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#minimum 5 puppies in a pile please
jasperyourmutt · 25 days
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Need a big comfy puppy pile w the mutuals to nap in please 🤲
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onp4012 · 3 years
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Pick a Card: How Is Your Future Spouse As A Parent?
Pick one of the puppies from above to see what kind of parent is your future spouse. I will ask you to not choose anymore than 2 photos because things can get confusing.
feel free to suggest any PAC ideas in the inbox!
Please like and reblog 〽️
masterlist
Pile 1
7S, WOF, 10C, Chariot, Hanged Man, KNOW
Your future spouse seems to like pulling pranks on your kids. They also have this humor, dad jokes, yeah, stupid jokes. They also are intelligent and they will tell your kids countless stories and random facts and will most likely respond to their questions regarding life and history. Your spouse might also play naïve around your kids lol. They will want to take them out, play basketball or football and spend time with them. they will also want to take them to the museum and teach them things, or maybe go fishing with them. they will teach your kids to be very self-sufficient and independent. I feel like you two will most likely have around three kids, minimum two. You could have 2 boys. They are also protective. I feel like they might be Jupiter dominant in Vedic astrology. They really seem to embody that caring and nurturing and sweet paternal energy. They will always be there for their children and they will be very supportive of their children.
This is the type of parent to enjoy taking their kids on trips and teaching them foreign languages.  I keep seeing a vision of a man waking his kids up at like 5 AM to take them on a trip lol. Your spouse is not quick to anger and will be very calm around your kids. If your spouse is a man then they might have a pot belly after your first kid is born omg 😭, that’s so sweet. That’s a family oriented person.
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Pile 2
Hermit, 3W, Lovers, 5C, 4P, Hierophant
For you guys I get that your spouse will most likely be pretty confused, like they won’t know how to act around your kids. I guess dad still be a bit cold exactly because they won’t know how to react to your kids’ emotions. It seems that they will make choices for your kids and they will want to control their lives. Your kids will call them controlling. So yeah they’re pretty strict parent. Your kids might get used to asking mommy/daddy to make a choice for them even in their 20s. I encourage you to explain to your person that by deciding your kids’ future it won’t benefit the kids in any way. Your spouse will want your kids to be pretty much dependent on them, even though they’re cold. I’ve just heard “I want the best for my children!”. Your spouse is pretty traditional and they will hold onto their money dearly. they are extremely scared that your kids will leave them after they grow up. You guys might have 2 kids, I feel like the first one will be a girl.
Your person will save money for your kids’ college. They’re a pretty paranoid person and they’re gonna suffer a shock after realizing their kids have grown up. I can literally feel the tension and loneliness they will face. Your spouse is literally like a cat who sees a baby crying, they will have literally no idea how to react to your kids’ emotions.
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Pile 3
POS, WOF, QOP, Temperance, 7P, 3P
As a parent, your person will pretty much want to teach your kids how to handle their emotions. Your kids won’t be the type to throw tantrums around the house if something doesn’t go their way, instead, they will be articulate and tell you what bothers them. Your person applies this gentle parenting, making sure not to scare or make your kids hate them. I don’t see the “you can’t use your phone, you’re punished” phrase in their vocabulary, but I see “Can you explain me wtf was in your head?? I’m really curious.” or “Go to your room and think about it, then come tell me what happened”. They will talk on an authoritative tone, but not the type to make the kids shit themselves lol. You know the “I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed” type of voice? Yeah, that one. Your spouse might have a lot of air in their chart lmao. I feel like most of you who chosen this pile will have only one child, a boy specifically.
Your kids will thank them years after they’ve been moving out because they’ve been raised by someone who taught them how to control their emotions. This person will hardly lose their temper, they could also be a bit unemotional. Their own father seems to have raised them to choose logic/rationality over emotions in an argument.
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Pile 4
Devil, 5S, 9P, [I don’t remember]
Ngl, I expected to see this one. Your spouse could be seen as the “evil” character by your kids. It could be because anything. Your person isn’t exactly the most patient parent one can have and they won’t hesitate to give your kids some really hard/rough lessons to learn. This can go from shouting to even physical pain. I keep hearing “alcoholic” so please take care of yourself and your kids in that case. Otherwise, your person will enjoy time by themselves and they will see your kids as some side characters in their lives. They will treat your kids like they’ve been treated by their parents. I see them dropping your kids to their parents from time to time. Perhaps their parents own a portion of land in the countryside. Your kids will love to visit their grandparents.
I feel like you’ll have 2 kids. The oldest could be a girl and she will probably be the main “guilty” person. Your firstborn will leave as soon as they get the chance and it won’t be because of you. You might be a victim too. Your spouse will really be the dictator in the house and you will probably fear them whenever they’d be mad/angry. They will also reject every possible partner your firstborn might have. Damn, your person is very defensive, territorial and possessive over your kids.
