GAPS Diet Days 8-9: Cleaning Out the Toxins

I have officially entered full-on detox mode.  I am drained and exhausted.  Not even ginger root tea with local raw honey can save me now!

I actually woke up on the morning of day 8 feeling really strong and positive.  My skin felt smooth and radiant and my eyes were clear and bright – signs of my beauty blossoming from the inside out.  But this glimpse of better health to come was short-lived.  By 10 a.m. I started to feel my stomach swelling and by 11:30 I was deep into the land of congestion, headache and fatigue.

It’s amazing to think about just how many toxins must be stored up inside me to have such a strong effect as they are starting to be released.  And that’s after only 26 years of fairly healthy eating, including the past three years living gluten and dairy free (and a recent 6-month commitment to the Paleo diet).  It scares me to think about how toxic I could have become if I’d waited another 26 years before discovering the GAPS Diet gut-healing protocol. If toxins building up in the gut really do have such a strong negative impact on mental health like Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride says, then it’s no wonder our news waves are filled with stories of hatred, aggression and violence.  We load ourselves up with synthetic hormones from birth control and genetically modified organisms (GMO’s).  We gorge ourselves on antibiotic-laced meats from sick, unhappy animals.  We absorb and ingest harmful chemicals from our cosmetics, cleaning products and pesticide residues from conventional farms.  We inflame ourselves with artificial sweeteners and corn syrup in just about every packaged food we eat.  Yet we are astonished to know that 68% of adults in the United States are overweight or obese and more than 25% have a mental health disorder.  We are suffering great hardship (and a good amount of collective denial).

It is easy to get discouraged when we take a closer look at the culture of stress, poor health and unhappiness that we’ve created for ourselves.  But hope is not lost.  Far from it.  We can make choices every day to improve our own health and happiness, and in time, this wave of positive intentions and actions will grow to impact all of society.

I am committing this year to let go of negative thoughts holding me back from being my healthiest and happiest self.  I am no longer making excuses about how it’s inconvenient or I’m too busy to make my health a priority.  That glimpse of positivity on the morning of day 8 of the GAPS Introduction Diet – that radiance growing from within me – motivates me to keep with this gut-healing and push through these heavy detox symptoms to the promise of better health on the other side.  I want to feel the vivacity of that morning every day for the rest of my life.

Today, I challenge you to do the same.  What is holding you back?  Let it go now.  Start to visualize your life as your happiest and healthiest self.  What would you be able to do that is difficult for you now?  How would you feel if you woke up every morning feeling positive and bright? What gifts could you share with the world as your most vibrant self?

Now tell yourself that you love yourself (and mean it).  And that you deserve to live every day as the best and brightest version of you (because you do).  You will be better for it.  The world will be better for it too.  You don’t have to do it all at once.  And you don’t have to do it alone. We live in a world of endless opportunities to connect – in person, in your community, online, around the globe.  My commitment to you is to support you on your own journey to healing in any way I can.  And I promise that many others in your community will be happy to do the same.

Start by committing to little things every day.  Keep a journal of gratitude to remind yourself of all the positivity in your life.  Kick that addictive habit once and for all.  Shop with reusable grocery bags.  Choose organic produce as often as you can.  Join a volunteer organization to pick local produce for people struggling with food insecurity.  Find a local Meetup group for hiking or healthy recipe swaps.  Start an herb garden on your patio.  Share your story to help inspire neighbors and friends.

Health and happiness are possible for every one of us.  It’s time that we each step up to claim the good life we deserve.  A few uncomfortable detox days will not stand in the way.

Day 8 Foods

Same as previous, with addition of mashed avocado

Day 8 Symptoms

• Woke up with dry skin around my nose, dry throat, dry hands and cuticles
• Dehydration
• Congestion
• Positive thoughts and feelings of happiness from 9-10 a.m.
• Bright, clear eyes
• Intense feelings of hunger starting at 10 a.m. and throughout the day
• Bloated stomach after drinking bone broth and throughout the day
• Slight constipation after eating avocado at 10:30 a.m.
• Indigestion starting at 11 a.m., heavy feeling in digestive tract
• Scratchy cough, headache and think yellow mucus starting at 11:30 a.m.
• Hot flashes and sweating
• Increase need to urinate starting at 1 p.m.
• Itchy scalp
• Sore, achy finger joints
• Canker sores inside lower lip
• Constipation
• Heading, constipation and bloating after eating dinner of scrambled eggs, avocado and pureed meat soup at 8 p.m.
• Manic thoughts from 8-9 p.m.
• Sad and tearful beginning at 11:00 p.m.

Day 9 Foods

Same a previous, with addition of 2 pancakes made from 4 cubes cooked butternut squash mashed with 1 Tbsp. organic sprouted walnut butter and 1 egg, fried in ghee.  No dairy today – I wanted to make sure it wasn’t causing any negative symptoms.

Day 9 Symptoms

• Feeling of feet being dirty (they were freshly washed!) while sleeping
• Dry throat
• Vivid dreams
• Stomach pain
• Feeling heavy, lethargic, low energy
• Depressed mood
• Lack of focus
• Antisocial
• Canker sores inside lower lip
• Sleepiness and bloated from 12:30-2 p.m.
• Feelings of sadness and itchy scalp starting at 2:30 p.m.