How I Survived My 30-Day Detox During Quarantine!
A Comprehensive Guide for Survival w/ Tips, Worksheets, Recipes, and Resources
*I am not a medical professional, and nothing in this post should be construed as medical advice. These are personal tips I use based on my experience with detoxing. Consult your medical physician to discover if detoxing is right for you.*
If you’ve ever tried a detox, you know it will have you living in the bathroom. Detoxes are like Debo. When they come to town, they run shit. It’s almost impossible to live normally when you’re trying to detox. I’ve tried it too many times to count, and the last time, I swore that these vegans would not get me again.
But here I am. Same mess, different day. Fortunately, this go-round, quarantining and social distancing helped in a major way. The last time I detoxed, I was working a full nine-to-five, and it wasn’t pretty. (Try making oral arguments in front of a judge when you gotta go!).
Because I was quarantining, this time I could take as many bathroom breaks as I needed from the comfort of my own home. Before starting the detox, I recognized the need for changes in my diet. I was seeing the effects of my poor diet choices in my skin, energy level, and brain clarity.
I decided to bite the bullet and start a detox since the pandemic had blown my schedule wide open. My results were mostly what you’d expect (general improvements that mattered to my health), which was good. However, there were some results I didn’t see but expected. And at the end of this post, I share the ten tips I swear by that helped me last 30 days! (To skip to them, scroll down!)
My Top 3 Results & Overall Experience
I started my detox on March 24th, and it ended on April 22nd. I used a local herbalist and nutritional consultant with a brick-and-mortar shop to obtain my detox, but any herbalist that you trust will do.
The main reason that I attempted this detox wasn’t necessarily to remove all toxins from my body (I don’t know if that’s actually possible), but I wanted to use it as a springboard to turn the ship around regarding my health. I wanted to force myself to get in the habit of eating healthier while also clearing out some of the stagnant waste that we all carry in our colon. Our gut health is extremely important to our overall health, so starting there was important to me.
As of the date of this writing, I’m about three weeks post-detox. The biggest changes that I see are in my appetite, weight, energy level, mental clarity, and menstrual pain. Some changes I attribute to the detox and others to specific lifestyle changes that accompanied the detox. I juiced a lot, cut out sugar and meat, and focused on plant-based foods. Here are my top results.
1. Weight Loss
My summer body has arrived! My weight loss was the most noticeable change. I started the detox weighing 178 pounds. At the halfway mark, I was 170 pounds, and as I write this, I’m 166 pounds. Being 5’7″ and curvy (shoutout to my mama!), my personal ideal weight is 165-168 pounds, so these results were my favorite. My hunger has decreased, and my cravings are almost nonexistent.
2. Improved Energy & Mental Clarity
Energy-wise, it’s now easier to wake up each morning. I’m comfortably averaging a 6:30AM wake-up time. Whereas pre-detox, I was the world’s biggest snoozer, reluctantly dragging myself out of bed at 7:45AM. Mornings are dangerous times for me!
Typically, I was also very tired after work. I would try to get in a healthy amount of after-work activities, but often my energy level was just not there. I feel a distinct difference after this detox, but for reasons that I discuss later in this post, I don’t 100% attribute this to the detox. (Hint: It might’ve been my Iron supplements). I also found that I was sharper mentally. My ideas were clearer, and my brain didn’t feel as foggy.
3. Less Menstrual Cramps
As a woman who’s suffered through horrible cramps since the tender age of thirteen (…’all my life, I had to fight!’), I do not say this lightly. April’s cramps were, by far, the dullest menstrual pains of my entire LIFE! No exaggeration. But I can’t really tell if the detox is the true cause of this.
For 2020, I have committed myself to no longer taking ibuprofens or other unnatural painkillers for my menstrual cramps, so I’ve had four months of working things out naturally using Nature Sunshine’s Menstrual Reg. For the first three months, prior to the detox, my cramps were painful but manageable using the Menstrual Reg. But April was markedly better (cramping for hours vs. days), and that may have been due to the detox.
I’ve heard some of my favorite hormone experts like Jenn Pike share that sometimes changes to our cycles may not show up until 90 days later. So, I’m not sure if the detox is the true heroine here, but I think it’s very likely a combination of both.
Results I Did Not See
One of the results that I wanted, but did not see was flawless skin. (For shame!) My skin improved (but I also started a new skincare routine), but it wasn’t drastically better. They say the cycle of your skin renewal is every 28 days, so I’m going to give this more time, as maybe I won’t truly see the full impact of my detox until 28 days from the ending of my detox. But this was literally one of the main things I wanted to see from this detox, and it didn’t happen. So, I was definitely in my feelings about this.
Overall Experience
As a whole, my experience was manageable. Because I took the herbal capsules as directed (morning & night), my trips to the bathroom were more regulated than last time. By 3:00 or 4:00PM, it was typically safe for me to leave the house. (Except for Corona).
