Eight Tips For Success On The Wild Rose Cleanse
You know that feeling when you get stuck in a rut with eating? You feel foggy, bloated, and uninspired. Maybe a holiday of heavy meals just passed or you’ve been reaching for the convenience of fast food because life has been so busy. With Covid restrictions and cold temperatures; heavier, warm comfort foods become a natural craving. You tell yourself each day that you wished you had more energy, optimized digestion, and the willpower to choose healthier options, but the days continue to pass.
My significant other and I decided to do a 12 day cleanse in January called the Wild Rose Herbal Detox.
Full disclosure - I am only sharing my personal experience and understand that doing a cleanse is NOT a healthy option for everyone. I did not do this cleanse to diet or lose weight. I intended to kick-start increased healthy eating and gently cleanse my body from over-consumption.
The cleanse is formulated by a Clinical Herbalist from Calgary, Alberta. Knowing that the cleanse was created locally and very popular made me more eager to give it a try.
The cleanse comes in a box with 4 supplements:
CL Herbal Extract drops
Cleansaherb
Laxaherb
Biliherb
All of the instructions & ingredients are listed in a small book in the box on how to use the daily supplements. In my experience, my body responded well and I did not have any adverse reactions.
You are allowed to eat as much as you want, including small amounts of meat, coffee (yes, coffee!), eggs, nuts, oatmeal, rice, seeds, etc. The majority of the food choices come from fish, quinoa, vegetables, beans, certain fruit options, etc. I found there to be a significant amount of flexibility in what you could eat, and we had fun creating new recipes that left us feeling nourished and satisfied.
There were times, however, that we wished we could add more convenient flavors like balsamic, ketchup & teriyaki, but on a positive note, it got us to try more herbs & spices we wouldn’t normally reach for.
It’s normal to feel a bit overwhelmed at first, as there is thought and effort that needs to go into planning & prep. Between figuring out what meals to make, grocery shopping, meal prepping, and preparing for how your body will respond, it is an undertaking when you’re doing it the first time around.
Taking the time to think about why you want to do this cleanse, preparing ahead of time, and making the process simple will all help in setting yourself up for success and completing it with ease.
Since I’ve experienced the full 12 days of the cleanse and on the other side of it, I’m sharing eight simple tips to set yourself up for success that helped me make this a fun, relatively enjoyable, and rewarding experience.
1) Decide On Your Start Date
Start by deciding what day you will start, set it in your calendar and commit to the 12 days. I’d recommend planning it for a series of two weeks when you can make time for additional rest. Make sure you’re not going to feel like you’re over-scheduling yourself, as you will likely end up wanting to quit half-way through.
Set the intention that you’re doing the cleanse to nourish and cleanse your body, mind, and soul. This is so much more than a cleanse for your body, as I found I was letting go & detoxing in many other ways as well.
2) Plan Grocery Shopping & Meal Prep Time
Review the list in the booklet of cleansing foods, and make note of what you already have in your pantry. Determine the recipes you will make for the week ahead, and make note of what you will need. I did a Costco & Safeway run two days before the cleanse started, and only needed to do a quick stop at the grocery store a week later.
TIP
Move all of your processed snacks out of the house or to a different spot out of sight for the time being. Get it out of the kitchen so you aren’t distracted every time you look in the pantry.
3) Keep Simple Ingredients On Hand
This is what I love about Costco, I can always keep ingredients on hand that I only need to replenish occasionally. These are the staple items I have on hand to keep us consistent on and off the cleanse, in everyday life:
Chia Seeds, Hemp Hearts, Ground Flax
Brown Rice
Oats
Quinoa
Sweet Potato/Yams
Butternut Squash
Unsweetened Almond Milk/Coconut Milk
Almond Butter
Wheat Bran
Olive Oil/Coconut Oil/Flax Oil
Avocado
Frozen spinach cubes
Frozen berries
Fresh greens
Fresh vegetables
Fresh fruit (apples, pears, nectarines)
Eggs
Himalayan Sea Salt
Sliced Almonds, Walnuts, Sesame, Sunflower and Pumpkin Seeds
Fish, chicken, ground turkey
4) Break It Down By Meal To Create A Simple Framework
Here is the framework I used to keep meal planning and daily eating easy. I felt really good eating every few hours, as I noticed my blood sugar levels stayed consistent and I felt full for a lot longer. Note there are Wild Rose Cleanse Cookbooks and many recipes out there to find something to your liking if you do some digging.
BREAKFAST-
Overnight Oats
Easy to prepare ahead of time in small mason jar containers. I would use oatmeal or quinoa as a base, along with chia seeds, ground flax, hemp hearts, sliced almonds, cut up fruit (fresh or frozen), unsweetened almond or coconut milk, liquid egg whites, and nut butter on top. These will keep in the fridge for 3 days.