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Pile 5
QOW, 2W, 10C, Tower, AOC, KNOC
Your person seems to be very energic and funny. They are literally the fun parent you will probably want for you children. Your spouse is also a family oriented person and they will love you and your kids a lot. They might love geography and they will make sure your kids will be very educated on this certain subject. I’ve just heard “chin up, be proud, kid :D”😭 adorable. They will be your kids’ biggest fan. They will be that one parent who will listen to their childs’ problems and heartbreaks. This person holds a very strong feminine energy. They will cry with their children, laugh with them, solve problems with them and be very supportive with them. I’ve heard “I’m here if you ever need me, sweetheart”. The type of parents to bring cookies/snacks in your room when you’re with your friends and say “let me know if you need something”.
Your person will literally be the world for your children and they will represent that pole of stability your children will know they have. Your person will be an even cooler grandpa/grandma after you’ll get grandkids from your children (if they chose to). I feel like you will have only one child as well, a daughter more exactly. Anyway, their relationship will be very strong and healthy. This pile is very similar to Pile 1.
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That was all, folks. [Sorry again for being inactive]
Bye bye ^^ 
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1987vampire · 7 years
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Momma Hale AU pt 2
Pairing: Derek x Female!Reader
Word Count: 2127
Warnings: None
Request:  Anonymous said: Can you maybe do a part 2 of the one where the pack are babies or toddlers? It was so cute!!
A/N: I now take Riverdale and Supernatural requests. Also, please take this survey !! LINK
Proofreader: @hanktheswaggyhonkeydonkey
Extra:
Ages: Liam-4 Stiles-5 Isaac-6 Lydia-6 Jackson-8 Erica-8 Allison-9 Scott-10 Boyd-10
Again, I apologize for this being fem!reader. 
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A year went by and nothing more than laughs and fun went by. The family was tight-knit, but one day, they decided they might want one more. That day, they went and adopted Liam Dunbar, a four-year-old child with Intermittent Explosive Disorder. The child was the youngest and would soon be someone everyone loved, though it would take some getting used to. Here are some more lovely stories from the lovely couple.
~~
               y/n let out a quiet laugh and smiled brightly as she looked over the living room. All the children, along with Derek, laid across the floor, surrounded by pillows and blankets. There was an empty spot next to Derek where y/n would lay soon. Curled up next to him were Boyd, Isaac, and Erica, while on her side there was Scott, Allison, and Stiles. Lastly, Lydia and Jackson were in the middle, pressed up against Derek, waiting for y/n to lay down. She padded over to the pile and laid down in her spot only to immediately have the kids climb onto her.
She giggled quietly and looked down to Stiles, who was laying on her chest. “I can’t breathe with all of you on,” she laughed out. Stiles shot up and fell to the side, letting out a squeal.
               “We’re gonna kill mommy! Get off! She can’t breathe!” He yelled loudly, trying to pull Lydia off of her stomach. Derek and y/n laughed again as she quietly picked up the flailing child. At only five years old, he was a pain to deal with.
               “Baby, baby, calm down,” y/n spoke, trying to keep her laughing to a minimum. “I was only joking around, I promise you I’m fine.”
               The young boy stared at her, wide-eyed for a moment before returning to his original position on her chest with his face near her neck. He let out a content sigh and the two adults smiled at each other warily.
               “Hey guys,” Derek spoke. “There’s something important we need to talk about.”
               The children looked up in confusion before sitting up, happily moving to form a semi-circle in front of their parents. Derek and y/n sat up as well and quietly slipped their hand into the other’s. They looked at each other for reassurance before y/n spoke.
               “What would you say if you got a new sibling?” she asked, gauging her children’s reactions. The younger ones gasped while the elders seemed confused. Jackson was tearing up and Erica was holding Boyd’s arm for comfort.
               “Do you not love us anymore, mommy?” Jackson asked, tears swimming in his eyes. y/n inhaled sharply and stared at Derek for a second, enjoying the soothing feeling of his thumb rubbing against her hand.
               “Of course not, baby! We still love you all the same. It’s just,” she paused for a second and looked down. “The adoption center called us the other day and said there’s a new kid there who no one wants to adopt because he has something. They said we would make the best parents for him and were wondering if we would adopt him, but we wanted to know if you would be okay with it.”
               The kids moved closer to each other. Scott and Boyd looked around at the others and made sure they were okay. Scott pulled Stiles to his side and smiled. “Come on, guys. I bet he’ll be great.”
~~
               They soon adopted the young child and everyone took it surprisingly well, although a few of them grew clingier than before to the young mother. She made sure he was introduced well and everyone was nice to him, and before they knew it, he was a part of the family like all the others.
~~
               y/n sighed as she heard the sound of someone screaming. She walked out of the kitchen to see Liam and Jackson sitting in the living room. Jackson had said something to set Liam off and Liam looked like he was going to hit him.
               “Hey, hey, hey!” She yelled, walking into the room. “What’s going on here?”
               Jackson looked up, terrified, and immediately put on the puppy dog eyes. “Nothing momma! Liam and I were just playing a game.”
               y/n raised an eyebrow and stared him down before walking forward. She picked the younger child up and placed him on her chest, his face in the crook of her neck. She rocked him slowly, trying to calm him down. “What did I tell you about playing games with him? He’s too young to play your games.”
               Jackson sighed and nodded, bowing his head. “I’m sorry, momma,” he said, running forwards and wrapping himself around her leg before rushing out of the room.
               y/n looked down at Liam and sighed, mumbling about how she was sorry for his behavior before taking him with her to the kitchen where she sat him in a chair and continued to make dinner, hopefully, this time without distractions.
