In order to prepare for the 4 day detox as discussed in the book Woman Code I have prepared some, but not all, of the foods listed.

Why am I doing this? Well, the first time that I read Woman Code it was before I knew what was wrong with me. Before I was diagnosed with cysts. I liked the plan but I wasn’t following it as closely as I could have. Now that I have something specifically that I want to cure I am dedicated to the plan in these ways;

• Doing the 4 Day Detox as mentioned in the book and online
• Cycle synching with food as well as exercise, social life, lifestyle and career. Doing these requires following advice given for each cycle a woman goes through follicular phase, ovulatory phase, lutel phase and menstrual phase.

The purpose of doing the 4 day detox is to regulate blood sugar and flush out toxins specifically in my case, excess estrogen via the liver. Following woman code protocol, AKA cycle synching should also help do this as well as balance my hormones and has been proven to reduce the size and existence of cysts for women who follow the protocol.

What I Got and Prepared…

• Kale-salad called the ‘liver cleansing melody’ in the program.
• Also, sautéed kale with onions, garlic and himalayan sea salt in avocado oil
• Cabbage green and sautéed with onions, garlic, himalayan sea salt in avocado oil (cruciferous veggies, both kale and cabbage, are known to get rid of cysts)
• Wild Salmon-garlic powder, turmeric, himalayan salt, cayenne pepper
• Canned Beans-navy, cannellini beans- protein especially important for me because I eat mostly vegetarian. I try to make sure to get BPA-free cans because this can affect hormones and health as well. More on that in a later post.
• Ground flaxseed-the fiber helps move estrogen out of the liver
• Apples & pears– the fruits (especially pears) are excellent for getting rid of cysts because of the fiber that flushes out excess estrogen
• Blackberries-great for women’s health
• Lemons-great for detoxing the liver
• Avocado-great for any female issues whether it be fertility, cysts, etc.
• Brown rice-this one wasn’t really exciting for me because I don’t love brown rice but I soaked some and got out my little rice cooker and I’m glad I did. It adds bulk to my meal and keeps me full. Rice is great for its fiber which helps flush out extra estrogen
• Radish & radish leaves sautéed-radish leaves are incredibly detoxifying for the liver, even more so than cilantro
• Garlic-for flavor, duh and immune benefits
• Onion-red, yellow and green
• Oatmeal-GF-not a huge fan but it’s listed and I need something warm for these cold northern California mornings
• Quinoa-great source of protein and fiber

Beyond food…

• Dry brushing-using a dry brush to brush my skin in a circular motion for about 15 minutes before showering. This helps with the detoxification process
• Journaling-I like doing this regularly but more importantly during a detox as it may bring up some emotions for me
• Feeling feelings and releasing them-Allow myself to feel upset, in pain or moody and working on not letting it upset the rest of my day
• Healing my relationships-for me this means having tough conversations, having to face some negative things I’ve done and attending couples counseling. When I feel like I can’t work on a relationship immediately, I write a letter to that person to help get things off my chest until I can address the issue with that particular person
• Addressing my relationship with alcohol-because the liver has the important job of flushing estrogen out of the body which can be the cause of many female ailments, drinking any form of alcohol interrupts that process and keeps you from getting better. I’ve gone from having a few alcoholic drinks per day to almost zero. When I was first told I had cysts, I didn’t know about the relation between the two so I didn’t think twice and kept drinking. Sometimes it even numbed my pain which I found helpful. But pain is always trying to tell you something and I’ve stopped drinking altogether now. But more on that in another post…
• Other forms of self care such as baths, face masks, acupuncture or massages (just a few of my favorites but everyone has something that they like but these also help your body process the detox by riding of toxins

If you feel inclined to join me check out floliving.com for more info or get the book Woman Code. I first checked it out at the library then purchased it because I found so much rich information in it.

Anyone out there suffering from ovarian cysts and have holistic remedies that they’re using? Other advice and thoughts are welcome as well 🙂 

Sources:

Woman Code and the site Floliving.com

Medical Medium, by Anthony William the book and the also, also, Life-Changing Foods 

Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom by Dr. Christianne Northrup

Mother Daughter Wisdom by Dr. Christianne Northrup

Integrative Nutrition by Joshua Rosenthal