NEW BODY & MIND RETREATS

Program Aftercare

Having spent time fasting or on an alkaline-based rejuvenation diet it is important that you transition slowly back to a regular diet.

Gradually working your body back to normal foods will ensure that you continue to benefit from your program and do not experience any problems once your diet returns to normal. If you start to consume very acidic foods or strong stimulants immediately afterwards, you may lodge toxins deeper into your tissues.

Some common side effects of incorrect transitioning from a detox program are abdominal bloating, gas, yeast infections and colon cramps.

Probiotics

It is imperative that you take high quality probiotics after finishing the detox program.

When cleansing you often stir up toxins and/or pathogenic microbes for which you need the beneficial flora to fight them. This will ensure that the correct bacterial environment of the colon is maintained. The level of friendly bacteria in the colon over unfriendly, which you should have cleared out detoxing, will directly affect your immunity.

It is a gift to get clean and then a bonus and necessity to re-populate with friendly bacteria. Healthy juices, probiotics, natural yoghurt, fermented soy and fermented vegetables are all great probiotic sources.

We provide you with a short course of flora grow following the program.

Food Observation

For 7 days after the detox, try to avoid the following foods, which will be too strong for your sensitive system:

• Strong stimulants - coffee, black tea, chocolate
• Meat and fish products
• Dairy (except for ghee and fresh yoghurt)
• Soy products for three days after the cleanse
• Soft drinks
• Vitamins
• Very oily foods
• Cold/iced foods and beverages
• Spicy foods

Drinking ginger tea regularly after your detox will support your digestion and help to detoxify the body. Ginger is cleansing, detoxifying, and anti-inflammatory.

The Journey Back to Eating

Rejuvenation

If you would like to continue to rejuvenate after your program, you should eat a whole foods (simple natural, fresh, organic) diet for as long as possible.

Cleanser’s Detox

Your digestive system will have become slower after a few days of fasting.

The following is a recommendation for how to introduce solid foods into your body. You should start with 1-2 days of having fruit only. Fruits are very easy to digest, so are the most suitable foods for breaking a fast.

For two weeks after the detox, your digestion will be fragile, requiring that you take care of it by eating simple combinations of foods and avoiding heavy foods or too many combinations. The following are guidelines for how to reintroduce foods into your body. The longer that you can eat a whole foods diet, the better that you will feel.

Each day you should take ½ cup of fresh live probiotic yoghurt or equivalent, to help to re-introduce the correct bacteria to your colon. It is fine to have juices after your fast, however, do not mix them with other foods. They are digested quickly and more efficiently when taken apart from other foods.

Steps to a Healthy Diet

• Favor foods in their whole form
• Eliminate white sugar and white flour
• Substitute animal protein (meat, eggs, chicken) with organic plant sources of protein (legumes, beans, nuts, seeds) and fish
• Watch caffeine consumption (the less the better)
• Limit alcohol
• Drink ginger tea.
• Eat three meals per day with limited snacking (only if actually hungry, not bored!)
• Drink warm/room temperature water with meals rather than iced drinks.
• Weekly one day cleanse - eating a very light diet or having only juices will give your digestion a rest, and allow the body to detoxify itself
• Include living foods in your diet like raw sprouts and fresh vegetables
• Wheatgrass as a supplement
• Eliminate refined or hydrogenated oils and replace them with ghee, cold pressed oils such as coconut, sesame, sunflower and olive oil

Supplements

To keep the body functioning at its optimal rate we recommend a few key supplements:

• Omega 3 essential fatty acids, safe fresh water fish or flax source
• Spirulina, a complete food and known as a super food
• Wheatgrass juice, pure sun energy in the form of liquid chlorophyll
• Probiotics, to keep a healthy balance of friendly intestinal bacteria
• Vitamin C
• Multi Vitamin

Elimination-Keeping Regular!

As the body digests and metabolizes, it produces wastes that are eliminated through the urinary tract, GI tract, and through the skin or sebaceous glands. The waste products of these channels are the urine, stool, and sweat. It is important that all three are working and eliminating on a daily basis.

If you are not passing stool on a daily basis, or the bowel movements are not complete, you can consider yourself constipated. This problem needs to be addressed, because when the stool stays in the system too long, toxins can be reabsorbed, and the waste products can ferment in the colon.

If you are taking spices and have modified your diet and still experience constipation, there are a few remedies to consider:

• Castor Oil is a gentle purgative, and is very good for its laxative effects. As a laxative, the dose of oil needed will depend on the person. 1-2 tablespoons can be used in the evening, or in the morning before consuming any food. Follow with one cup of warm water. If one tablespoon does not work after three nights, increase to two tablespoons.
  
• Psyllium Husk is a bulk fiber which can have a laxative effect when taken in the correct way. Psyllium is a mucolodge, and helps to promote the correct environment in the intestinal tract. It will help to scrape toxins from the GI tract. Take one tablespoon of psyllium before dinner or lunch. Give the psyllium 20 minutes to digest before eating.
  
• Flax seeds can be infused in water and drunk each night before sleep as a laxative. For use as a bulk laxative one tablespoon can be ground and taken as a powder twice per day. As a general digestive the crushed seeds can be infused in water over night and drunk cold the next morning before breakfast. Flax Seed oil is also good for constipation, take one tablespoon before bedtime.
  

By following these guidelines you will be able to transition successfully from your detox program into a regular routine and will have in place the foundations for a healthy, nutritious, balanced diet.