When you attempt a Detox or Elimination diet it is important to drink plenty of Drinks that will help your digestion and hydrate you well but this is the area that many people have trouble with. I admit to being a bit of a coffee addict. Not that I drink loads but I value a good cup of real coffee in the morning and very rarely an espresso after a good meal. I don’t consider instant coffee to be acceptable and would always prefer a herbal tea instead. I didn’t want to give up my morning coffee and I tried all kinds of alternatives to cows milk and disliked them all. I then tried just drinking it black and in smaller quantities but it needed to be sweeter for me to enjoy it. During the Detox time I started boiling some dried figs, liquidising them, straining out the seeds and using this to flavour my, small, black, once a day coffee. The lengths we will go to for our addictions! It did have the effect of speeding up the elimination part of the detox, so I justified it that way! Now I just add a small amount of coconut oil so making it taste smoother and a bit like a healthier ‘Bulletproof Coffee’ but no more than 2 a day. It is great for the brain for both quick brain energy and also long-term protection from Dementia and Alzheimer’s. If you can give up coffee for at least the first two weeks of an elimination diet it may prove helpful but some people get severe migraine-like headaches if they give it up suddenly instead of cutting down gradually.
The rest of the day it was water and herb or spice teas. We were already into a few of these but discovered loads more and the hardest part was deciding which one to have. Peppermint, Fennel, Ginger, Cinnamon, Camomile, Jasmine, Chai, Vanilla Chai, to name but a few. If you can grow a big pot of mint then you can’t beat grabbing a handful of fresh leaves and popping them into a pot of boiling water for 5 mins. – like they do in Morocco and very good for the digestion. I also love coconut water which is great for hydrating in hot weather or after exercise.
Almond, Hazelnut or Coconut milks are great with cereal, to drink on their own or cook with and also contain calcium.
A note about water. If you are going to drinking a lot more than you usually do then it needs to be a good quality. Our tap water does not taste great even though it has been through a jug filter. Most bottled water tastes a lot better but if the bottle is plastic then the worry is that you might be taking in even more harmful chemicals, like BPA (bis-phenol A) that may cause cancer. Never leave plastic water bottles in the sun or even bright light, never drink take-away coffee through the lid (BPA)! The best option is probably a good quality water filter and store some in a glass bottle or stainless steel container in the fridge or to take out with you.
When out socialising a soda water with ice and lemon or lime is best. Following the detox we allowed ourselves an occasional red wine but this is where you have to know your own circumstances and reactions and begin to hone your diet to suit you and your health. When we were in Spain a “Tinto Verano” (red wine , ice and soda water) was perfect for hot weather. Just avoid high sugar ( the average soda could have the equivalent of 15 tsp. sugar in it) or high alcohol and low calorie mixers that are loaded with artificial sweeteners. We have tried gluten free beer and it is OK but actually clean, light beers like Corona, Coronita or Peroni can usually be tolerated as they have even less gluten than the ‘gluten free’ ones we have tried, at about 0.05 parts per million. Ales and dark beers have high gluten content. Tequila is also considered to be a clean spirit and good quality rum is also gluten free – for those occasions when you have to Party 🙂
N.B. Everything can be toxic (even water) but it is dose dependant.
Cheers!