Kaeng Raeng CEO: Detox to Alleviate Allergies

Lindsay Reinsmith, Founder and CEO Kaeng Raeng

Hi, I’m Lindsay.  I’m the founder and CEO of Kaeng Raeng, an all natural detox meal replacement program.  Did you know – I use Kaeng Raeng too?  Yup, even though I live a pretty healthy lifestyle (I’m vegan, exercise regularly, etc etc) sometimes even I can feel the need for a cleanse. And with a few weddings around the corner and having spent the last couple of weeks not eating my best (hey, french fries are vegan!), the time has come.

Plus, it’s allergy season, and I’m miserable every morning waking up with my eyes swollen shut, my nose stuffed up, and my throat dry from a night of mouth breathing.  I figured it was time to do something about it!  I’m a daily Claritin person, and last week I had taken 3 in one day just to stop sneezing, and my heart was racing and I felt crummy.  I need to kick caffeine and toxic food out of my system if I want to alleviate these allergy symptoms in any natural way.

Avoiding the outdoors is NOT a option for me!  I have a dog (Shadow as pictured below) and I can’t deprive her of her twice daily walks and outdoor time.  Plus I live in one of the most gorgeous places on earth (Palo Alto, CA) so daily bike rides, long walks, and driving with the windows down are a MUST.

Shadow

I created Kaeng Raeng a long time ago and have had the distinct pleasure of watching friends, family, and now strangers try it, love it, and want to do it again.  It’s a great feeling knowing I’ve created something that other people can use – but even better, I still use it myself!  Yes, as the owner of the company I do have unique access to the product.  But that doesn’t make it any less amazing!

I’m doing a 6-day veteran cleanse.  I do a KR detox just like most people would – I like to blend the KR shakes with frozen fruit, ice, or soy/almond milk.  I eat raw fruits and veggies on the side.  And I abstain from alcohol, cooked food, (obviously) meat and dairy, refined sugars and carbohydrates, etc.  But this time: I’m also avoiding caffeine.  This will be my first caffeine free detox.  I usually have to do it with at least green tea or the headaches hold me back.

Well this time I decided to SUCK. IT. UP.  I’m kicking caffeine once and for all, and I know it won’t kill me!

Here’s how I got started.  First, I picked a date.  That seems to be the tough part.  My boyfriend, Jason, well he’s out of town so that means no pressure to go out for dinner, no drinking while watching the Giants totally WHOOP the Dodgers (oh yes, I went there), and no cooking dinner together.  So I’ve got 6 open days of opportunity to do this cleanse right.

Stock up on fresh fruit!

Second, I went to the store.  I hit up Trader Joe’s for all things detoxilicious!  I got organic fruits and veggies of all kinds: apples, grapes, pears, strawberries, carrots, spinach (amazing for making KR green smoothies!), cucumber, celery (a personal favorite – yes I’m weird), oranges, bananas, bell peppers, and kale.  Plus some unsweetened soy milk and almond milk, but I use those sparingly during my cleanse (like 1/4 cup once per day).

Third, I started my first day sans stimulants.  Thus far, it hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would be.  I have a slight headache, but nothing severe.  I had my first KR shake this morning – I made it a green one.  It’s after 3 pm and I’m still not hungry for the second one.  I usually only do 2 shakes/day and supplement with lots of raw vegetables.  I’m seeing a great salad in my future…

Day 2:  Well, this cleanse isn’t going exactly as planned.  I realized last night that I can’t give up the caffeine cold turkey.  The headaches were hurting my ability to work (and that’s not a possibility).  Hence, I’ve decided to ease out of the caffeine.  I had a glass of green iced tea yesterday which had about 60 mg of caffeine plus 2 aspirin.  I felt much better.

This morning I’m starting off with 2/3 cup of green tea.  Tomorrow I’m hoping to get to 1/2 cup, then 1/3 cup, then nothing.  But easing out seems to be the way I’m going to have to go.  I’m still taking my Claritin and no change in my allergy symptoms as of yet.