The beginning and end of the 30 days were the worst for me. The beginning was difficult because it was new and an adjustment. While everyone else was pigging out during quarantine, I had to ignore smells and act like my brothers weren’t eating pizza two feet in front of me. The end was also surprisingly difficult. At Day 25, I was over this detox. I wanted some chicken!
The middle was probably my sweet spot. I was discovering new dishes. I wasn’t craving as much anymore. I was feeling empowered and actually considered going vegan. But as I’ve stated, at some point those lofty feelings died.
While detoxing is not for the faint of heart, I learned a few things that were helpful to me in my process, so I’m sharing them with you below.
Ten Tips for Surviving a 30-Day Quarantine Detox!
1. Remove ALL Temptations
Believe me when I say this — the second you start a detox, your food will learn to speak to you. The most basic foods — toast with jelly, freezer-burnt pizza, peppermints yall!! — things you’d never be hard-pressed to care about in your regular life, will start to whisper your name.
Rid your home of these temptations. If you’re living with others, ask them to keep chips and snacks in a new cabinet, away from you. The concept of out of sight, out of mind, really does work.
2. Watch Vegan, Keto, or Paleo Chefs & Get in the Kitchen
The goal on any detox is to rid your body of toxins, so your diet has to support that. Plant-based diets do this quite well. Like me, I’m sure you don’t have a collection of personal plant-based recipes. I looked to vegan kitchenistas like Tabitha Brown and Kim at The Chic Natural to help me with my lack of expertise.
I would also sometimes make up my own recipes after being inspired by their creations. Since I was no longer eating sugar and white carbs (breads, pastas, and rice) as a part of my detox, I often combined vegan, keto, or paleo options to cover all bases. I found Wholesome Yum to be a great resource for paleo and keto options.
3. Substitute Sugar
Sugar is the epitome of evil in my mind! (Teasing us when it knows it ain’t bout nothing!). Personally, I’ve been scared by high blood sugar readings in the past, so I’m very conscious about my sugar intake. During my detoxes I stay away from sugar in any form. I don’t use agave, honey, maple syrup, cane sugar. Me and sugar are not cool.
When I need something sweet, I substitute sugar for a natural, plant-based sweetener like stevia or monk fruit. These are not artificial like Splenda. They are plant-based. I also use good sugar alcohols like Xylitol and Erythritol (as opposed to bad sugar alcohols). These may sound complicated and chemical, but I’ve actually found them to be healthy options.
When I come across recipes that require sugar or a syrup, I use one of these sugar substitutes instead. Lakanto is my favorite brand for maple syrups and a monk fruit/erythritol sweetener in my normal day-to-day life. While detoxing, however, I don’t overload my dishes with the sweeteners, as I really try to focus on keeping things as basic as possible. Using too many sweeteners can become a crutch. So, I would suggest just using it as a treat. Include it in your tea and whatever dishes you make for desserts.
4. Eat Constantly! Don't Let Yourself Get Hungry!
This is a biggie! Play around if you want to, but I’ve learned that the quickest way to cheat on a detox is by feeling irritable and hungry. When you’re in that state, basically nothing matters. When I tell you I almost risked it all on day 28 for a piece of cake, please hear me! Your hunger won’t care about the sacrifices you’ve made.
Keep healthy snacks around. Stockpile your favorites. Have smoothie ingredients at your disposal (and use healthier milks — almond, cashew, hemp). Plan meals ahead of time. Cook big pots of soups and other meals that you can dip into whenever you feel the need to eat. You will have to shop for fruits and veggies more frequently to replenish what you use. It’s important to make healthy eating convenient and quick for you, or your inner mean girl (we all have one) will sabotage your detox in the name of self-preservation.
5. Proteins Are Your Friends! Show Them Love!
Proteins are one of your biggest allies when trying to avoid hunger because they help you feel fuller, longer. Here’s a handy list of plant-based proteins that I live by from YumUniverse (and more on proteins).
Beans, quinoa, and nuts were my best friends during this detox. I would make a vanilla sauce using raw, soaked cashews (substituting the sugar) for an apple crumble. I also used cashews to make a vegan alfredo dish. Quinoa stir-fry became my go-to quick lunch option. I made Chickpea “tuna” salad. I enjoyed hummus in collard green wraps. I found creative ways to utilize plant-based proteins.
I was actively on the hunt constantly for recipes that were made with proteins as main ingredients. Doing this can make the entire process so much easier.
6. Create a Checklist for What You Eat/Drink & Post it on the Fridge
Because I’m about that life, I created a worksheet (available for download) in Google Docs to help me keep track of my nutrition during this time period. I listed my herbal capsules and how often they needed to be taken (morning, noon, and night). I included my water intake goal with spaces for me to check off my progress toward that goal glass by glass. I essentially tracked anything that was important for me during the detox, including sleep. (Side note: Get your sleep!).
I posted it on the fridge, and it made me feel a sense of accomplishment when I could check off items as complete. It also served as an accurate account of what I was eating and drinking. It’s easy to think that you’re drinking the right amount of water per day, but if you’re not actually tracking it, how do you really know? This forced me to be more accountable.
