... days 7, 8, 9, 10? Anita Kapoor's detox diary goes into overdrive

So you're probably wondering .. and then what happened. Did the detox swallow Anita whole?

The honest truth? After a week, the detox state of mind became beautifully normal. I was so into it, and things were going so well I'd nothing extra to say except : whoa!

No longer did I feel like I "needed" to balance my food, think about "making" a choice.. it all started to become quite natural to leave out dairy and bread, get excited about vegetables again, cook more often, switch to brown rice - which now that it's coming out of Asia tastes WAY better than the variety grown anywhere else. I was returning to a way of eating I'd cultivated many years ago, but appeared to have drastically moved away from. All of this just made me feel so, so much better.

One of the main reasons I agreed to Detox in the City (apart from not appearing like a wuss on national radio) was the sudden presence of allergies six months prior, to which I'd found no solid answers or relief from.

I'd made vague associations with food - bread and soft cheese seemed a likely culprit, and milk definitely seemed to thicken my saliva. Another little niggling thing: almonds and cashews were suddenly making my lips itch. I'd been suffering like crazy - waking up each and every day with a runny, itchy nose at 8am and sneezing without relief till at least 12 noon and sometimes, till 3pm.

As a child, I'd been diagnosed with a skin allergy resulting from dairy products, nuts and.. coke. Yes, Coke. Yet I'd grown up loving dairy products, specifically cheese, without much fuss to my digestion, and the skin allergies had disappeared. As I've got older however, it appears these very same foods are causing issues again.

What did I have to lose by coincidence of Detox in the City's simple elimination of known food allergens?

It took about 4 or 5 days but I promise you, my morning nightmare literally disappeared. Without my daily dose of bread - always for breakfast and as a snack or two during the day, without the slightest whiff of cheese or milk - no more sniffles. No more sneezing. No more dry, sore throat. No more waking up in the middle of the night coughing.

The other interesting fact: I felt calmer. Probably because I wasn't going through 200 tissues in public places .. but I am more than convinced of the link between certain foods and emotional wellbeing - some things just make some of us feel really "off" and you will only know when they're no longer in your system.

For example: I've never really enjoyed the way sugar makes me feel, hence not being much of a dessert or chocolate sorta gal. I can't drink white wine for the same reason, nor red wine which makes me physically sick after two glasses.

Apart from this, I loved how the absence of carbohydrate sugar in my body feels, which I'd previously received mainly from brown bread and some white rice, and how I wasn't craving tea as I thought I would. I still like carbohydrates, but I am going to choose mine from the complex range from now on: brown rice, quinoa pasta if I can find it, and so on.

My body skin feels lighter and less "weighed down" - that's the only way I can explain it. I'm sleeping much better too and I have far more energy - which, with the work week I've just had and will continue to for the next few months, is an absolute blessing out of the blue.

Another really specific thing. Every time I put something into my body that doesn't need to be there: I get a tiny headache which develops after about an hour or so, or I feel physically sick or strangely full.

But the biggest lesson I've learnt in the 10 days I've been on this detox? I am taking in way, way less fibre - soluble and insoluble - that I assumed. This is what's shocked me the most.

So, I'm investing in psyllium husk (easily available on the shelves of Mohd Mustafa, actually ;-)) now that I know what NOT to do with it (see Adventures With Fibre story?) and in vegetables that meet both my soluble and insoluble fibre needs. And! I've rediscovered the joy of green moong dhal that I now eat by the bowl full, which is an easily digested energy food like no other I've ever had.

Green moong (green bean) is a wonder foods that's often forgotten.... or boiled to death in local dessert soups. In Ayurveda green moong dhal is considered tridosha - meaning it's the one food that can balance all the doshas. It's also the perfect food for anyone convalescing because it's exceptionally nourishing. Boil till it splits, mash it up, toss in some onions and spices fried in a little ghee and you have a meal that's akin to an Eveready Battery - keeps you going and going and going...

The only challenge that remains: what do I eat for breakfast that I'll still enjoy? Oats gets old after a while, and eggs are no fun without bread. I need a great breakfast to wake my brain up.

