Skin-Clearing Cilantro and Lemon Infused Detox Water – a light and refreshing infused-water that will keep you hydrated and your face clear!

If you guys are into infused water (and hey, even if you aren’t) this Skin-Clearing Cilantro and Lemon Infused Detox Water is incredibly refreshing AND will help you skin stay clear!

Oh you guys – this water.  I have been sipping on this stuff for the past couple of weeks and I am pumped to finally get this into a post for you!

Also, I am finally FINALLY giving you my two-cents on Whole30.  So grab a glass of cold brew or kombucha (or wine!) and let’s chat….

Acid Reflux is a Drag….

Alright, Whole30.  I am sure a lot of you have at least heard of Whole30 if not done one (or two) yourself.  My story (which might inspire your very own story) actually starts about a year ago (August 2016) when I found out I potentially had an ulcer.  While I never actually had my stomach scoped to confirm it, I would bet anything I did based upon how horrible I felt and the amount of pain I was in.  Just stomach aches all the time. I went on a prescription for months and then slowly weaned myself off.  That was over the course of about 6 -8 months.  Once I was finally off of the medication, I simply watched what I ate (in regards to acidic foods) and fell in love with cold brew coffee, which helped immensely.  I now can’t really handle drinking anything else, even tea.

And then I accidentally committed myself to do a Whole 30…..

By the beginning of 2017, I had tamed the ulcer, but my stomach seemed like it had a life of its own.  One day I would feel fine and then next I would feel nauseous…. I couldn’t find a rhyme or reason as to why.  I wasn’t eating acidic food (and no, I wasn’t pregnant).  I could never predict how I would feel one day to the next; I never knew if I would feel sick that day or not.  And I was so tired.  I just didn’t feel…. good.

I started hearing more and more about this thing called “Whole30“…. what is it, another diet fad that isn’t sustainable?  What can you change in 30 days…. I started getting more active on Instagram and following more and more health-related accounts and I kept hearing even more about it.  What really peaked my interest was that it was, in large part, about gut health.  Ummmm…. my gut is so messed up, I will try anything to make it feel better.... So, I went out at bought the Whole30 book and started talking about it with my Mom (who has always been health-conscious and who I inherited my stomach-sensitivity issues …..thanks, mom).  We read through the book together and everything it talked about just clicked with us.  I told my mom we should do this (I didn’t really want to do it alone….heck, I didn’t even know if I really wanted to do it at all).  I told her that the month of May would perfect and that we should do it together.  So my Mom said she would think about it (since I was the one pressuring her….).  I didn’t think she would say yes….

Of course, she texts me on April 30th saying that “Yes” she will do it and we start tomorrow, right?!

Ummm….. yeah (as I grab my car keys and run to the store to buy….. I don’t even know what – what can you even eat on this thing anyway)….

What is Whole30…..

I like to describe it as an experiment.  (An experiment that might change your life).  In this experiment, you are allowing your body to reset itself.  Just think about all of the different, weird ingredients/foods you put into your body everyday.  Every week.  For 30 days you put only the basics in your body – protein and veggies (and fruit and some nuts).  For 30 days your body get to rest and kind of go back to its baseline or its “normal.”  It can let down its defenses and stop dealing with foods that bother it.  It just gets to …. be.  It gets to relax.  Your body gets a break from all that sugar (That is in everything!)

Yes, the first week or two might be rough, but once you clean all that crap out of your body, oh my gosh do you feel good!

Then, you get to continue the experiment after the 30 days is over (so no, it isn’t just 30 days) and reintroduce all of these food groups you have been avoiding to see how they actually make your body feel.  Then you can learn what your body likes and what your body doesn’t like.  This is how you can figure out your new normal.

And then I fell in love….

I LOVED how I felt on Whole30.  Okay, the first week or so sucked.  But after that, I honestly felt amazing.  Energy would be my number one benefit and no bloating.  I don’t think we all realize how bloated we feel on a daily basis…. until we aren’t bloated anymore.

And those stomach aches….. what stomach aches.  They went away.