~~
               Liam giggled happily as Scott tickled him, the childish sounds brought a smile to everyone. The children had seemed to be getting used to their newest companion, but there was still jealousy every now and then. Liam seemed to know he was the youngest and loved the attention that was being brought to him. Everyone knew it was a phase of sorts, but sometimes it was nice to leave the room for more than five minutes without getting called on.
               At the moment, the tv was playing old reruns of Nickelodeon shows. Stiles sat in front of the tv with Erica and Isaac, his hands placed in his lap while his wide eyes watched the screen happily. Scott was playing with Liam, and Boyd was reading a book to Jackson and Lydia. Lastly, y/n and Derek sat together, Allison placed in y/n’s lap. The young girl was braiding and unbraiding y/n’s hair with happy giggles, everyone was happy.
               y/n loved moments like these.
               “Momma,” Erica asked, turning her body to face her mother. “Will I ever get a prince like you did?” she asks, frowning as she looked over to the screen. A commercial for a new Barbie movie was playing. It seemed to be revolved around some princesses on an adventure; she wasn’t completely sure.
               “Of course, baby,” y/n spoke, smiling happily. “Each and every one of you will find your prince or princess.”
               The children smiled at each other and giggled. Lydia looked up at her mom happily, mumbling about how she couldn’t wait, while the boys shrugged at each other. They didn’t fully understand it yet, but Derek and y/n had been raising them right. They would treat their future partners perfectly.
~~
               y/n pushed the cart through the awkwardly placed aisles, throwing in random bags of food in there along with needed essentials. Lydia followed behind her curiously, pointing out random things she wanted while watching the other people walking through the shop. Isaac sat in the cart, organizing the boxes and bags they placed in while watching y/n.
               Lydia let out a squeal before rushing forward and engulfing a child about her age in a hug. “Xavier!” She squealed.
               y/n’s eyes widened and she ran forward, trying to grab her. Lydia let out giggles as she got pulled away. “I am so sorry,” y/n said to the child’s mom. She simply smiled it off.
               “It’s quite alright, I hear Lydia is one of Xavier’s best friends! He talks about her all the time! I’m sorry. I haven’t introduced myself, have I? My name is Lily!” The woman spoke, holding her hand out for the woman to shake. y/n stared at Lily for a second for shaking the ginger’s hand.
               “Nice to meet you,” y/n said. She turned her head to see Lydia talking excitedly to Xavier. Isaac was gleefully bouncing around in the cart while mumbling gibberish. “I guess they really are friends,” she said.
               Lily giggled happily and nodded. “Yes. I’ve been meaning to talk to you at some point, maybe to set up a play date.” y/n nodded along and smiled at her, quietly agreeing.
               “Well, give me your number! I’ll make sure to text you sometime,” Lily spoke.
               They exchanged numbers and quickly went on their way, Lydia happily talking about the young boy she had become friends with.
~~
               Stiles and Scott ran through the playground happily, crawling through the random obstacles. Though he would never admit it, Stiles was always Scott’s favorite sibling. They were the closest out of all the siblings, and Scott was never happier. Their giggling rang throughout the empty parking lot.
               Derek sat beside y/n, holding her hand and humming a tune lightly. They had decided to take the two out of school for the day. Liam and Isaac were under the care of Lily.
The woman had quickly become a great friend of the family with four kids and a fifth on the way. She was married and very in love, and she couldn’t help but fall in love with the family she had grown to know.
Stiles let out a happy scream and slid down the twirly slide, Scott making sure he was off before sliding down as well. They chased each other around the small playground, letting out random shrieks of happiness. y/n placed her head on Derek’s shoulder and rubbed his hand comfortably. “I love you,” she mumbled.
“And I love you,” he spoke, smiling in happiness. They continued to watch the happy pair of kids, Stiles fumbling over his feet every now and then. Scott made sure he was safe before continuing to run after him, yelling about how he was going to catch him.
y/n sighed and straightened up. “They shouldn’t ever have to grow up,” she said. Derek hummed in agreement, nodding along with her.
“I don’t think you’ll let them,” he chuckled. y/n smiled and nodded again.
“I don’t think so either.”
~~
               Boyd looked through the books on the shelf, mumbling out their titles while picking out random ones. Who knew reading would be one of his favorite activities? The boy had read every book in the household twice, y/n had finally decided to take him to a nearby bookstore. The young boy had never seemed happier.
               The man behind the counter smiled at y/n brightly before continuing to stock the shelves. Boyd walked up to y/n with about seven books placed in his hands varying in size.
               “Can I get these, momma?” he questioned, cheerfully. The woman nodded happily. When was the last time she saw him truly happy about something? He was always straight-faced and quiet, but this store seemed to bring the best out of him.
               Boyd smiled widely and placed the books on the checking out counter. The man behind the counter quietly checked them out and placed them in a bag before handing them to Boyd. He then turned to y/n. “Thirty-seven dollars and forty-six cents,” he said with a smile. y/n rummaged through her purse before handing him a fifty, quietly stating for him to keep the change.
