recharge, renew & restore – why cleanse??
From the moment I perused Melissa’s Karma Chow page on Facebook, I was hooked – not only does she have an amazing philosophy on health and wellness, she shares some of the most yummy detox recipes I’ve seen yet. Because I know that most RH readers are interested in eating clean, I asked Melissa to share her thoughts on the subject. I hope you are as inspired by her knowledge and expertise as much as I am!
Without further ado, here is Melissa on the importance of cleansing:
I’m sure many of you have heard about cleansing or have tried one or two. Maybe some of you embarked on the famous “lemonade diet” hoping you would lose weight, feel great, and clean your system up in a mere 7-10 days. I’m sure some of these things happened, and you may have felt great, but did these things stick long term? Did you keep the weight off, or did it creep right back on and maybe even more so? Did that feel-good feeling you had stay with you??
These types of “quick fix” cleanses may be good in the short term, but mostly they starve the body and then the body and mind revolt and we tend to then eat more of what we never really ate in the first place because we are in deprivation mode. Our body starts to crave things that it normally wouldn’t because we were not getting the proper nutrients we need from eating.
Cleansing, and I mean, deep cleansing is not something that happens overnight or even in 7-10 days for that fact. It’s more of a long-term process of eating a consistent diet of whole, minimally processed foods over a significant period of time and even a lifetime. I know, this doesn’t sound like cleansing, and it’s really not if you compare it to the other quick fixes out there, but if you want to keep your system in check and purring like a engine, then kick starting your system with a vegan cleanse free of everyday toxins like caffeine, sugar, alcohol and such will help your body to begin to heal, regulate and find it’s natural energy.
If our body is not functioning at its optimum level we will encounter all sorts of health problems. Getting our digestion in order is the first step we need to take. And giving up these toxins as explained above will help that process.
The 30-day cleanse that I created and lead every other month with large groups, has resulted in many life-changing experiences with my participants and here’s why; when my clients sign up for this cleanse, I tell them, “This is not a diet, this is a way of life” and although most go into the cleanse thinking they will never be able to give up red meat, caffeine or sugar long term, most of them finish the cleanse not ever wanting to ingest these things again. A lot of them also solely want to lose weight, and what they get at the end of the 30 days is a whole new relationship to themselves and food!
Yes, it’s true, life creeps back in and we take little tastes here and there and then all of the sudden we are back on the sugar wagon or drinking our morning joe, and that’s why I call this a “lifestyle”. The word cleanse, is really about giving our bodies a much needed break from everyday “slow poisons” that can contribute to our systems being out of balance, out of whack and just plain toxic.
So, if you really want to change your life, your health and your well-being, I recommend either kick-starting it by participating in a cleanse or making small changes on a daily basis that will set you up for a bigger change down the road. I love to use the term “baby steps” because we all had to crawl before we walked and so on. If you can take small baby steps in your daily life, these little steps will lead up to a big run and positive habits will be formed over time!
For more information on my Vital Life cleanse and how you can recharge, renew your body this summer to stay fit and feel good in your bikini, check out my web site: Karma Chow.
Here is a link to a delicious Raw Kale Salad with Miso Dressing just to get a taste of what you can eat on my 30 day cleanse! You can even have Vegan & Gluten Free Mac & Cheese!
More about Melissa:
Cookbook author, culinary nutritionist and wellness coach, Melissa Costello, founder of Karma Chow has always had a passion for healthy, delicious food and nutrition. When she became a vegetarian at age 19 she began experimenting with healthier versions of everyday recipes, which led her to her passion for plant-based cooking. She is the creator of the 30-Day Vital Life Cleanse, which teaches people how to change their lifestyle and their relationship to food through food-based cleansing.
As personal chef to celebrity fitness guru, Tony Horton, creator of the highly popular workout system, P90X & P90X2, Melissa is constantly finding creative ways to keep Tony and her other high-profile clients happy, fit and healthy through a whole foods way of life.
Her mission is to educate the planet about healthy, whole food eating as well as how to keep our planet “green” for generations to come through vegetarianism and eco-conscious solutions. She travels throughout the US leading nutritional lectures, leads monthly classes at Whole Foods Market and brings her 3-month wellness program into corporations to teach others how to implement a healthy way of life.