Stay tuned for days 11 and 12.

Anita

Anita Kapoor's Detox Diary - Day 5 and 6

Life is what happens when you're busy making detox plans? Indeed.

A reminder to those who want to do this programme - it's dead easy, but, work and life commitments can sometimes take you by surprise, and given the nature of my business, this can put a dent in your commitment to the plan. You may find yourself suddenly required to be out all day, it's day 5 and 6, you're supposed to be drinking the shake for dinner and eating vegetables, but where is the shake powder? Er.. at home?

The entire point of Detox in the City is that it IS easy enough to do on your own within the confines of city life and within the confines of home, but when you take your detox out with you,pre planning is crucial or you'll end up having to scoff something you can't eat, or going hungry till you get home.

Enuff said.

Days 5 and 6 I will always refer to as my fog cleared days. My head and body just feel "lighter"somehow and that brain fogginess which I didn't realise existed until I started this plan, has cleared.

A recap of how the detox works over 10 days: 1-3 starts with a shake, and then meals for lunch and dinner (following the elimination diet - removal of foods that strain the liver, and whch are a common source of allergies) with snacks in between at 11am and 4pm. Day's 4-10 you replace the evening full meal with a shake and cooked or raw vegetables.

The point of a detox is to get your blood and organs functioning in a more alkaline environment for optimum health. An over reliance on red meat protein, junk food and processed food, means that many of us are more likely to veer towards and over-acidic state.

It's incorrect to say that acidic foods are bad, but an over consumption results in the creation of a negative environment in which bacteria thrive, plus a taxing of the endocrine system and one of your most important organs' - the liver, which plays a HUGE role in your body's metabolism. It stores glycogen, produces hormones, detoxifies the body, produces bile to aid digestion. And it's the seat of emotions too: bet you didn't know THAT one. So stop messing with it already!

But this detox isn't just about introducing more alkalinity into your blood stream and that's why I like it. It's also supporting blood sugar management, lowering inflammation, balancing hormones, metabolising fat, and supporting my liver while my body goes through this state. Which is why I would only ever want do it with a qualified nutritional practitioner.

I've started calling this "detox 360" as a result. When I become aware of how many things are being taken care of in this process I realise that much of the detox and nutrition information out there is misleading.

While adjusting your diet does help make your body a better place, on a detox it doesn't just take a few glasses of carrot juice and fasting to achieve the results. But in a world of quick fixes, sound bites and cliche, logic and research appear to have gone out of the door.

If we really knew more and better, surely we would automatically operate differently? Ponder.

With the fog out of the way, I took in a yoga class on day 6 with the gorgeous Sharla Charnleywho runs a spa consultancy called Truly Wellness, and is also a gem of a yoga teacher.

Sharla offers one to one yoga sessions (tel: 9777 3204 or email sharla@trulywellness.com) and literally knows it all about the ancient practice; she's spent time in India training and combines this with great insights into both the body and mind, and a finely tuned intuition. She has taught all over the world and really knows her stuff.

She's also a task master may I add .. this lazy body got ever so slightly whipped, but I have a feeling she may have been going easy on me - this time. We went through some breathing techniques, and sun salutations, which she told me she had to perform hundreds of times when she was learning yoga, before her teachers would even let her dare attempt a pose. Ouch!

We had talked prior to my detox about the effect detoxification has on the body and the emotions in particular - it's a cleansing and letting go process that is directly linked to the liver where emotions "go" to sit and stay, if they are not cleansed from the body as well. Plus the body is going through a massive physical change that requires mood monitoring.

Sounds esoteric? Think about this. Forward thinking psychiatrists are now talking about (not much, but they're talking at least) the health of the liver and body in relation to psychological andpsychiatric imbalances. However most rarely take it into consideration when doling out the mood altering tablets.

If you read Sharla's thoughtful notes on yoga, she promises that sun salutations, when done properly and regularly, will result in stability, subtleness, flexibility and grace. While I am not a yoga virgin, lets say I haven't had very much consistent experience with it. I guarantee Sharla has her hands full with me.

