Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Our Shaklee Healthy Cleanse Experience

I didn't know wether we really could live on raw veggies and low sugar fruit for 7 day's in a row. A couple of times we had to remind ourselves of the poor kids in Ethiopia and those wilderness reality shows we see on TV.  #barefootalk

In August after over a year of waiting for Shaklee to officially release their "Healthy Cleanse" program we finally had it in our hands. For years I've supported various "Cleanse/Detox" programs using Shaklee products, but it was never anything "official" released by Shaklee. So before I felt comfortable sharing it with others I decided we (my husband "Michael" and I) needed to experience it.

1st thing we did was print, laminate and hang the instructions on the refrigerator. Shaklee Healthy Cleanse Instructions To be honest it took a few weeks of talking and finding 7 day's when we didn't have some event happening that would make it hard to stick to the cleanse. We prepared for this week ahead of time ordering the Shaklee Healthy Cleanse Kit: It contains Alfalfa, Herblax, Liver DTX, and Optiflora pearls.

The day before the official start we went shopping together for a variety of fresh organic vegetables and low sugar fruits. The goal was to get enough for a few days, with plans to return to the store for more fresh veggies as needed. Living out on the farm we generally only go grocery shopping once a week.

It's really important to spend the time to wash cut up all your produce before you start. We followed the instructions eating raw vegetables and fruit to rest and purify our systems. For day 1 evening meal we lightly sauteed fresh vegetables in olive oil and seasoned with fresh herbs. Growing up on the farm we are used to meat and potatoes type of meals so it was a little tough eating just vegetables for supper.

Our daily consumption of nutrition during these 7 days was;

Breakfast, Shaklee Life Shake mixed with purified water adding frozen fruit and spinach. We also took the Shaklee vitamins we normally take along with the recommended cleanse supplements throughout the day.

Am and Pm Snacks:  Lots of Raw veggies and low sugar fruit (grazed pretty much all day)

Lunch: Kale and Spinach salad, topped with shredded beets, carrots, sweet peppers, tomatoes. Dressing was a mix of olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Supper: We started with sauteed vegetables only, but it was clear after the first day we needed to add more protein. Some of our evening meals consisted of..
Baked Tilapa recipe omitted the butter and used olive oil instead. Very Good!
Baked Eggplant  recipe omitted the cheese. Big mistake the dogs wouldn't even eat it.
Baked Sweet potato topped with Chili Lime Salsa
Steamed Broccoli and Shrimp topped with olive oil/red wine vinegar. Very Good!!
Chef Salad - with all fresh veggies topped with hard boiled eggs. (Eggs came from our chickens)
Baked Sweet Potato Chips recipe omitted the brown sugar. Yummy!! made these a couple of days.
Garlic Herb Mashed Cauliflower recipe omitted the butter used olive oil instead. Yuk!
Cabbage Soup recipe used fresh tomatoes and organic vegetable broth and no salt. Yes we went salt free for 7 days!! Looked good, smelled awesome, tasted OK..


As you get a few day's into the cleanse it's amazing how much better you digest your food, Thank goodness my husband is a foodie and willing to try new dishes. We spent quite a bit of time searching for recipes. I've posted links to most of them.

My husband, Michael lost 10 lbs getting him down to his goal weight. So when Shaklee say's one of the benefits is to jump start weight loss. Yep it sure does. I didn't notice weight loss necessarily but I did notice a flatter tummy and slimmer midsection.

After 7 days both of us noticed more restful sleep and clearer thinking. All our food cravings were gone and eating something not on the "healthy cleanse list" seemed more like a treat rather than a craving.

It wasn't until a few day's after the "healthy cleanse" I noticed my energy level increase. Looking back however I was exercising more than the recommended 30 min. of light daily exercise. To be honest during the cleanse I was more tired than usual, and have to admit it was kind of stressful keeping enough raw fresh vegetables and fruit in the house to keep us satisfied.

I wanted to recap my experience good and bad for you, so you can make an informed decision and know up front what you may or may not experience. Bottomline I do feel it's important to deep clean the inside of our body occasionally. When you think about 80% of what touches your skin you absorb, not to mention all the stuff you may eat not knowing exactly what additives or fillers may be added.

If you really think about it our digestive system could probably use a break and our liver a good flushing.  I truly believe if everyone would take the time to do the 7 day healthy cleanse and start on a basic supplement regime they will feel like a new person after 30 days. #barefootalk

Learn more about the Shaklee Prove It Challenge: http://proveit.mcaseys.com