I've been wanting to do a cleanse for some time now and I've been a little hesitant considering that most cleanses are mostly just a liquid diet which scare me. That's why I'm so happy that I found
Aster Elliot and that the agreed to send me their 7 day DNA Detox cleanse!
For me, it wasn't really about shedding any weight. What I was really looking for was a cleanse to detoxify my body and rejuvenate me. For the past couple months I’ve been feeling a little sluggish and I wanted to gain control of what I was putting in my body and start to take better care of my mental and physical health. Overall I would consider myself pretty healthy. I workout about 3x a week and I try to eat as many fruits and veggies as possible BUT I have a weakness for sugar (Starbucks, Cupcakes, Chocolate anyone!)
So here's how the cleanse works:
Following a daily schedule of two detox meal replacements; breakfast and dinner (you don't need a blender but since I used mostly strawberries and oranges in my shakes I used my magic bullet) wholesome food meal plan for lunch, snack, specific supplements taken throughout the day, and detoxifying body treatments.
Here’s a more detailed description on how the program works:
First thing in the morning I drank 1 cup of hot water and squeezed 1/4 lemon with a pinch of Cayenne pepper.
My thoughts: This is actually what I do in the morning sans Cayenne pepper so this wasn't difficult for me :)
Here's why: Lemon juice and cayenne pepper both have anti-fungal, immune boosting, and detoxification properties.
Breakfast
Add one scoop of DIVINE and one tsp. of RADIANT REDS. Fill bottle with vanilla almond milk or coconut milk or a combo of both. You can also choose one fruit: medium plum, 1/2 cup of berries or 1/2 cup cantaloupe melon.
My thoughts: I used vanilla almond milk which I absolutely LOVED! We now keep in our house and use all the time instead of regular milk. It lasts a bit longer and it's super delish. I added strawberries to my shake and it was fabulous! I was thrilled at how yummy it was considering I was going to be drinking this concoction for the next 7 days!
Take 1 GLOW capsule.
Mid Morning
Add 1/4 tsp. of GOLDEN to hot cup of filtered water. Squeeze fresh lemon. Add Bragg liquid amino spray or small amount of sea salt.
My thoughts: The soup has a very herbal taste and the aroma was intoxicating. I had to add sea salt to mine to give it a punch.
Lunch
Follow MEAL PLAN for lunch (I will go into greater detail about this later)
Disolve one BRIGHT pill slowly in mouth after lunch.
Mid-Afternoon
16 oz of water or herbal tea
1 heaping of BEAUTY CHIPS
My thoughts: To be honest, this wasn't my favorite snack to no fault of Aster Elliot. I'm just not a huge fan of coconuts. However I sucked it up because their organic beauty chips are made with MCT, coconut, raw cacao and phytonutrients that work amazingly well to help aid detoxification by helping to convert toxic conditions to neutral ones. What I will do for beauty lol
Dinner
Add one scoop of DIVINE and one tsp. of GLAMOUR GREENS. Fill bottle with vanilla almond milk or coconut milk or a combo of both. You can also choose one fruit: small orange, 1/2 cup of berries or small apple.
My thoughts: To break it up from my morning routine I used a small orange. It was delightful. It was easy to sip down this refreshing concoction.
Take another GLOW capsule.
PM
Repeat Mid-Morning GOLDEN soup.
Now my favorite part! I did this AM and PM for a quick boost and immediately felt refreshed.
The Face & Body Treatment
Apply Organic Citrus Blossom Face & Body Treatment avoiding eye area. Leave on for 5-10 mins. Once completely dry, rinse and dry thoroughly. After Face and Body Treatment apply the Organic Citrus toning mist. Mist on skin and let dry for a few minutes. This will instantly make you feel fabulous!
IMPORTANT RULES:
Do not substitute any foods. If a food isn't listed on the menu it's not allowed (including no Vanilla Chai's from Starbucks for me lol)
DRINK WATER!!! Very important. You must stay hydrated and drink a total of 64oz of filtered water daily. Beverages are limited to filtered water and decaf teas. This was very hard for me but after day two you will really start to feel the benefits.
At the end of your showers, you will do your own hydrotherapy. Start alternating hot/cold. This stimulates circulation and your immune system; 10 second intervals 4x hot, cold, hot, cold end with cold. I'm not one for cold showers but this felt fantastic. I've heard about the benefits of hydrotherapy and I have to say it was seriously refreshing!
Questions you may have:
Will the detox be uncomfortable?
I found the detox to be relatively gentle. The first day I struggled with a headache but I knew it was all for a greater cause and that was to regain control over my body and to be honest I knew it was working! Really after day one I adjusted very well because I wasn't starving myself.
Will I be in the bathroom all day?
Not that anyone wants to discuss this topic but I can say I was not. You may urinate more than usual but that's probably from all the liquids you are drinking all day :)
Will I lose weight?
This detox is NOT designed to be a weight loss program. However, I did lose two pounds from curbing my sugar intake.
Will I get headaches?
I did experience a headache on the first day. However, I just increased my water intake for the rest of the program to make sure I was really hydrated. Hydration is typically the cause of headaches, so drink up!
Can I exercise?
Yes. I was a little tired during the process but I just did light yoga and went on daily walks which helped me to clear my mind even more :)
Lunch Options:
Aster Elliot has created a menu plan for you to follow or you can create your own. They made a menu plan so easy to follow and so delicious that I just followed the exact menu plan below. Note: There are 5 menu options below so I just did one extra day of Meal Plan 1 and Meal Plan 3 my two favorites :)
Meal Plan 1: Mixed baby greens with safflower olive oil and lemon. Grilled chicken kabobs (lean and organic), 1/2 cup of quinoa
Meal Plan 2: 1 cup of black bean soup. Chopped cabbage salad topped with chicken with Braggs liquid aminos and fresh lemon.
Meal Plan 3: Mixed green salad with EVOO, basil, lemon/lime. Baked Cod or white fish topped with avocado & tomato. Add cilantro, cumin, cayenne, 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa.
Meal Plan 4: Turkey Roll Ups: Chop up tomato, cucumber and 1/4 avocado, grate some carrot and add to the middle of a slice of nitrate-free turkey. Roll the turkey around ingredients.
Meal Plan 5: Chicken salad (made with EVOO instead of mayo) wrapped in a large lettuce leaf.
My final review:
Honestly, I'm so proud of myself for completing this cleanse. It felt good for me to accomplish this completely! My body was literally thanking me for doing this program. My head felt so clear and my body felt physically stronger. My skin and hair looked ah-mazing with all the extra vitamins and beauty treatments. After completing the cleanse I started to make better health choices such as eating a larger, more protein filled lunch packed with even more fruits and veggies and a lighter dinner. If you are thinking of doing a cleanse, I highly recommend using
Aster Elliot. In the past I tried the Master Cleanse but couldn't get past the first drink. In my opinion it was too gross for me to gulp down. Also, I don't think depriving yourself from healthy foods is good for anyone. I need my energy! Aster Elliot does a fantastic job of making the cleanse easy to use AND fun (GLAMOUR greens, GLOW capsules and face & body treatments!).
I want to thank Aster Elliot for giving me the opportunity to review their fabulous DNA detox program and I highly recommend you check them out
here if you are interested in a detox program. Happy Cleansing!