We practice sun salutations, which do stretch, open and elongate every bone and fibre in my body, and also the fascinating Lorna Viloma Pranayama - alternate nostril breathing in a rhythmic pattern, which happens with you placing your middle finger in the centre of your forehead (third eye) and using your first and third to close off each nostril that's not supposed to blow out air. Got that?

This particular type of rhythmic breathing comes in different sequences to alter different things in people that are imbalanced, everything from breaths for a convalescent; for emotional control (which we did) and my favourite which we should have Sharla: for getting chronic procrastinators to be on time. That's the next one for me.

I felt like a moron the first time around.. I have forgotten rhythm, balance and co ordination it seems. I couldn't breathe and hold and hold my third eye and my nostril.. and then into the third and fourth round .. suddenly it was fine.

And that's something very crucial and important which I've discovered through the detox, and now the yoga. A major shift in thinking. A renewed ability to start to give in to things that I never would have before - key has been through the yoga poses. I started out thinking wow, not sure I can do that. And then suddenly finding myself wanting to do it, my body falling into position and understanding exactly what being in the moment is: a sort of surrender.

Have I turned into a mushy potato head (er.. sorry wrong detox analogy - carbs!) who surrenders to everything and everyone? Nope.. I've fond out what surrender means in context of the things that matter.

Anita

Anita Kapoor's Detox Diary - Day 3 and 4

Recap: Let me tell you a story (to distract you from the fact you haven't heard from me days 3-6). Years ago I'd packed on 25 kg, onto a body that was used to being just 55kg. Simple math total = 80kg. That is a hefty amount on a 5ft 6 and a half inch frame. I describe myself from those times as a little buffalo - no body dysmorphia here, I was.

I've never had negative issues with food, or body image. In my family, with the way the ladies of the house cooked, you became a connoisseur of food easily. My mother has the golden touch.. a very sophisticated palate that allows for little tweaks to turn something supreme. We didn't gorge of course, we simply ate well, always. We didn't really talk about our bodies all that much either.

No sob story here to bore you, promise. The basic gist: I had forgotten myself to such an extent that I hadn't even noticed the portions on my plate had doubled. It took nothing to convince me that a midnight prata or three was fine twice a week, and that two bowls of chicken rice every time was OK too. I wasn't sad, binge eating because I was smacked as a kid, revenge eating - nothing like it. I enjoyed every morsel. But I'd simply become so entrenched in my then domesticity, I'd relaxed to the point of clearly, putty.

When I decided to lose the weight, (yes, it's absolutely a decision) despite reading widely and with a keen interest in nutrition and natural health, I really didn't help myself much. I didn't know enough. All the self help out there was in the form of a fad diet, and while the internet was already well on it's way the information out there was scanty at best and hard to verify. So I muddled through it, cutting carbs by half, throwing dairy and sugar right out the door and drinking green tea copiously.

Yes, I lost the pounds. It was a long process of awareness, and rather basic imagery-imagine buffalo, dammit. And it worked. But why am I telling you? In this detox process I've come to re-calibrate my understanding and value of food, to devalue the things that I used to consider essential to my nutrition, and to take a bit of step back from it all and consider what I'm really gaining: a huge wave of awareness, both physical and mental, and a massive bolt of cutting edge information and guidance from The Nutrition Clinic, and Pooja, who is both thoughtful and pragmatic.

Day 3 of Detox in the City was all about recovery. I felt like my body had really been "through" something and I was coming out of it. I was floored by the fact that it had craved the carb sugars and caffeine I'd put into it on a daily basis. I was even more startled at how badly my body was behaving! Pooja didn't make anything big of the headache part, so as not to "make it happen". Believe me, I have an active imagination, but nothing could have prepared me for that 24 hour ache which would not go away.

I'd decided to start Day 3 with a yoga session, but very honestly I was exhausted. I just needed to rest, and take in the previous days. One of the things we had discussed before I embarked on this journey, was the fact that a detox is a personal journey that allows for one to take time out for self. This became so apparent on this day. I stayed in, then spent some time with my mum, and in the evening went for dear friend's wedding. The 10-course Chinese dinner through which, surprisingly, I didn't have to wade my way through like a bomb detector, was both delicious and MSG free.