               They exited the store silently before Boyd started talking. He rambled on endlessly about the books he had gotten. y/n happily watched him as she unlocked the car door, they both stepped in and he finished his sentence before growing quiet again.
               y/n started the car and began to pull out when Boyd spoke again. “Thank you, mom. You don’t know how much I appreciate this.”
               y/n smiled at him. “Anytime, kid. Anytime.”
~~
               Allison and y/n jumped around the kitchen, singing random songs on the radio. They were making dinner together as Allison had said she wanted to help her. y/n was happy, goodness knows how much she had to cook every night alone. Allison was peeling potatoes while y/n watched over a few pots and pans. They were making dinner for the first time in a while as Derek had stated they hadn’t had one in a few months.
               The girls jumped to the beat of the song and danced happily before y/n let out a quiet scream. One of the pans had caught on fire somehow. Allison screamed as well and they sat screaming for a while before y/n picked up the pan, running around for a second before dumping it in the sink and turning on the cold water. The fire quickly went out and the two girls stared at each other wide-eyed.
               Next thing they knew, Derek burst into the kitchen, questioning why they were screaming, Scott close behind. The girls looked at each other and began to laugh loudly at what had happened Derek stared at the two in confusion.
               “Sorry, sorry,” y/n said, trying to catch her breath. “We might have accidentally set one of the pans on fire.”
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@disneykidafi @stilinskisavedme
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heavenfemale07-blog · 5 years
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The Dirt on Cleansing
Please note: I provide this material for informational purposes only. I am not a doctor, naturopath, or other medical professional and cannot tell you what to do with your health; please always consult with your own healthcare practitioner before embarking on anything like a cleanse or detox, and before making any changes to your health routine, medication or supplements. It is purely my own perspective on the topic and is by no means intended as any kind of medical or professional advice.
For those of you who read my blog regularly, you know that I regularly undergo cleanses (ie, I “detox”). Since I’ve received quite a few questions about why I cleanse and how it works, I thought it might be useful to share a bit about cleansing in general and my own choices over the past.
Q: Why Detox at All?
Whether you use the term “fast,” “cleanse” or “detox diet,” the process focuses on a single goal: detoxifying and rebalancing the body’s internal operating systems, primarily the digestive tract (but also the liver, respiratory system, urinary system and lymphatic system).  Given the environmental factors, lifestyle, and eating habits of most of us in the modern world, I believe that everyone, no matter how thin, active or deemed “healthy,” could benefit from a cleanse once in a while. 
In fact, many of my teachers over the years, despite ultra-healthy eating coupled with cardiovascular exercise, strength training exercise, yoga, dance, nia, sports, or daily spiritual practices, nevertheless undergo their own cleanses on a regular basis.
As denizens of the modern, industrial world, we are exposed to myriad toxins daily, both from within and without.  Just by virtue of living near the great and wonderful metropolis of Toronto, I have the pleasure of inhaling highly polluted air most days of the week.  For the first two months that we lived in this house, I could smell the distinct aroma of fresh paint gases (courtesy of the landlord, who was actually attempting to do us a favor) every time I entered the house.  I ingest all kinds of unsavory substances that leach through plastic water bottles, plastic containers, the dyed and/or bleached clothing,  or the cleansers I use (though I’ve tried to eliminate as many of these as I can over the years).
And that’s only the exogenous (ie, from outside of our bodies) toxins.  We also take in toxins from the food we eat, whether unhealthy oils from junk food, artificial colors or flavors, or “milk” shakes at McDonald’s or Burger King, and so on. Because these substances are not made in nature and our bodies weren’t designed to process them, the liver works overtime to detoxify them out of the body (as much as possible) to keep us healthy. 
When your liver is on overdrive neutralizing toxins that you take in, free radicals are formed.  Free radicals are basically cell-killers, and they can result in cancer and chronic diseases that are often connected to inflammation (such as arthritis, heart disease, etc.).
Those of us with weak immunity due to candida or other conditions, or those of us with overworked filtering systems (such as myself) suffer the consequences and may very well wander around with stuffed noses, digestive distress, joint inflammation, or other chronic conditions that are so often attributed to “aging” or simply “life in general.”
One of my natural health practitioners put it this way:  imagine a pile of bricks that’s being built into a little tower, one brick at a time. Each brick is a different toxin that your body has to deal with and try to eliminate.  As with a pile of bricks, you can add quite a few to the pile without any dire consequences at all; in fact, observed from the outside, everything appears hunky-dory, stable and unchanged. One would even infer that the extra weight being piled on top is doing no harm, making no difference whatsoever.
But then you reach the point where the pile can no longer support even one more brick.  You place that last brick at the top of the pile and–BAM! (not to quote Emeril in such grave matters, or anything)–the pile completely collapses.  Your body works the same way.  When you were younger (or healthier), you may have been able to tolerate a huge number of toxic “bricks” in your system. But tax the system long enough and then, suddenly, it appears as if everything breaks down at once.
That’s what happened to me several decades ago.  After assuming all was well for years (even though I drank up to a liter (quart) of aspartame-sweetened pop a day, had 3-5 coffees a day, imbibed wine and spirits on weekends and consumed whatever junk food, candy, cookies, cakes, or other garbage I desired on a regular basis), everything came crashing down.  I spent about a year suffering from symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, endured multiple recurrent sinus infections (one so serious that it required four–FOUR!–courses of antibiotics to eradicate), and suffered almost continuous yeast infections, coupled with fatigue, depression, and general feelings of “lousy.” At that point, I really needed a cleanse.