7. Use Baby Wipes! ONLY!!
This is not a suggestion hunny! Get this knowledge or die trying. During my detox, I completely gave up using toilet paper for my bum. It’s too rough. A detox will send you to the bathroom too many times, and the coarseness of toilet paper cannot support that frequency. Some baby wipes aren’t even up to the task. (The nerve!) I felt like a test subject for my future babies going through various amounts of baby wipes until I landed on Pampers. The softest I found.
On top of this, wipes will help you feel fresher given that it’s almost impossible to shower after every single trip to the bathroom. (Sorry boo!) With baby wipes, you know you’re getting yourself much cleaner than toilet paper ever could. It’s not pretty, but it’s real.
8. Drink Plenty of Water!
Although the main focus of bathroom trips will be your bum, you will find yourself going more frequently just to tinkle as well. Your detox probably contains a diuretic designed to release toxins through your urine too. To facilitate this process, I drank water constantly. It helped me to keep any stomach cramps at bay, and I think the water helped the herbs move through my body. My goal was to drink half my body weight in ounces each day.
9. Check Ingredients
This is important. Some seemingly healthy foods contain items that are not allowed on your detox. For me, as I shared, any type of sugar was off limits. Sometimes I would grab sugar-free granola in the store, only to find that it was sweetened with agave. I would grab a tasty looking hummus, only to find that it contained potassium sorbate. And many of the vegan options I would find, especially meat substitutes, contained soy. (Me and that chick ain’t friends).
This part can feel overwhelming. It can feel like pretty much everything is bad for you, so why even try. In moments like these, I remind myself that yes, there are so many toxins contained in our world, but experts continue to emphasize that small steps actually do make an impact in improving our health. We may not be able to cut out everything that’s harmful to us, but we can make a list of our most important taboo things and focus on removing those.
My suggestion would be to create a list of foods and ingredients that you want to stay away from before you start the detox. For me, at the top of my list were things like MSG, soy, high fructose corn syrup, high-sodium foods, unnatural preservatives, antibiotics, sugar (in all forms), dairy, white carbs, and meat (not including seafood). Whenever I go shopping, I look at the ingredients and nutrition labels on everything. You’ll be surprised at how many of these ingredients are in everyday items like ketchup.
My taboo list doesn’t contain every harmful toxin out there, but right now, that list is my only focus. I choose to walk down this path and not distract myself with trying to be a purist (aka toxin ninja). Will I continue to learn more and create even better habits in the future? Of course, but so much of eating healthy is mental. So, we have to do what works for us to keep our minds feeling that our task is manageable.
10. Be Prepared to Feel Worse Before You Feel Better
You may start your detox feeling like a mac truck hit you. You may find yourself with little energy or patience – or both! (That inner mean girl will pop up, please prepare your loved ones!). My detox experience contained all of these occurrences, and on some level I felt that they were to be expected.
Whenever I felt this way, however, I checked to make sure it wasn’t simply because I wasn’t eating enough. So, while you will definitely have a rough patch in the beginning (we are junk food junkies, our bodies may go through withdrawal), be sure that it’s not simply because you aren’t eating enough. That will make things even worse. As I said before, EAT! Your body needs to feel nourished.
Bonus Tip: I Take Supplements! Yes, on Top of My Detox
If you’re getting absolutely everything you need from your diet (doubt it), then by all means, do you! But I’ve found that it’s nearly impossible to get all of the nutrients our bodies require from eating food alone. So, I started taking supplements again (and have continued post-detox). I also try to eat healthy. One does not replace the other.
I hate taking too many supplements (mainly because it’s annoying), but my bare bone supplement list contains a women’s daily vitamin (I use Garden of Life), and an iron supplement (I use Nature’s Sunshine). I love the quality of both brands. When I’m not taking iron, I immediately feel a drop in my energy level. (Do you get enough iron?) This is the reason I mentioned previously that I’m unsure if my increased energy level during the detox was due to my detox, or simply the iron. It may have been a little of both.
Now it’s Up to You!
Hopefully this was helpful for you. I like joking about my detox woes, but our health is one of our most precious assets. One of the greatest relationships that we have is with self. How we treat our bodies is a reflection of self-love. Focusing on nutrition and health is a form of self-care.
I’m not perfect by any means, but I continuously strive to get better. I enjoy sharing what’s worked for me and what hasn’t. I also love to learn, so please comment and share tips for things that have worked for you with detoxing, eating healthy, or just nutrition in general. I’d love to hear from you! Whether you choose to detox or not, find what works for you on your journey to health.
2 Comments
Kamaria Fayola
Thank you for the kind words!! Finding what works for you is important! Good luck on your detox!
Taiwo Bamisile
This was very insightful, I enjoyed how you shed light of the month of detox. I think I benefited greatly, because I am inspired to try one. However, it might just be 7 days instead. Lol. I did take a screenshot of the good to remind myself and possibly share with other the joy of reading your work. This has been a wonder reading experience, mostly because it felt relative to my thoughts on what detoxing encompasses. Waiting for the next post.