Feeling like Barry (but minus the coif) when he sings "I Made It Through the Rain" I had my mum over to lunch on Day 4, knowing that this 65-year old beauty wasn't about to find comfort in vegetables and rice with a small side of protein, as the detox dictates. I fashioned nasi lemak instead (plus vegetables) using a mix of brown and white rice, lactose free skim milk, ginger and garlic. With all the usual accompaniments in place: otak, chicken, egg, I stuck to the intoxicating rice, a little chicken and some vegetables. My 65-year old diva was suffice to say, content. That was where my fibre adventure began.

As the detox specifies, half an hour prior to your afternoon and evening meals, fibre is a must. Again feeling like Barry (see above description) I got real enthusiastic and went from 2 teaspoons, to half a packet. Suffice to say, this was a HUGE mistake.

The thing about fibre is this. Don't believe what your GP, magazines and websites cluelessly repeat without knowing what fibre is, and how it works. Most of us are sadly lacking in fibre intake in ways we don't even know. But simply buying a huge packet of bran and stuffing it down your gob, isn't going to help. Fibre has to be introduced into the diet gradually. This is the word nary a qualified soul even bothers to use, for no one really knows how it actually affects the gut.

First of all, there are two kinds of fibre - soluble and insoluble. Insoluble is "roughage" so your brans and wheetabix and mueslis, seeds, wholewheat products, dark green leafy vegetables. And soluble forms a gel when mixed with water so psyllium husk, oat/oat bran, beans and peas, nuts, barley and flaxseed. Both are undigested by the body and both perform different tasks.

Insoluble fibre: moves bulk through the intestines, and controls and balances its PH (acidity). It removes toxic waste and helps you avoid a date with colon cancer because a non acidic gut means there is nowhere for microbes to produce cancerous substances.

Soluble fibre: binds with fatty acids, slows down how fast your stomach empties so sugars are released slowly into the blood stream - its gel like form grabs the fat and sugar right out of your stomach. This is perfect for preventing glucose spikes after you eat, and removes the sugar slumps we feel at 11am and 4pm during the day. The bonus: stable sugar levels means the body stores way less fat.

So, basically, you need both, every day.

But more than anything my mind is blown by the research into fibre and proof, that moves well beyond just the joys of erm, smooth passage: pre menopausal women eating just 30 grams of fibre a day - higher than the 12-18 grams recommended in Singapore BTW - have shown results halving the risk of breast cancer. HALVING. Let that point stick, please.

How? fibre has shown impressive results in binding to excessive amounts of the female hormone estrogen, and drawing it out of the body. Taking this into account, fibre may also alleviate other problems related to too much estrogen circulating in the body - endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and polycystic ovary disease.

And how come there's so much estrogen imbalance in women today? One source - the environment. A substance found in plastics for example, called BPA, has been seen to up the levels of estrogen. Some pesticides too. And we all know, meat comes to us chock full of added hormones.

Fibre is also shown to have dramatic results on heart disease, to soothe inflammation in the body - a major reasoning behind some of the world's worst diseases from heart failure to cancer. And it acts on cholesterol in two different ways - preventing the entry of cholesterol from the gut into the bloodstream, and by forming a gel in the digestive tract that binds with bile, which also contains cholesterol, and then, passes it out of the body.

With all of this information in my head from the lovely Pooja - I thought, why not increase the fibre today. Do I need to describe how I felt? I was so, um, compacted, my organs hurt. Upon consultation with Pooja she reminded me, that psyllium increase by EIGHT to TEN times in water. Oops? Obviously, I had more psyllium than water in my system. Did I say gradual increase? I did.

Needless to say, I loaded on the water a little, and eventually, at the end of the day, I felt normal again.

Hey, blame it on that bloody Barry M for being Mr Sunshine.