All this to say, if there’ are any actions we can regularly take to diminish our load of toxic “bricks,” we should do so.
Q: What Is a Cleansing or Detox Diet?
Basically, cleansing means “cleaning up the diet (and, ideally, environment) to allow the body to rest from fighting off and eliminating toxins for a while, so that it can repair and rejuvenate.”
There are many levels of detox, depending on where you find yourself to begin with. It’s recommended that people start at a level just one echelon away from (less toxic than) where they are now, because detoxing encourages the toxins to exit the body quickly (through elimination and sweating, primarily), and if too many to escape too fast, you’ll end up feeling sort of like a deflated baloon in a mud puddle–or one really sick puppy (this effect is called a “healing crisis“).
The very first time I went on a detox diet, my naturopath–only two months into her practice–didn’t think to warn me what could happen if I changed my eating habits too drastically. She prescribed what is essentially a NAG diet, but without any animal products. After one day of the diet, I was felled by my body’s extreme healing crisis (I describe the event here).  Luckily, it passed in a couple of days.
By starting “slowly”–that is, without altering too many aspects of your diet or life at once–you avoid a severe healing crisis.  Most people feel a little bit tired or sleepy; some experience mild flu-like symptoms such as a sore throat, but these ususally disappear in a day or two.
Q: How Do You Know What to Eat and What to Eliminate on a Cleanse?
The diet you choose should depend on the diet you eat regularly before the cleanse.  If someone enjoying a SAD (Standard American Diet) decided to embark on a water fast, it would likely spark a full-scale healing crisis and the person would feel rather sick. So decide where you are now, then move in baby steps toward a full-scale cleanse.
There are basically five or six levels of cleansing diet.  Ideally, you would work your way up to the most challenging level as you clean up your diet over the years.
Level One: Basic non-toxic diet for everyone. (from Elson Haas, The Detox Diet)
Level one is what I often refer to as the NAG diet, the diet that, if followed regularly, should allow your body to exist with minimum toxic intake and to keep you pretty healthy. (Other versions are Dr. Joseph Pizzorno’s in The Toxin Solution, Anne Marie Colbin’s diet in Food and Healing or Elson Haas’ diet in The Detox Diet).  If you’re not already on this type of diet, it would be the first step.  Try this for a week and see how you feel. You could theoretically stay on this diet for the rest of your life.
Level One: The NonToxic Diet (from Elson Haas, The Detox Diet):
Eat organic foods whenever possible.
Drink filtered water.
Rotate foods [ie, eat each of these no more than once every four days or so], especially common allergens such as milk products, eggs, wheat, and yeasted foods.
Practice food combining.
Eat a natural, seasonal cuisine.
Include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and, for omnivarians, some low or non-fat dairy products, fresh fish (not shellfish) and organic poultry.
Cook in iron, stainless steel, glass, or porcelain cookware.
Avoid or minimize red meats, cured meats, organ meats, refined foods, canned foods, sugar, salt, saturated fats, coffee, alcohol, and nicotine.
And while it’s not stated in this list, Haas also prohibits anything processed or made with chemicals or artificial colorings–this should go without saying.
[“Sounds good, Mum, but do we have to do the part about avoiding meat?”]
Level Two: (this and later levels from Caroline Dupont, Enlightened Eating).
Level two is a step beyond level one, as “it eliminates all animal products and glutenous grains.”  As Dupont points out, this can be a lifelong diet rather than a detox diet if mostly organic foods are eaten and sources of protein and vitamin B12 (which can only be acquired naturally through animal products) are carefully monitored.
For those who already eat a Level One diet as their regular fare, Level Two would be considered a mild cleanse.
Level Three: Living Foods Only
This level kicks it up a notch (seriously, WHAT is Emeril doing in this discussion?) by allowing only raw foods, effectively eliminating grains (except for sprouted grains). People at this level eat raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, freshly pressed juices, sprouts, and possibly raw dairy.
Q: Why Is Raw Supposedly Better?  Why Are There No Grains? Isn’t That a Lot of Fruit–Why is All That Sugar in the Fruit Acceptable?
RAW: 
A raw diet provides the body with readily available digestive enzymes in raw, but not cooked, foods; these would otherwise need to be generated courtesy of your saliva, stomach, and pancreas.  For that reason, it is much easier to digest raw versus cooked food; raw foods give the body a bit of a break so it can concentrate on other functions, such as detoxifying, maintaining, and repairing.  People on all-raw diets have experienced incredible boosts in energy as well as healing effects.
GRAINS:
Unsprouted grains (the kind we normally eat) are more difficult to digest than raw foods.  There is nothing inherently wrong with eating grains, especially if your digestive system is in tip-top condition; but for those of us with digestive issues, or when cleansing the system, grains are just a bit too challenging.
