Day 29-
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: Gluten and wheat free muesli with psyllium husks, lecithin, honey and rice milk.
Morning snack: Peppermint tea.
Lunch: 1 chicken satay stick without sauce :(
Afternoon snack: Half a muesli bar.
Dinner: 3 slices of pizza.
After dinner snack: 2 dark chocolate tim tams, 2 glasses of red wine.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: 40 minutes of Vinyasa Yoga, 20 more minutes of shoveling rock.

Sleep: About 7 hours, woke up once.

Wow, what can I say about today? Woke up early enough to do some yoga before anyone else was awake, which is always good. I was running around from one place to another shopping for 3 hours, then we had to drive and collect the 2nd load of rocks from the city. My lower back is slightly sore but not a bad workout again today. My brother came to stay the night, I had a brilliant Indian feast planned using one of the recipes at the back of Joshi's book, but we got stuck in traffic and got back from the city far too late to start cooking curries and dhals. So we got a couple of pizzas...

I was fairly restrained (though it may not look it) when it came to the alcohol and chocolate biscuits, I had 2 glasses and 2 biscuits. My brother and husband finished the rest of the packet and 4 and a half bottles between them!

So, not a good Detox day, and considering it is the end of week 4, I resolve to do much better from now on as I have gained 2 kilos back!!! Arrrgh! So I am back up to 101kg, all other detox related health matters seem fine, though I am sure that I am not getting enough vitamins. Must try that juicer...

To finish off, here are the other health issues that Joshi offers holistic advice on:

Skin Conditions: DUE TO: a number of things cause different conditions- menopause, hormone imbalances, iron deficiency, liver congestion, stress, alcohol, sugar, acidic food, chemicals...the list goes on. TRY TO: basically stick to the detox diet as much as possible, include more dark leafy greens in your diet as they contain sulphur which helps your liver to purify the blood, try yoga and meditate to reduce stress, avoid skin creams, hair products, perfumes, use natural/biodegradable detergents.

Tiredness and Lethargy: DUE TO: Stress, poor diet, consuming alcohol, sleep deprivation, a generally sedentary lifestyle. TRY TO: Cut foods from your diet that are difficult to digest or contain lethargy-causing chemicals (dairy, red meat, refined sugars, alcohol, bread, biscuits, cakes and chocolate), drink more water, exercise more, try to get enough sleep.

Constipation: This was interesting- Joshi said that people are more constipated that they realise and that only one bowel movement a day is not enough. If your body is working efficiently, you should have three or four a day! To achieve this, you are supposed to make sure you drink a lot of water, eat fibrous foods (vegetables, salads, gluten free cereals) and avoid foods that stick to the walls of your digestive system, (red meat, dairy and products containing gluten).

Indigestion: DUE TO: Eating too much or too quickly, meat, dairy, alcohol and fruit, increased acidity within the gut, foods that produce too much gas, a blockage of dry foods or it could be something more serious. TRY TO: Slow down, chew your food a lot, eat less food more often, avoid foods that seem to trigger indigestion.

Heartburn: Stomach acids irritating the valve that closes between the stomach and the oesophagus to when digesting food, causing it to open and acid to come into the wind pipe. TRY TO: Avoid spicy food, sugary foods, dairy, beer, fermented foods, red meat, fried food. Taking too many painkillers can also cause heartburn.

Insomnia: DUE TO: Stress, anxiety, eating late at night, alcohol, coffee, tea. TRY TO: Avoid stimulants and alcohol, exercise more, do yoga, and meditate, read before bed, write down concerns so as not to take them to bed, try camomile tea, and in extreme cases herbal supplements such as valerian or rhodiola will help to calm.

Mood swings: DUE TO: Chemical imbalances TRY TO: Avoid alcohol, sugars, caffeine and processed foods which contain preservatives and chemical additives.