Anita

Anita Kapoor's Detox Diary - Day 2

Recap: yesterday was a challenge. I didn't realise how much of a ritual my tea+toast mornings were. While I didn't miss the tea and bread per se, I missed the preparation of it, the being able to mull over it to prepare for my day ahead. Granted, I could do it with a banana smoothie, but that doesn't have quite the same ring does it.

It was quite a day too, preparing for my radio show, doing the show and then carrying on with the rest of my day that included a body talk session at Awakening Touch, a massage by accident, evening cocktails at a pal's new office and dinner with another friend. Not a tough day, but when required to make the right food choices, and remember to take my digestive enzyme to make sure I am digesting properly, it became a little trickier.

I started my day with my Ultraclear Daily Detox Smoothie which is made with non-allergenic rice protein, to which I added water, a banana and ice cubes. It tastes malty/chalky at first sip, but if you're used to textures, it's really not that bad. It's more about "that's it for breakfast? Seriously?"

I followed it with 2 Lactoviden capsules (high concentration probiotics to get my gut healthy again), and one Metazyme (a digestive enzyme to make sure I'm digesting properly). Skipped the Phytoganix (a superfood blend of vetegtables and berries, a scoop of which is equal to your required daily intake of vegetables and fruit) because I was nursing a queasy stomach from dinner the night before.

The other challenge was time. By 11 am when I was supposed to have a snack, I was busy with prepping for the show. From noon till 2pm I was at the studio. So lunch happened at around 230pm.. with little choice in the Mediacorp staff canteen.

Lunch for the first three days of this Detox is supposed to consist of a large portion of vegetables, a quarter portion of rice, and a quarter portion of lean protein. I opted for duck rice, minus the sauce, the MSG laden soup and some fresh cucumbers and lettuce. Hardly a huge portion of vegetables! I topped it up with a watermelon juice, and some water.

No mid afternoon snack. Instead, I went for a Body Talk session with Marcio Ribeiro at Awakening Touch. Essentially energy medicine to open up your meridiens and reinvigorate your chakras - but yet much much more than that which I'll save for another post - it's a good thing to do while you're detoxing. In simple terms, as you body rids itself of physical toxins, it's a good time to flush out emotional toxins as well. Took my Metazyme with me, and actually remembered to take it too. Congrats to self ;-)

I found myself thirsty throughout the day, perhaps compensating for the lack of mid-morning and late afternoon snacks. When I got to the office opening, I studiously avoided the alcohol, and opted for an apple juice (way too much sugar though) and some water.

Dinner proved to be the biggest challenge. Invited to a gorgeous new Chinese restaurant, Pavillion, on Craig Road, a beautiful menu had been pre ordered. Surprisingly, most of it could be eaten within my detox principals, my only falls from grace being a small portion of lean beef, a soft shell crab that had definitely been coated in flour, and a mango dessert. I came home and took 1 Silymarin, which is a traditonal herb that's been used for over 2,000 years to support and cleanse the liver, spleen and kidneys. Hopefully that means I am exonerated from the beef and flour?

Overall, it wasn't difficult, just inconvenient. On the other hand, I was forced to make choices I'd not bothered to make before, and to then be in a position to observe my body's reaction (or not).

Today, I've woken up with a headache, which is awful, but expected. But I've started right. Got the morning shake correct, took the Metazyme, the Phytoganix and the Lactoviden. So I'm covered for nutrition, fruit and vegetables, and a healthy gut. The challenge comes shortly, after I finish a voiceover at 1130AM - what do I eat? And, then a lunch appointment at 1pm, where I'll have to make smart choices again.

I do like that this detox programme does allow me to generally live my life with some welcomed if not slightly "malty" changes. When I first spoke to Pooja about why she put this particular programme together she told me it was her response to the fad side of detoxing - which she's particularly fed up with. Not just because it doesn't change a thing internally, but because it can also harm the body.

This detox I'm on is based on scientific research and nutritional evidence. And the simple but staggering fact: our lives are even more polluted than before. Babies are being born with over 200 chemicals in their umbilical cords. Who put those there? We did. I am looking forward to becoming even more mindful about what I am putting into my body, and how I can change certain nutritional ills for the long term.

