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28 Days to Health: Rehab from the inside out

Posted on: January 10th, 2013 by Taryn Jeffries No Comments

It’s been said by someone somewhere that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. So, if that’s true what could happen in 28 days?

I have never been one for New Year’s Resolutions. I tend to think that they start out as this great promise to yourself, but since the legwork to ensure you can keep the promise hasn’t been done, more often than not, they end up being something you feel guilty about not accomplishing.

On the same hand, I love the New Year. Everyone looks at life with a new perspective and a glimmer of hope ahead. This year has been full of ups and downs, for each and everyone of us, and I have decided that in 2013 I want to focus my energy and attention on creating a better future for myself and my family…and ultimately, anyone who is reading this right now.

I not only wanted to create a life where I would get healthy, lose weight…those are all expected, I had a strong desire to understand the science behind the different components in food as well as how they act or react within our bodies. My guide and mentor through this process has been Darryl Bassette of Mind, Body & Flow in Chandler. Essentially, he held my hand throughout my journey with the 28 Days to Health Program.

28 Days to Health is a comprehensive detox and cleanse program, not a diet, that helps you to understand how the composition of specific foods affect our bodies, from our digestive systems having to work overtime in certain situations to how different food combinations can create, for lack of a better term, a den of happiness within our system.

So, what is the main component of 28 Days to Health? A daily diet of shakes, some supplements and whole foods. What’s off the table? Dairy, gluten, soy, caffeine and booze. This may not seem very daunting, but once you start the program you come to find just how many things on the market and in your kitchen contain these items. It was a major eye opener for me, for sure.

I may not have started the program at the best time. My first day started with a plane ride to Illinois to visit a dying relative. Needless to say, I didn’t have much of an appetite, so the shakes actually ended up being really helpful. I knew that the powder components (colon cleanse, protein, omega oils and alkaline) along with the fruits mixed in were ensuring that I was getting all the nutrition that I needed. The withdrawal pangs from my pretty severe Red Bull habit were more than likely masked by my headaches brought on by the stress and tears of the situation I found myself in. Now that I think about it, it may have been the perfect time to start – though I don’t wish for similar circumstances for you! By the time I left Illinois after 4 days, I was used to the schedule of shakes and supplements and even threw in some walks while I was there to clear my mind. I was beginning to create a routine that would follow me through the next 24 days.

The 28 Days to Health program entitles you to all the materials necessary for your shakes, aside from the fruit and fat components, supplements as well as a workbook to track your intake and activity levels complete with a place to make note of how you are feeling as you manuever through the program. The best part, in my opinion, are the daily emails. These emails serve as a reminder of what you should be eating on that specific day (the daily requirements get switched up a few times) as well as a helpful tip and always some encouraging thoughts to keep you going. You’ll even receive recipe ideas and suggestions in the emails, some of which are making numerous appearances on my family table still.

The workbook is an incredible tool. I’m a bit of a food nerd in that I really want to know why certain foods work together and the hows and whys of when they don’t. One of the most interesting things that I learned was that our body has its own built-in detoxification pathways, but the foods we choose to eat, certain lifestyle behaviors as well as outside toxins can confuse the body and stop those critical pathways from working correctly. I also learned that while there are a vast percentage of the population that suffer from certain food intolerances there are a great many more that have sensitivities that don’t even know it. I found that I am one of those people. My main sensitivity is to dairy and I only learned this after I had completed the program, more on that later.

Another interesting thing I learned had to do with the importance of pH balance in the body.  Our bodies are generally alkaline and while our system has many methods to preserve that our food choices can really throw this out of whack. By eating mainly acid forming foods you can find yourself with acid reflux, bladder/bowel issued and overall inflammation. The more alkaline foods you take in, the more energy, better bone health and increased overall performance you will experience.

I also had the opportunity to utilize some of the services provided at Mind, Body & Flow. They offer colon hydrotherapy, infrared sauna, infrared FIT body wrap, zen shiatsu and a Creating Wellness plan. Daryll and Jacinda are great people who are really passionate about helping you to heal your body and just feel better. I met with Jacinda for two sessions of the Colon Hydrotherapy and one Fit body wrap. I have to say that I was pretty intimidated by the colon hydrotherapy, having never experienced any type of colonic before. I will spare you the down and dirty details, but it actually ended up being an enlightening experience and I learned a great deal from the process and highly recommend it to anyone. There is an immediate light feeling after and I felt renewed. The process helps to remove toxins from the body and basically give your intestines a fresh start. The FIT body wrap that I had was like a nice, warm hug. I had a 45 minute session and the temperature was about 125 degrees. The end result: you burn a ton of calories and rid toxins from the body while you take a nap or just a break from your busy day.

While there were some really rough days, the three straight days of nothing but shakes, for the most part I had a great experience. I ended the program feeling great, lighter and just, well, clean. My hair was shinier, skin clearer and my eyes were brighter. I had so much more energy – even with the complete elimination of any and all caffeine. I fell asleep easier and had a much easier time getting up in the morning. Over-all I just felt more clear. Oh, and I lost about 15 pounds! That wasn’t my main goal, I really did just want to see how a detox would affect my body. After I completed the program I may have binged a bit on some really delicious buffalo chicken cheese balls…and it was not pretty! My face broke out the next day and I just felt like there was a cannon ball in my belly. At first I thought maybe it was just a result of eating food that I had not afforded myself for just shy of a month. So, for the sake of research, I tried a little more, and I got the same reaction. As far as gluten, while I didn’t break out I just felt really heavy in the gut and pretty much awful. While I don’t have a dairy intolerance or a celiac issue, I think that I definitely have some sensitivities to these items and I am basing my diet on steering clear of those products and doing my best to keep them off my children’s plates as well.

I feel strongly that completing this program has laid the groundwork to successfully change the course of my life. So much so that this experience has inspired me to create a Healthy Bites section on our site. Look for, at a minimum, an article a week; could be a recipe, a health related article or a review of a product or local restaurant and even some great giveaways. Are you looking to change your life? I highly suggest giving Darryl or Jacinda at Mind, Body & Flow a call. They can walk you through the 28 Days to Health program and provide you with all the materials you need as well as some really great supplemental services to achieve the best results and counsel and advice along the way.

Visit Mind, Body & Flow’s Facebook page, website or call them at (480) 782-6566. Don’t forget to check out 28 Days to health at their website or Facebook page as well.

If you could change your life in 28 days, why wouldn’t you?

Taryn received samples and services, complimentary, to review for another media source. However, her opinions are wholly her own. View our Disclosure Policy for more info.

About the Author - Taryn Jeffries

Editor and Chief Eating Officer of PhoenixBites, 2017 Food Writer of the Year (Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame) Taryn grew up in a small town in Illinois with a doting Grandmother who taught her the way around a kitchen and that food is representative of love. Her current quest is to find the love in local dishes and the chefs behind them. In addition to running all things PhoenixBites, Taryn is also a freelance writer, sharing her insight on the best dishes and where to get them each and every month.

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