"Do I HAVE to do a pre-cleanse?"" Is a pre-cleanse truly necessary?"" If I'm going to do this program, I'd prefer to dive into the cleanse...thank you very much."I hear it all the time! Well, I'm here to tell you Divas, there are tremendous benefits to pre-cleanse!But first let's talk about the body's pH.The body's pH is measured on a scale of 0 - 14. Midrange at 7 is where thepH is balanced. Anything below 7 is acidic and a state where your bodydoes not function as designed. Above 7 is Alkaline. Alkaline is the state inwhich your body thrives. Disease cannot live in an alkaline environment.Acidic fat cells melt away.Most American's consume highly acidic foods (fast food, processed food,meat, coffee, soda, beer, wine, dairy, sweets - cookies, candy, cake, lots ofhigh sugar fruits). And many of us live fast-paced and stressful lives whichare you guessed it...hugely acidic.The body has a reserve of buffers that aid in neutralizing acids. Thesebuffers are calcium, magnesium, and potassium. When the buffers aredepleted, the body will begin stealing and storing. It leaches calcium fromyour bones (we call osteoporosis) or it stuffs excess acids in your fat cells.YUCK! And get this...the only way these acidic fat cells go away is viaconsumption of alkaline liquids and foods. For many who have struggledto lose weight - herein lies the beauty of alkalizing the body!So back to the question at hand: Why pre-cleanse?!A pre-cleanse is a gradual process which brings more alkaline foods - (foodswith higher water content into the body). The notion of making gradualchanges is typically easier for your body to make adjustments. Your bodyappreciates a slow transition rather than throwing it into a state of shock!A pre-cleanse lessens the chances that you'll experience a healing crisis(nausea, headaches, flu like feelings, dizziness, rashes, etc). And moreimportantly, your chances of staying with this program for the long haulare vastly increased!Are you ready to get started with your pre-cleanse? THE DETOX PRE-CLEANSE in 7 Steps!&bull Step 1: EEK Meat! Let it go over this period. First get rid of beefand pork, next chicken and then turkey. Finally ocean fish. Opt fortofu and raw nuts and seeds. Almonds are at the top of list. Almondsare very alkalizing along with being high in protein and calcium. Iespecially love raw almond butter. I smother it on celery sticks -fabulous!&bull Step 2: Ditch Dairy - switch to soymilk or even better: almond milk(no sugar variety). Almond milk is again a great way to get calciumas well as protein.&bull Step 3: Bubbling Bread - Yes, this means yeast, white flour andbread. You can start eliminating by switching over to yeast freebread, then to rice or sprouted seed crackers and sprouted wholewheattortillas (all of these should be available from your local healthfood store). Concerning the white flour this means letting go ofpasta. In our house we love spelt pasta and decrease the portion size.Always make it a side and not the main dish.&bull Step 4: Don't Do Dessert - This one was huge for me and I believeit altered my life. First, pay attention to everything you consume thathas sugar. Read labels, make a note of things you are taking in thathave any type of sugar be it honey, agave, white sugar, organic sugar,sucralose (splenda, sweet n low, equal). Next step is to cut out one ortwo of these items every day. &bull Step 5: Forget Fruit (mostly) - Most fruit has high sugar content.However, there are some that are low in sugar, which are okay suchas: lemons, limes, avocado, tomato, grapefruit, sour cherries and rawdates.&bull Step 6: Can the Condiments (mostly) - This includes: vinegar, soysauce, catsup, mayo (but you can use lots of garlic, lemons, limes,cayenne pepper and RealSalt (tm)&bull Step 7: Practice the 80/20 Plan - This is a big step for many. Thismeans when looking at your plate, 80% is green and 20% is acidic(and yes, that includes breakfast) Get your hands on a acid/alkalinefood chart like the one I have at:http://detoxdietdivas.com/articles.phpA pre-cleanse phase can last from 2 - 12 weeks depending on yourschedule and your individual body. During this pre-cleanse period youalso want to make sure you're drinking the recommended 1 liter ofwater per 30lbs of body weight. The water must be alkaline so it comesfrom either a water ionizer, pH balancing drops, or lemon (or lime)juice. Ideally you'll be adding a high quality SuperGreen powder.After this pre-cleanse phase you'll be much better poised to have afabulous cleanse/detoxifying experience.