Now, to remember to stay hydrated, make the right food choices, remember to take my enzyme pill with me, not be waylaid by tea at any juncture ... oh and today I'll be including c-Lium Fibre sachets in my plan. Oh joy.

Anita

Anita Kapoor's Detox Diary - Day 1

A build up of toxins? You'd better believe it. After years of travel and on location eating, late nights, early mornings, parties and launches, and real life in between, my body has told me loud and clear: we've had enough, lady. Get fixed, or else.

I've written about it, talked about it and scoffed at it. A detox to me has always assumed the position of a self help guru. Over the top to start with, accompanied by the requisite island trip, fruit juice fasts, dastardly enemas, and then the post-detox horror stories accompanied by the sharing of colours of the rainbow being emitted from the body and so on, delivered while said detoxed person is all aglow from the "cleanse". Then, there's the return to normal life. And the rest - is history.

I've never been a fan of anything gimmicky or anything complicated in the world of wellness. Throughout my years as a beauty editor, I had to fight my instinct to roar out loud at many a press conference "what a load of tosh!" - and it often was. Now, I'm an independent agent - so here we go "what a load of tosh!".

I'd applied the same to the idea of a detox, or any sort of body cleansing. Despite my rudimentary knowledge of Ayurveda and the use of detoxification in this ancient system, detoxing the body had already become a fad five years ago. And in my experience, a fad scratches the surface - often badly - and reeks of marketing gain.

But I've also be dealing with some unexplained health issues over the last six months, that cannot be addressed by conventional medicine - none of which I really want to imbibe anyway.

I've been on the go for oh, five years now in my life as a television presenter, a writer, a lover, a daughter, a sister, and a caregiver. And now, a rookie radio host. All of it has been my choice of course, but right this very minute, I'm feeling the effects of a life lived less ordinary, in a most chronic way.

On my radio show, FACE OFF with Anita Kapoor last week, I hosted Pooja Vig, who runs the Nutrition Clinic and this programme I am about to embark on, Detox in the City, who spoke all about modern day nutrition and why we really need to get our act together, and the equally wonderful Marcio Ribeiro who spoke about Energy Medicine. Together we discussed the possibilities of the body healing itself and how we've forgotten as human beings, that our health is indeed, in our hands.

Pooja threw down a challenge on live radio and I could not refuse. A 10 day detox programme, tailor made by The Nutrition Clinic with a simple goal (hopefully!) - to restore my body's natural ability to heal itself. Pooja's approach is direct and goal oriented: supply the information and tools required to reactivate my body's innate detoxification systems; support my detox with targeted nutrition; and help me to change my wicked ways for the long term.

Our lives these days, and especially in urbanised locales such as Singapore, are rigorous. My life, is rigorous! And so here I stand, on the threshold of a 10 day detox, having a go at cleansing my body of years of built up toxins for the first time ever in a seriously devoted manner.

I had to think about it a little. After all, I know myself well enough. I am an ill disciplined city gal who's constantly on the go, and perpetually distracted. It wasn't so much about what I could or could not eat, more that I was likely to forget plain and simple, and end up messing up the entire process!

But as I write this, I recognise that, it's about making a decision and sticking with it. And, if I don't, Ms Vig, who includes daily contact in her programme (otherwise known as checking up on errant detoxers), is sure to figure it out in her delicate, polite way, and whip me right back into shape ;-)

So what should I expect? The first three days, starting today are all about eliminating foods known to cause allergies and strain the liver. I had my last beer two days ago, I practised last night at a dinner to try and avoid the dairy and wheat, and, yesterday afternoon, I imbibed my last cup of tea. Such sorrow! My centering agent of all time - tea. However, I am quite determined.

And most importantly.. no starving! No excessive fruit juices! No tubes up my bum!

Pooja promised a surge in energy and clarity of mind as toxins are released, neutralised and eliminated - but perhaps you don't want to read about my eliminations ;-)

Here we go. I'm in the kitchen, hand poised over my enormous jar of UltraClear Daily Detox Smoothie shake powder. Wish me luck!

Anita