But seriously, the amount of energy I had – I do a lot (we ALL do).  I have a full-time job, two kids, a house to clean, a husband, a blog…. I need all the energy I can get.  I need to feel my absolute best so that I can do all of these things that I love.  And I can honestly say I have never felt better than when I was on Whole30.  I no longer felt like I needed a nap in the middle of the day or after dinner.  I was simply energized.

And then I got annoyed…..

So after I did my first Whole30, I tried to reintroduce a couple of different food groups, food I used to eat all the time and I didn’t think they made me feel sick.  But after doing Whole30, I suddenly couldn’t handle them anymore – my stomach aches came back.  My mom and I both felt annoyed because we felt like we were essentially stuck eating Whole30 forever – it seemed like everything else made us feel sick now!

Okay, that was a little dramatic. But also kind of true. My body had reset itself and no longer could “cope” with those foods I used to eat.  I am sure, over time, my body would learn to cope with them again, but for now I was seeing how sensitive my body really was.  Dairy – no way.  Lots of sugar – hell no. Grains and rice – okay in moderation.  I was relearning what to eat and it was hard… but that’s okay.  I was also learning how much my body had been dealing with those other foods. I don’t want my body to have to “learn to deal with” foods – I want the food I put in my body to make my body happy!

It was a huge wake-up call me for me…

And now…..

It is now September and I have done two Whole30’s.  The first with my mom and the second with Mike, my husband.  I would say, overall, the change has been quite dramatic.  We are all SO much more aware of what we put in our bodies.  We are all figuring out our new normals.  We still drink beer (maybe not as often).  I still snag a bite of birthday cake (but honestly one bite is all I need now – it tastes SO sweet).  We go out and eat at a fancy restaurant and I will order a cheese platter and a glass of prosecco (thank you very much), but the next day (or two) I will probably eat pretty strict Whole30 and I will be fine.  But it is crazy to suddenly be so aware of all the weird ingredients that are in our “everyday food.”  It really is.  And the amount of sugar we (and our kids) are eating on a daily basis.

I feel so much better when I eat like this. It really is amazing.

And I am not trying to sell you on it, I promise.  It has just become a part of my life and to the extent you guys are interested in it or wanted to hear someone else’s perspective, this is my own experience..  I will still make brown butter cherry chocolate chunk cookie bars, but I will also make grass-fed curried meatballs and vegan cheesecake.  Because that is my real life.  That is balancing indulgences with what makes my body feel the best it possibly can.  It is eating real food, food that is so good for your body, but then knowing when you just want a nice warm chocolate chip cookie.  Once you see how much better your body feels, it really isn’t that hard to make the changes.

About that water….

Oh, and the water.  It does tie-in.. I promise.

I am not sure why, but following my Whole30, my face went haywire.  I don’t know if was a hormonal thing or a change in eating thing…. but my face exploded. I have always had pretty clear skin…. so this was highly irregular.  I was reading this book called Woman Code, by Alissa Vitti and it discussed how cilantro and flax can help clear up your skin.  Apparently, as I learned, cilantro contains linalool (which helps detoxify the liver, and Vitamin K, which is excellent for skin and hair.

Since I was desperate at this point, I immediately went out and bought like a pound of cilantro and was putting it on the most random foods…. I needed to find a better way to use it.

I ended up putting it in with some water one day with lemon and blackberries and it tasted amazing.  I kept drinking it over a week or so and my skin actually started clearing up!  I have kept a pitcher of it in the fridge ever since….

I realize there is a strong populous of people who despise cilantro – sorry guys!  I happen to love cilantro and with the lemon and the little bit of sweet from the strawberry and blackberry – I don’t know it just works.  And it is a great way to get some extra hydration ? and if you skin is exploding, pretty sure you will bite the bullet ?

Oh my gosh that was long – and I could have written more, but I am officially cutting myself off.

The only thing I will add is that I love how I have shared this with my Mom and my husband and both of them have made such amazing changes to their own lifestyle and eating habits.  Both feel better, have lost weight and both voluntarily have kept certain Whole30 “rules” as part of their new normal.  I love it.

Let me know if you guys have any questions!

Check out some Whole30 recipes here!!

Don’t forget to check out my Instagram account for some behind-the-scenes action! Or give me a follow on Facebook or see what I am pinning on Pinterest!

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