OMG! How does one detox when traveling?

As many of you know I’ve just finished a year in China teaching English in a small city where it was not all that easy to eat my usual healthy nearly vegan diet.

When I went to China I had I just completed a detox naturopathy training course and experienced a blissful 30 days on a graduated detox program and felt great! I had so much energy, all symptoms I experienced before were gone or minimal. You know those few niggly things in your body that area little bit off? Sore neck at times, constipation at times, etc. Yah, those were all gone after a detox. Plus the added bonus of clear, vibrant energy during the day! A healthy detox diet was what I wanted forever.

Then I thought ESL English teaching would be a fast way to put money aside…. So quickly got a Tesol and Tefl certificate and went to China where accommodation was paid for and food included.

Here I am at the end of that journey and am ready to begin my new life traveling around the world to deepen my meditation and spiritual practices.

BUT, I gained a bit of weight and probably a tonne of toxins because the food is China is so filled with either msg, chilli, sugar, toxic oils.

I’m struggling to get the flick of change in my eating habits. If I lived in my home this would be so much easier to do!

You see, before China I had full control of my cravings and steered myself towards eating only good food. In China I fell victim to emotional eating as a way to cope living in a difficult situation. I always felt anxious and nervous – like walking on egg shells there. Ugh! That’s another story.

So, now my job is to flick the switch on that mindset of eating healthy again.

Do you know that FLICK?

I have noticed there’s a certain point where your stomach flicks over from indulging to enjoying. Where the cravings and temptations become easier. I know if I flick that switch over it will become easy and natural to eat simple, healthy foods.

Living back home where my favorite healthy food products are available is much easier. I would be eating oat bread with a drizzle of coconut oil and tahini. Or making a lovely simple soup with ginger, turmeric, carrots, pumpkin and green veggies. I could juice three times a day. Oh!, so much easier at home!

I have to devise a plan of action to push myself to get creative with healthy eating in a different country. I found Ubud, Bali was easy to eat vegan and do juices. Here in Thailand I’m finding it’s a searching process to find exactly what you want. For instance, I asked someone yesterday where to find fresh fruit and she pointed on the map to a shop that’s 25 minutes walking, then told me some small market stalls sell them on the street. So, I need to walk along the streets to find fruit. I did buy bananas, but found out they are cooking bananas. Uh.

In four more sleeps I am going to go to a temple in Thailand to do a 10 day meditation sit. There we wake up at 5am and only eat breakfast and lunch. All vegetarian. That experience itself might flick over the switch.

But I’m keen to get something happening now so it’s not so much of a shock at the meditation center.

I can highly recommend a graduated detoxing process for anyone interested in getting that delightful rush of vibrant energy in the body. It’s much easier to deal with then going directly into a fast. That’s what we learned in the detox naturopathy training. I’m qualified to take you through this process if you’re interested. What I do is create a set routine specially for your needs. You follow that yourself daily, because I’m not available at the moment to do live in detox programs.

Right now I tell myself and others that I’m in a transition diet. That means I’m focusing on eating only easy to digest healthy foods, but if I eat one thing a day not this way it’s ok.

It is a challenge to eat exactly as I want when travelling though! For example, last night I ordered pineapple fried rice but when it arrived I found it had chicken in it. Meat is more difficult for a body to digest then rice. Still, better to not eat rice or carbs when seriously detoxing. But I’m transitioning from highly toxic foods in China so rice is OK for now.

In a few weeks I hope to move to a plant based diet for a minimum of 30 days.

So, today?

I plan to walk to the far away shop that sells fruit, but can’t buy much…. Do you know how heavy fruit is to carry? Lol.

All in all, I’m giving myself six weeks to lose the weight I gained in China and successfully flick that switch to healthy eating.

What a challenge I have ahead of me! I’ll need to remain diligent and steer myself away from the temptations of delicious food I see on the street.

I’m available for detoxing coaching after my sabbatical. I’m dedicating a few months to my personal meditation and spiritual practices.

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Healing the Planet from Within

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After writing this blog I had this for lunch. I had soooo many choices, but remained firm and got a meal that felt both satisfy and healthy.