Final Thoughts: Wild Rose D-Tox Herbal Cleanse

This cleanse was amazing.  I definitely felt better, and was noticeably more energetic by my peers by the third day.  My skin cleared up, and I wasn't bloated or dealing with any of my usual stomach issues.  I did visibly lose weight, but I didn't weigh myself for a before and after so I'm not sure how much weight I lost.  I wasn't really looking to lose weight with the cleanse so it wasn't a priority to track.

After the cleanse ended, I decided to experiment with reintroducing wheat.  I ordered pizza on Saturday (cheeseless of course) and ate it that day, as well as yesterday.  Yesterday morning, I noticed a breakout on my forehead, the kind that is a bump with no real head, and you can't really pop it.  Last night, I noticed another one on my chin.  I tried to lance them and pop them today to see if they would go away, but as expected, both are red, irritated, and have no head to them.  They are classic irritation zits and I am now completely certain that I am reactive to wheat.  Am I allergic?  Probably not.  I've eaten wheat my entire life and have never had anaphalactic shock.  However, I would definitely say that I am sensitive and reactive to wheat.  What this means for my life is that should I chose to eat it now and again, it's not the end of the world, but it's not ideal for my overall health.  Also interesting, I noticed my left foot was a little sore, whereas my overall body pain level has significantly dropped during this cleanse.

The final thought I would leave you with is this: if you are having unexplained health issues, or are just feel sluggish and worn down, I highly recommend doing a cleanse.  This cleanse was gentle and didn't interfere with my regular life, and was definitely effective.  It helped me pinpoint the source of some of my inflammation and skin issues, and I can't say enough about how helpful that is.

You can get this cleanse at most natural grocery stores, or on Amazon.  I actually received mine directly from Garden of Life.  I am one of their official bloggers, so I did receive this item free to try.  At no point did they actually require or even request a review, and they certainly accept my opinions at face value.  Overall, I really love the Garden of Life company and I'm happy to be an official blogger for them.

Wild Rose D-Tox Cleanse Update: Day Five!

The biggest difference I have seen in the last five days has been with my skin. I'll show you what I mean.

REVIEW: INBar Food Bars

Holy INbars, Batman!

Recently my friend Ashley sent me a box of INBar food bars.  I'm not talking like a handful of flavors to try either; my beloved sent me a handful of each flavor to try... about 30 bars in total.  As usual when I get mail, I was like a kid on Christmas, shoving my new gifts in Aaron's face and saying things like, "CHERRY CHOCOLATE?!  I bet that is so good!  Doesn't that sound good baby?!" to which he had to reply an enthusiastic and satisfactory yes to before I would go on to describing the next ultra exciting flavor... my poor boyfriend.  He is a good sport though and tried all of the flavors at least once.  Well, the exception that is the Chocolate Mint; he apparently doesn't care for "minty things" (which translates roughly to "more for me").

True Nutrition's Custom Oatmeal Generator is the Best!

Carl from True Nutrition recently asked me to try out the new Custom Oatmeal Generator (use code BBE100 for a discount).  As a huge fan of the Custom Mix Generators, I was stoked.  True Nutrition is already one of my favorite companies for their wide range of vegan proteins and supplements, friendly and helpful staff, and unique Custom Mix Generator.  I use their Custom Mix Generator to create my preworkout/postworkout as well as my protein shakes.  I love the versatility of the brand and how many options there are, even as a vegan.

The Custom Oatmeal Generator is honestly just as awesome to use.  I played with it a little before deciding what I wanted to try, and spoke with Carl for his suggestions.  Carl is always full of helpful information and has more than once steered me in the right direction when I wasn't sure what to do (and even a few times when I thought I knew what I was doing...)

Hail Merry on sale?!?

I LOVE Hail Merry products.  I have never had one I didn't instantly add to my favorite treats list.  The fact that they're raw, vegan, and made with all good fats means I don't feel guilty treating myself.  I first tried them in a Conscious Box and it was love at first bite, no joke.  I've had them many times since, and even had a tart on my birthday in place of a birthday cake.  Not kidding; I LOVE HAIL MERRY.

And the best news?  They're local to me since I moved to Dallas AND they're on sale right now at my local Whole Foods!  $1 off each?  Heck yes I'll take two!!

My Usual Breakfast.

This is how I start most of my days.

I have never been a morning person.  I've definitely never been a breakfast person.  As a matter of fact, I'm lucky if I can choke down a piece of fruit in the morning without feeling like crap.  Instead, I tend to drink some sort of tea or coffee (though even teas can be dangerous) and hit the ground running on empty.  As such, I've started putting my protein powder into my morning drink on the days that I can't make myself eat.  This isn't really much of a meal replacement, as I don't think my energy drink is meant to have any sort of satiety satisfying ingredients, but it works for me.

Ingredients:
12-14 ounces of coffee (cooled is best; mine is usually left over from Clancy's pot before his midnight shift)
4 ounces "milk" (don't use creamer, you'll go through it way too quickly & it'll be crazy sweet)
1 scoop Plant Fusion Vanilla Bean Protein Powder*

Directions:
Shake well.  The Blender Bottle does all of the work.

Nutritional facts (one serving; drink it all!):
Calories:  200k
Fat:  5g
Carbohydrates:  20g
Protein:  22g

* = I used Plant Fusion Vanilla Bean Protein Powder because it tastes amazing in coffee.  I recommend using a flavored powder to give it more of a latte/mocha texture and flavor, versus a plain, unflavored powder.

Plant Fusion's PR department sent me this 2 pound tub of their Vanilla Bean flavor for consideration.  This does not change my opinion of the product, and I reserve the right to my honest opinion.  Thank you to P.F.!