Holistic Nutrition and My First Detox Experience

What exactly is holistic nutrition? 

According to holisticnutrition.com, "Proper Nutrition is the basis for optimum health and well being. Holistic nutrition is the modern natural approach to developing a healthy balanced diet while taking into account the person as whole." 

The "New" Food Pyramid

My First Detox
My first encounter with holistic eating came to me when I participated in a Spring Detox held by Jessica Schneider of Nourished4Life. I was instantly skeptical of the word "detox" because of its negative connotation. The word "detox" conjured images of miserable addicts attempting to rid their bodies of toxins. Although I thankfully avoided substance abuse, I soon realized my body was still plagued by toxins--both physical and mental.  

Mental Toxins

As I have mentioned, I have struggled a lot with my relationship with food and my overall body image. At that point in my life I was at an all time low and felt completely hopeless. My eating disorder was running rampant and I dreaded going on spring break with all of my skinny, gorgeous, supermodel-esque friends. I will admit, I initially began my detox journey solely to lose weight--which I did--but my end result was so much more fulfilling than shedding the pounds. For the first time in my life I was at peace with my food and felt stronger, happier and healthier than ever before!  This was the first step in the detox: truly coming to terms with who you are, and knowing that only you have the ability to become the person you want to be. My favorite thing that Jessica ever said to me was that, "If you fall off your horse, you need to not dwell on falling off, and get right back on!" (O.K. she said it in a profound manner, but you get the idea).  Jessica got me thinking, I have always been a person who works incredibly hard, but the moment something goes awry (I devour mass quantities of doughnuts) I instantly become discouraged and give up. I was focusing all of my energy on the negative and not attributing anything to what I have accomplished. After two intense weeks of clean eating and detoxing, I had not only freed my body from sugar cravings and a few pounds, I freed myself from my worst enemy: me.

Physical Toxins 

Attempting to finding balance in Eka Pada Koundiyanasana and in life 

Along with giving me a new perspective on food, the detox cleansed my body of physical substances. I had never felt so good; my skin glowed, I had an outrageous amount of energy, I did not crave sugar, and I had managed to lose a healthy amount of weight. My body was in harmony and I realized balance was the composer. After I completed the detox I was surprised that I felt no desire to stuff my face full of junk. I no longer felt dependent on, nor deprived of any particular food. Unlike many short-term diets, I avoided the "post-diet weight gain" because I continued to incorporate what I had learned during the detox.    

Moral of the Story

Completing that detox was one of the most challenging, yet rewarding experiences in my life. It garnered multiple aspects of my life and made me accept both myself, and my imperfections. Holistic eating and detoxing are not quick fix diets, but are lifestyle choices and choosing to nurture and listen to your body is essential to a balanced and happy life.