Detox wise, I’m feeling grand.  Had plenty of energy this morning to walk Shadow, hit the gym, enjoy a “joyful” KR smoothie, and get back to work.  Had a second shake (“into the blue”) in the mid-afternoon and then a robust vegetable salad for dinner (plus 1 tablespoon of olive oil and vinegar dressing).

Day 3:  Woke up with no headache and a slight stuffy nose.  Phew.  Felt pretty sluggish so I had 1/2 cup of green tea mixed with almond milk.  Made it to the gym – pilates + cardio.  Came home to a delicious detox “daybreak” smoothie with 28 oz water, 4 oz orange juice, 1 banana, and 1/2 cup frozen pineapple.  Delicious!  I only drank about half of it then had the other half later in the afternoon.  Another amazing salad – this time with avocado.  Had to take my Claritin again this morning, but I’m already feeling better.

Day 4: Ugh, had a horrible night of sleep last night.  Shadow woke me up early barking at squirrels on our roof.  I sluggishly made my way out of bed, got dressed, and took Shadow on our morning walk. But the headaches were bad.  I had been feeling so great by end of day 3 – ARGH!   So I had a full cup of green tea with some unsweetened soy milk and immediately felt better.  I WILL kick this caffeine nonsense.

I had to take a Claritin this morning as my nose was stuffed up, but the dry eyes and mouth are definitely going away.  My skin is really starting to glow – I love that about raw vegan detox.  Overall there’s progress, but I may need to extend this detox to see real benefits.  I know that I don’t live as toxic of a lifestyle as others, so I won’t see the kind of normal food detox side effects and dramatic results that others might.

I finished off day 4 having had 2 detox shakes and eating raw vegetables in the evening.  I honestly wasn’t that hungry.  I made it to spinning class and had plenty of energy to keep up with the class.  Yay!  Loving this cleanse!

Day 5: Must remember to hydrate today – I’ve definitely been slacking on water.  I had to have a cup of tea this morning, but I’m definitely feeling much better on less caffeine.  The detox is working!  Very few allergy symptoms today!  I took a Claritin but haven’t had nearly the stuffiness and watery eyes that I normally do.  I might even try not taking the Claritin at ALL tomorrow!  Took Shadow on our usual walk and worked all day. Had a ‘daybreak’ smoothie this morning with water, 4 oz of OJ, a banana, spinach, and spirulina.  At 3 pm I realized I hadn’t eaten anything else!  So I grabbed a small bowl of carrots and an orange for a snack.  Planning on having a robust veggie salad this evening after my workout.  Loving this cleanse!

Day 6:  Went without caffeine today and feeling fabulous!  I thoroughly cleaned the house which definitely helped my allergy symptoms.  No Claritin today although I’ve been blowing my nose more often that usual.

I think I’m beginning to see the real results of this detox!  I’m no longer cravings carbs, I’ve got more energy than usual on no caffeine, and I’m staying super hydrated.  Feeling good!

Day 7:  The morning following my 6 day  detox I was down 3 pounds (I wasn’t anticipating losing any weight as part of this, so that was a nice surprise!), I was completely off of caffeine and Claritin, and I felt amazing.  I actually craved a Kaeng Raeng smoothie!  I probably made it through the whole day under 1000 calories, but totally unintentionally.  Once you’ve released those toxic, processed foods (even starches and white carbs) out of your system, you no longer crave them or feel you need them to get full.

Day 8:  My third day without caffeine and I have no headaches and FINALLY no allergy symptoms!!!  Obviously raw food detoxes can only help your allergies so much – it’s mostly environment.  But by allowing my body to return to its healthy organic state, I feel confident using occasional nasal spray instead of Claritin and drinking green tea only on occasion instead of relying on tons of tea to get me through the day.  I can safely say this detox was a success!  (And I’ve kept those 3 pounds off – yay!).