Oh how I love my tea…
Getting back to my no dieting philosophy, I have a new phenomena. As I listen to what my body needs, I have suddenly had a craving to go on a detox. How bizarre is that? Anything that is not a piece of fruit, veggie, fish or grilled is just not appealing at the moment. This is entirely new! You can dangle a Lindt or Toblerone in front of me and the lack of interest is so low, it is unrecognisable. It is like Spring has sprung and I need to spring clean with good wholesome, clean foods. So I am listening to my body and just doing what it wants. BUT!
Yes, there is always a but…
I know that detoxing should mean I should give up tea. Not the green, jasmine, herbal varieties, but the black kind that you put milk into. I have loved tea since before my memory began. Allegedly, when I was 18 months old, at a holiday resort run by nuns, in South Africa, called Genazzano, I made a commotion, running up and down the passages at 6:30am, yelling “Tea” at the top of my lungs. Did these women not know about room service? I am still like that! I know where to find a cup and it is part of my thinking, relaxing, unwinding, bonding with friends, talking to my daughter or husband, you name it, tea features in every facet of my life. Sometimes I even take the dog for a walk with a cup of tea! I don’t drink soft drinks, alcohol or fruit juices and I have never had a cup of coffee, instant nausea, happens when I have a sip. Maybe that is why they call it instant coffee! But tea…
It made me think. Could I live without it? Many years ago, I read Caroline Myss’ book “The Anatomy of Spirit” – she is a medical intuitive and takes every facet of every religion, finds the common threads and explains how people function and also why they get ill and how they heal. It is fascinating. One of the things she mentions, that has stuck in my memory is that when faced with healing or giving up an “addiction”, some people have such a strong addiction, that they would rather be sick than give up their beloved object, be that object cigarettes, alcohol or whatever else is causing their ailment. It may not be conscious, but as she picks up their energy, it is overwhelmingly apparent to her, that people would literally die rather than give up their beloved addiction. As I thought about really detoxing, really, really detoxing. I wondered could I give up tea?
It would be so hard for me. I have over time changed the way I drink my lovely cuppa. I used to, like a true South African, have milk and two sugars. I then over time forced myself down to one. Then on New Year’s day 2006, I gave up sugar all together. The first 30 days were hell. But I stuck it out and it is the ONLY New Year’s resolution, I have ever kept. Still today, I drink my tea sugarless. So if my body feels like detoxing, should I give it that extra nudge and cut the tea out? Someone, please tell me “No, that is a very bad idea!”
I am with Sam Brown, below…
Mmmmm, Personally I don’t think it is worth giving up your cup of tea. Why? number 1, I do not believe in detoxes. I think sometimes your body gives you a signal that it wants a certain type of food and that is fine, but there is absolutely no medical evidence that detoxes are necessary or work at all. Your body has 3 of it’s own detox systems – lungs, kidneys and liver, starving yourslef just makes you miserable.
2 – tea has some good sides – earl grey particularly, is full of anti-oxidants, and the benefits of taking 5 calm minutes for a cup of tea must not be underestimated.
3 I’m also an “addict” 🙂
Time for my tea…
Neen, I agree. The only detoxes I ever do are just cutting out junk and eating fresh foods, salads, veggies, taking out too many bad fats and oils, putting in grilled fish, meat etc. I think those juice versions are just too hard! Can’t wait for your plane to land in November…will be putting the kettle on 🙂
xxx
Listen you bloody teapot, you are certifiable you know. Coffee is the thing. Seriously. I think we hsould all just not overindulge on anything from choccies to tea. Our bodies are under serious threat from the chemical bombardment it recieves every day. A good detox never hurt anyone. Just substitute one of your cups with a mix of nettle, dandelion and red clover every day and you will feel the difference in a few days.
Oh Lee you make me laugh! Am I certifiable as organic? OK, so if I get what you are saying, I can still have tea but just substitute a few cups with other hippie infusions? You are still my favourite transformation story – kugel goes bush! Love ya!
Following on from the tea detox debate. An article caught my eye that the Russians have created an anti-aging breakthrough which prevents oxygen from corroding our skins and causing wrinkles. It struck me as incredibly ironic that the very thing we cannot live without for 3 minutes also wears us down and ages us. It is not unlike so many metaphors in our life and the duality of everything that makes us human. There are things we cannot live without that also wear us down…interesting.