FRUIT SUGARS: 
It’s true that a raw diet provides a large number of fruits, and fruits do contain natural sugars.  But please don’t confuse naturally-occurring sugars with refined white sugar (or even honey or maple syrup, which are both concentrated sugars).  When you eat something refined, the sugar is converted to glucose (a monosaccharide–the smallest sugar molecule, as it’s broken down by the body and passed into the bloodstream) extremely quickly, because it’s already practically in the form of glucose when you eat it.
With fruits, the sugars are bound up with fiber and other nutrients, and the body must work to extract the different elements in the fruit and to convert the sugars to glucose in the body.  This means you won’t get the same kind of spike in blood sugar levels from eating a fresh fruit as you will from eating a piece of cake or even cup of coffee with sugar in it.  Sugar in fruits is healthy and doesn’t generate toxins in the body. (Think of diabetics, for instance–they’re allowed most fruits).
That said, if you’re dealing with early stages of candida overgrowth, you want to avoid a lot of fruit and all very sweet fruits in particular. For people with healthy digestive tracts, fruits with extremely high sugar levels could be eaten in smaller quantities.  And fruits are the easiest foods for your body to break down, so they don’t tax the system.
[“Give us more fruits is what I say, Mum!’]
Level Four: Blended Foods, Smoothies and Soups
By blending foods, you render them yet more easily digestible.  Dupont suggests incorporating some of these foods into a raw foods diet; furthermore, this level is presented as an excellent “introduction to fasting for people with hypoglycemia, bowel disorders [or] constipation.”
Level Five: Juice Fast And/Or Master Cleanse
At this level, you’re basically removing the need for your bowel to process any fiber and are providing very nutrient-rich clear liquids that are processed very easily by the digestive tract. At level five, a person consumes only freshly squeezed or pressed fruit and vegetable juices, or the Master Cleanse, a mixture of filtered water, lemon juice, maple syrup and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Level Six: Water Fast
At this point, only those who have already gone through the other five phases should attempt a water fast; drinking only pure filtered water gives the body’s internal organs the ultimate work break. According to Dupont, no one should even attempt a water fast who has not first “established a consistently healthy diet for at least 6 months first.”
[“Yes, pure water is definitely good, Mum.  Especially in summer.”]
Q:Why Did You Choose the Cleanse You Did?
When I was in nutrition school, after spending a full year following the NAG diet and trying out most of the other diets we learned about, I felt ready to complete a Level Five (Master Cleanse) diet for almost a full week.  At that point, my “regular” diet was so non-toxic that the Master Cleanse was a good step.  I felt great while on it and did reap the benefits of better digestion and more energy.
These days, however, my regular diet is more like Level Two, above.  I already don’t eat meat; I already don’t eat refined foods; I already don’t eat most gluten grains on a daily basis; I don’t eat dairy.
Over the years, I’ve tried all-raw cleanses, the Metagenix 10-Day cleanse and juice-only cleanses. I’ve had good results with all of them; but more recently have come to believe that there is no need for truly restrictive cleanses that eliminate solid foods (more on that in another article!).
Q: Readers: What Do You Think?
If you’ve made it this far, I’d love to know: how many of you have tried detox diets or cleanses?  What was your experience?  What worked, and what would you warn against?
[Disclaimer: this post may contain affiliate links. If you buy using these links, at no cost to you, I will earn a small commission from the sale.]
Source: https://www.rickiheller.com/2019/05/the-dirt-on-cleansing-2/
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clamjumper5-blog · 5 years
Text
The Dirt on Cleansing
Please note: I provide this material for informational purposes only. I am not a doctor, naturopath, or other medical professional and cannot tell you what to do with your health; please always consult with your own healthcare practitioner before embarking on anything like a cleanse or detox, and before making any changes to your health routine, medication or supplements. It is purely my own perspective on the topic and is by no means intended as any kind of medical or professional advice.
For those of you who read my blog regularly, you know that I regularly undergo cleanses (ie, I “detox”). Since I’ve received quite a few questions about why I cleanse and how it works, I thought it might be useful to share a bit about cleansing in general and my own choices over the past.
Q: Why Detox at All?
Whether you use the term “fast,” “cleanse” or “detox diet,” the process focuses on a single goal: detoxifying and rebalancing the body’s internal operating systems, primarily the digestive tract (but also the liver, respiratory system, urinary system and lymphatic system).  Given the environmental factors, lifestyle, and eating habits of most of us in the modern world, I believe that everyone, no matter how thin, active or deemed “healthy,” could benefit from a cleanse once in a while. 
In fact, many of my teachers over the years, despite ultra-healthy eating coupled with cardiovascular exercise, strength training exercise, yoga, dance, nia, sports, or daily spiritual practices, nevertheless undergo their own cleanses on a regular basis.
As denizens of the modern, industrial world, we are exposed to myriad toxins daily, both from within and without.  Just by virtue of living near the great and wonderful metropolis of Toronto, I have the pleasure of inhaling highly polluted air most days of the week.  For the first two months that we lived in this house, I could smell the distinct aroma of fresh paint gases (courtesy of the landlord, who was actually attempting to do us a favor) every time I entered the house.  I ingest all kinds of unsavory substances that leach through plastic water bottles, plastic containers, the dyed and/or bleached clothing,  or the cleansers I use (though I’ve tried to eliminate as many of these as I can over the years).