Omelet
Mix 2 eggs, liquid egg whites, cut up kale/spinach, green onions, black beans, peppers, any other vegetables of your choice, and salt/pepper to taste. Top with avocado and a delicious salsa called Herdez Mexican (this was the only salsa I could find that didn’t have additives)
LUNCH-
Vegetable Soup
I made a different vegetable soup in my Ninja Foodi pressure cooker each week. I kept a large bowl of it in the fridge and took portions for my lunch to pair with a salad. Keep in mind that I was unable to find a store-bought stock that didn’t have additives in the ingredients. Instead, I just swapped with water, and still was able to get the full flavor. If there are other ingredients in a recipe you like that aren’t part of the cleanse, simply swap it or leave it out.
Here are the soup recipes I enjoyed during the cleanse:
I cut up the vegetables, threw all the ingredients in, and turned on the pressure cooker. Easy peasy. Some of them you will need to blend smoothly after cooling before you eat.
There are so many different pressure cooker soups out there, do some Google searching and swap out ingredients if you need to. Get creative!
Mason Jar Salads
I paired my soup with a mason jar salad for lunch each day. This is a really easy way to make a nourishing salad with more variety that will also last up to 3 days in the fridge.
1) Simply add olive oil & lemon juice to the bottom of the jar. I also made a delicious green goddess dressing that included blended avocado, olive oil, herbs, lemon juice, garlic, and water.
2) Next add your non-absorbent veggies like chickpeas, carrots, purple cabbage, celery, or grape tomatoes
3) Add chopped absorbent items like cucumber, avocado, rice, quinoa, beans, peas, etc.
4) Layer with chopped greens of your choice. I like a mix of kale, spinach, and romaine.
5) Bring a hard-boiled egg or a small container of chicken with you to add. I also liked to top off with the salsa on my salad.
When you are ready to eat, open the lid and dump it onto your plate. The best thing about it? The greens will be on the bottom and dressing on top!
DINNER-
We kept dinners simple and prepped them fresh as much as possible. Pair a protein such as fresh fish or chicken with sweet potato, yam, rice, or quinoa along with greens. Top off with avocado.
SNACKS-
Stovetop Butter Popcorn (Savory)
This helped me on the days I wanted a snack. I cook the kernels in a pot on the stovetop with coconut oil. Once popped, I top it off with butter or olive oil and onion salt. My ultimate favorite snack!
Smoothie Bowl (Sweet)
Mix frozen berries and a frozen spinach cube with unsweetened coconut milk in a blender. Use less liquid until you have the consistency of soft ice cream. Pour in a bowl and top with fresh fruit, goji berries, sliced almonds, and any seeds/nuts of your choice that are on the list.
Hard boiled eggs, chopped veggies or a piece of fruit.
5) Eat Mindfully
Make this an opportunity to be more present with your food. Put your phone down and focus on your meals, chewing slowly, and experiencing the flavors fully. By eating lighter meals that your body can digest easily, you will find your energy stays a lot more steady throughout the day.
6) Plan For Some Extra Time Spent In The Bathroom
Wow, this one was an adjustment! Plan to use the bathroom several times a day. I noticed this on day 2, and it stayed consistent like this pretty well the whole way through. This is also why they say it’s important to stay hydrated. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
I felt the worst on day 2-4 with a headache, fogginess, and fatigue. After getting past those days, it was smooth sailing from there and I felt really good. I had renewed energy and was clear-headed. I have struggled with bloat and “balloon belly” after eating certain foods, and while on this cleanse my digestion felt settled. Just get through the first few days and it will be worth it.
7) Drink Lots Of Water
Use this as an opportunity to cut down coffee intake. I had 3 cups of coffee in the 12 days and swapped it for water, green tea, and herbal tea instead. I am a shift worker and found I was okay as long as I prioritized sleep. Sip water throughout the day!
8) Celebrate & Plan Post-Cleanse Intentions
When you get to the last couple of days on the cleanse, you may be eager to add foods back in you have eliminated. Give some thought to how you will reward yourself and celebrate completing the cleanse while being mindful of why you did the cleanse in the first place, and if there are certain habits you want to take with you moving forward that help you feel at your best.
Doing the cleanse got me back into a routine of prepping healthy, wholesome meals. I added a lot more variety into my diet and felt my hunger levels & cravings stabilized.
All in all, I was really happy with the experience I had doing this cleanse for the full 12 days. I would consider doing this a couple of times a year as a reset, or maybe as a tradition every January after the holiday season. I felt this went much deeper than my physical body, as I felt a release on many levels in my body, mind & spirit.
