As many of you may know from recent newsletters or visits into the office, we are starting our Purification Program in just a couple of weeks!  Purification is ideal for anyone looking to reduce the body’s toxic load, boost energy, reduce cravings, naturally build immunity, lose weight and feel great.  The Standard Process Purification Program helps your body purify and rebuild itself from the inside out, and gives you a structured plan for purifying, nourishing, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Since I am currently on day 10 of my cleanse, I thought I would share how my experience is going and things I have learned during these past ten days that may help you in your own purification journey, should you choose to travel down this path.

Without a doubt, some foods or beverages will be difficult for you to give up for 21 days.  For some it may be bread, others, dairy products.  Or it may be that glass of wine you like to enjoy after a long day at work.  The two items that were most difficult to cut out of my diet were coffee and nuts.  I love to have my steaming cup of Joe in the morning while I get ready for work, or grab that handful of almonds when I’m on the go and have no time to prepare a meal.  Unfortunately, neither fit into the Purification regimen, so I had to bid them farewell.  These new dietary restrictions have not been all bad however; I have learned to replace my two favorite things with healthier alternatives.  Rather than coffee in the morning, I sip on decaf herbal teas or water.  Instead of grabbing as many almonds as will fit in my hand and scarfing them down while I decide what to make for dinner, I have been preparing healthy meals and snacks ahead of time so that the choice is made for me.  The purification program is not meant to punish or torture by banishing those favorite foods from your diet.  On the contrary, it is meant to teach you which foods to turn to before you reach for that French baguette or block of cheddar, and hopefully reduce your cravings for them altogether. By eliminating the things we find ourselves commonly addicted to – sugar, caffeine, alcohol, tobacco – we are ridding our bodies of toxic buildup while opening our minds to a new concept of what a healthy diet truly consists of.

It has not been easy smelling the espresso machine kick on every morning, or watching Sam and Vicki sample the new Almond Hammer Bars recently delivered to the office – but it has gotten easier.  Every time I resist a temptation, I inwardly congratulate myself and am reminded of why I am doing the program:  To reduce my toxic load and optimize my health.  You, too, will have your moments of weakness and success.  You too will remind yourself of why the program is important to you.  And you, too, will emerge from the 21 days a healthier, happier version of you. In my case, I will emerge a less caffeinated version