
For more ideas visit this Facebook page -- it's frequently updated with Cleanse-friendly recipes.