And that’s only the exogenous (ie, from outside of our bodies) toxins.  We also take in toxins from the food we eat, whether unhealthy oils from junk food, artificial colors or flavors, or “milk” shakes at McDonald’s or Burger King, and so on. Because these substances are not made in nature and our bodies weren’t designed to process them, the liver works overtime to detoxify them out of the body (as much as possible) to keep us healthy. 
When your liver is on overdrive neutralizing toxins that you take in, free radicals are formed.  Free radicals are basically cell-killers, and they can result in cancer and chronic diseases that are often connected to inflammation (such as arthritis, heart disease, etc.).
Those of us with weak immunity due to candida or other conditions, or those of us with overworked filtering systems (such as myself) suffer the consequences and may very well wander around with stuffed noses, digestive distress, joint inflammation, or other chronic conditions that are so often attributed to “aging” or simply “life in general.”
One of my natural health practitioners put it this way:  imagine a pile of bricks that’s being built into a little tower, one brick at a time. Each brick is a different toxin that your body has to deal with and try to eliminate.  As with a pile of bricks, you can add quite a few to the pile without any dire consequences at all; in fact, observed from the outside, everything appears hunky-dory, stable and unchanged. One would even infer that the extra weight being piled on top is doing no harm, making no difference whatsoever.
But then you reach the point where the pile can no longer support even one more brick.  You place that last brick at the top of the pile and–BAM! (not to quote Emeril in such grave matters, or anything)–the pile completely collapses.  Your body works the same way.  When you were younger (or healthier), you may have been able to tolerate a huge number of toxic “bricks” in your system. But tax the system long enough and then, suddenly, it appears as if everything breaks down at once.
That’s what happened to me several decades ago.  After assuming all was well for years (even though I drank up to a liter (quart) of aspartame-sweetened pop a day, had 3-5 coffees a day, imbibed wine and spirits on weekends and consumed whatever junk food, candy, cookies, cakes, or other garbage I desired on a regular basis), everything came crashing down.  I spent about a year suffering from symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, endured multiple recurrent sinus infections (one so serious that it required four–FOUR!–courses of antibiotics to eradicate), and suffered almost continuous yeast infections, coupled with fatigue, depression, and general feelings of “lousy.” At that point, I really needed a cleanse.
All this to say, if there’ are any actions we can regularly take to diminish our load of toxic “bricks,” we should do so.
Q: What Is a Cleansing or Detox Diet?
Basically, cleansing means “cleaning up the diet (and, ideally, environment) to allow the body to rest from fighting off and eliminating toxins for a while, so that it can repair and rejuvenate.”
There are many levels of detox, depending on where you find yourself to begin with. It’s recommended that people start at a level just one echelon away from (less toxic than) where they are now, because detoxing encourages the toxins to exit the body quickly (through elimination and sweating, primarily), and if too many to escape too fast, you’ll end up feeling sort of like a deflated baloon in a mud puddle–or one really sick puppy (this effect is called a “healing crisis“).
The very first time I went on a detox diet, my naturopath–only two months into her practice–didn’t think to warn me what could happen if I changed my eating habits too drastically. She prescribed what is essentially a NAG diet, but without any animal products. After one day of the diet, I was felled by my body’s extreme healing crisis (I describe the event here).  Luckily, it passed in a couple of days.
By starting “slowly”–that is, without altering too many aspects of your diet or life at once–you avoid a severe healing crisis.  Most people feel a little bit tired or sleepy; some experience mild flu-like symptoms such as a sore throat, but these ususally disappear in a day or two.
Q: How Do You Know What to Eat and What to Eliminate on a Cleanse?
The diet you choose should depend on the diet you eat regularly before the cleanse.  If someone enjoying a SAD (Standard American Diet) decided to embark on a water fast, it would likely spark a full-scale healing crisis and the person would feel rather sick. So decide where you are now, then move in baby steps toward a full-scale cleanse.
There are basically five or six levels of cleansing diet.  Ideally, you would work your way up to the most challenging level as you clean up your diet over the years.
Level One: Basic non-toxic diet for everyone. (from Elson Haas, The Detox Diet)
Level one is what I often refer to as the NAG diet, the diet that, if followed regularly, should allow your body to exist with minimum toxic intake and to keep you pretty healthy. (Other versions are Dr. Joseph Pizzorno’s in The Toxin Solution, Anne Marie Colbin’s diet in Food and Healing or Elson Haas’ diet in The Detox Diet).  If you’re not already on this type of diet, it would be the first step.  Try this for a week and see how you feel. You could theoretically stay on this diet for the rest of your life.
Level One: The NonToxic Diet (from Elson Haas, The Detox Diet):
Eat organic foods whenever possible.
Drink filtered water.
Rotate foods [ie, eat each of these no more than once every four days or so], especially common allergens such as milk products, eggs, wheat, and yeasted foods.
Practice food combining.
Eat a natural, seasonal cuisine.
Include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and, for omnivarians, some low or non-fat dairy products, fresh fish (not shellfish) and organic poultry.
Cook in iron, stainless steel, glass, or porcelain cookware.
Avoid or minimize red meats, cured meats, organ meats, refined foods, canned foods, sugar, salt, saturated fats, coffee, alcohol, and nicotine.
