Unit Two: Preparing Your Home and Work Environments as well as Special Travel Considerations

Preparing Your Home and Workspace

Why?

Let’s face it: We are all humans and get stuck in our ways

And we have been used to eating certain foods for a long time. 

Changes in our habits, particularly with food, can be challenging. To make it easier to face those challenges, it’s always to our advantage to create an environment that is set up for success. When it comes to food and diet, the best defense to not being tempted with food that can harm us is to not have it available to begin with. That way, instead of exerting mental energy trying to resist those foods, we actually flip it so it requires more energy to go out of our way to get them.

How?

The best way to approach this is to take inventory of what you have - if it doesn’t match what’s on the detox shopping list, get rid of it. To give you a quick reference on the big ones we want to be absolutely sure are removed are:

• Any food you know you are allergic/sensitive or intolerant
• NOTE: If you do not know your food sensitivities, EPIC Functional Medicine Center has a Comprehensive Food Safe Sensitivity Profile (190 Foods) and a Live Interactive Small Group Health Coach Class (online, hosted by Zoom) on interpreting your results and customizing your diet using the EPIC Five Food Matrix to maximize your ongoing results from the EPIC Five Detox (total value $575) available for only $500! Email: [email protected] and use the code EPICFIVEMATRIX to claim yours and truly understand your diet!
• *Dairy from all sources (milk, cheeses, yogurt, butter), *eggs, margarine, shortening (*dairy and eggs may be added back into the diet per the food reintroduction guidelines later in this guide book)
• Foods prepared with Gluten-containing cereals like wheat, oats, rye, barley, those ingredients normally found in bread, pasta, etc. 
• “Gluten-free” pre-packaged foods like pasta, baking/pancake mixes, bread, etc. - while “gluten-free”, you will soon learn that these processed foods are likely partially at the root of your chronic symptoms
• Grains and flours of all sorts, both gluten-free and otherwise; this includes wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn, rice as well as any and all “gluten-free” flours. This really is the best advice and you can thank me when you feel better :)
• All foods from the nightshade family (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers) (although we will share with you preparation techniques that lower or eliminate the noxious lectins found in these foods)
• *Nuts and seeds of all sorts (*although we will share with you preparation techniques/exceptions that lower or eliminate the noxious lectins found in these foods).
• Alcohol, excessive caffeine (although a serving of coffee or black tea is likely okay, but do watch for dependency and abuse - the general rule is that if you can’t go a month without it, you likely have a dependency and should chat with your healthcare provider), sweeteners of all kinds (including sugar, corn sugar, organic cane sugar, syrups, HFCS, sucralose (Splenda), aspartame (Equal), and saccharine. Sugar alcohols like erythritol and mannitol often cause GI distress (gas, bloating, diarrhea, cramping) and should likely be avoided as well, especially with your first “detox”. And you may find that Stevia and Monk Fruit are too sweet for your palate as your body adjusts its “bliss point” or its craving for sweets
• Soy products (all)
• *All legumes (beans, peas) (*although we will share with you preparation techniques that lower or eliminate the noxious lectins found in these foods) (*certain legumes may be added back into the diet per the food reintroduction guidelines later in this guide book)
• *Beef, pork, conventional cold cuts (Oscar Mayer), bacon, hot dogs, canned meat, sausage, shellfish, meat substitutes for the first detox round. (*You may find that you tolerate pasture-raised red meat and preservative-free bacon, etc, but we recommend avoidance during the first detox and then following the food reintroduction guide later in this book)
• Fried food and breaded foods
• Dried fruit as well as fruit juices (home-made vegetable juices are likely fine)

You may find that there are some foods in your home that do not belong in the shopping list or this avoidance list. If so, the simple rule of thumb is: Get rid of it. 

If it is boxed, canned, wrapped, packaged, or otherwise processed, the best advice is to just get rid of it. And then never buy those toxic foods again.

You may think, “I understand the logic with removing “bad” foods, but it seems so wasteful.”

I completely understand that - after all, you spent money on that food! It never feels fun to throw out things that hold value to us. Remember, you are in a paradigm shift with your health - we are not wasting resources, but rather we are investing in the greatest resource: Your health and all that you can do in life with a healthy/vibrant YOU. Remember at the beginning of this detox guide when you were asked to consider, “What is your Big Why?”. If you have not done that yet, please go back and do so before you read any further. And if you have, go back and read it again. This is a great example of why knowing your WHY is so important. It allows us to set our eyes on the prize and think clearly when faced with radical actions such as this.

That all being said, we can still be good stewards with what we have. If you do not wish to throw away your off-plan foods into the garbage, consider donating what you can to friends or donating canned and other non-perishables to food pantries. However, don’t let it become so big a project that you overwhelm yourself before you have even begun the detox!

Be sure to download the Healthy Snack Masterlist and Detox Travel Tip Guide below!