And while it’s not stated in this list, Haas also prohibits anything processed or made with chemicals or artificial colorings–this should go without saying.
[“Sounds good, Mum, but do we have to do the part about avoiding meat?”]
Level Two: (this and later levels from Caroline Dupont, Enlightened Eating).
Level two is a step beyond level one, as “it eliminates all animal products and glutenous grains.”  As Dupont points out, this can be a lifelong diet rather than a detox diet if mostly organic foods are eaten and sources of protein and vitamin B12 (which can only be acquired naturally through animal products) are carefully monitored.
For those who already eat a Level One diet as their regular fare, Level Two would be considered a mild cleanse.
Level Three: Living Foods Only
This level kicks it up a notch (seriously, WHAT is Emeril doing in this discussion?) by allowing only raw foods, effectively eliminating grains (except for sprouted grains). People at this level eat raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, freshly pressed juices, sprouts, and possibly raw dairy.
Q: Why Is Raw Supposedly Better?  Why Are There No Grains? Isn’t That a Lot of Fruit–Why is All That Sugar in the Fruit Acceptable?
RAW: 
A raw diet provides the body with readily available digestive enzymes in raw, but not cooked, foods; these would otherwise need to be generated courtesy of your saliva, stomach, and pancreas.  For that reason, it is much easier to digest raw versus cooked food; raw foods give the body a bit of a break so it can concentrate on other functions, such as detoxifying, maintaining, and repairing.  People on all-raw diets have experienced incredible boosts in energy as well as healing effects.
GRAINS:
Unsprouted grains (the kind we normally eat) are more difficult to digest than raw foods.  There is nothing inherently wrong with eating grains, especially if your digestive system is in tip-top condition; but for those of us with digestive issues, or when cleansing the system, grains are just a bit too challenging.
FRUIT SUGARS: 
It’s true that a raw diet provides a large number of fruits, and fruits do contain natural sugars.  But please don’t confuse naturally-occurring sugars with refined white sugar (or even honey or maple syrup, which are both concentrated sugars).  When you eat something refined, the sugar is converted to glucose (a monosaccharide–the smallest sugar molecule, as it’s broken down by the body and passed into the bloodstream) extremely quickly, because it’s already practically in the form of glucose when you eat it.
With fruits, the sugars are bound up with fiber and other nutrients, and the body must work to extract the different elements in the fruit and to convert the sugars to glucose in the body.  This means you won’t get the same kind of spike in blood sugar levels from eating a fresh fruit as you will from eating a piece of cake or even cup of coffee with sugar in it.  Sugar in fruits is healthy and doesn’t generate toxins in the body. (Think of diabetics, for instance–they’re allowed most fruits).
That said, if you’re dealing with early stages of candida overgrowth, you want to avoid a lot of fruit and all very sweet fruits in particular. For people with healthy digestive tracts, fruits with extremely high sugar levels could be eaten in smaller quantities.  And fruits are the easiest foods for your body to break down, so they don’t tax the system.
[“Give us more fruits is what I say, Mum!’]
Level Four: Blended Foods, Smoothies and Soups
By blending foods, you render them yet more easily digestible.  Dupont suggests incorporating some of these foods into a raw foods diet; furthermore, this level is presented as an excellent “introduction to fasting for people with hypoglycemia, bowel disorders [or] constipation.”
Level Five: Juice Fast And/Or Master Cleanse
At this level, you’re basically removing the need for your bowel to process any fiber and are providing very nutrient-rich clear liquids that are processed very easily by the digestive tract. At level five, a person consumes only freshly squeezed or pressed fruit and vegetable juices, or the Master Cleanse, a mixture of filtered water, lemon juice, maple syrup and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Level Six: Water Fast
At this point, only those who have already gone through the other five phases should attempt a water fast; drinking only pure filtered water gives the body’s internal organs the ultimate work break. According to Dupont, no one should even attempt a water fast who has not first “established a consistently healthy diet for at least 6 months first.”
[“Yes, pure water is definitely good, Mum.  Especially in summer.”]
Q:Why Did You Choose the Cleanse You Did?
When I was in nutrition school, after spending a full year following the NAG diet and trying out most of the other diets we learned about, I felt ready to complete a Level Five (Master Cleanse) diet for almost a full week.  At that point, my “regular” diet was so non-toxic that the Master Cleanse was a good step.  I felt great while on it and did reap the benefits of better digestion and more energy.
These days, however, my regular diet is more like Level Two, above.  I already don’t eat meat; I already don’t eat refined foods; I already don’t eat most gluten grains on a daily basis; I don’t eat dairy.
Over the years, I’ve tried all-raw cleanses, the Metagenix 10-Day cleanse and juice-only cleanses. I’ve had good results with all of them; but more recently have come to believe that there is no need for truly restrictive cleanses that eliminate solid foods (more on that in another article!).
Q: Readers: What Do You Think?
If you’ve made it this far, I’d love to know: how many of you have tried detox diets or cleanses?  What was your experience?  What worked, and what would you warn against?
[Disclaimer: this post may contain affiliate links. If you buy using these links, at no cost to you, I will earn a small commission from the sale.]
Source: https://www.rickiheller.com/2019/05/the-dirt-on-cleansing-2/
0 notes