Beauty
March 12, 2015
Let's Try Detoxifying with SHIGETA! Week One
Let's Detox with 『SHIGETA』!
Week 1: Days of Salads and Fruits
It's been about a year since Kaho Watanabe at the hair salon "Excel" in Tokyo Midtown saw the 『SHIGETA』 products and exclaimed, "This is absolutely amazing, we have to feature it on OPENERS!"
To celebrate the launch of Circulation Item's "River of Life (Essential Oil)," "Basic Sense (Massage Oil)," and "Sage (Floral Water)" on the web shopping magazine rumors, let's embark on a 3-week intensive detox program!
Compiled by Makoto Kaji (This Magazine)
Detox in December Was Unavoidably Postponed
"Mr. Kaji! You should really try the detox! You look like you've accumulated a lot of toxins (laughs), so it might be good to cleanse your body once," suggested K from SHIGETA JAPAN, the contact for SHIGETA, and O from PR last autumn.
It's a bit much to be told I look like I've accumulated toxins during a meeting (laughs), but I was intrigued. Kaho Watanabe also tried the detox and experienced canker sores as a "healing crisis," so I wanted to experience how much the body reacts.
They asked, "Won't you try it starting in December?" but my work schedule in December is irregular, and more importantly, there are many opportunities to drink alcohol.
I asked, "Is alcohol okay during detox?" and they replied, "Absolutely not." "Please refrain from caffeine, alcohol, and smoking during the detox period."
Hmm, alcohol being a no-go makes December tough.
"Mr. Kaji, December might be difficult, right!? How about after you enjoy the New Year holidays? January 11th (Saturday) is a full moon."
Huh? A full moon?
The Last Supper Before Starting: January 10th (Friday)
"It's more effective to start detoxing from the full moon," said K from SHIGETA JAPAN.
"It's said that the lunar cycle and the human body have a close relationship. During the full moon, the body's function to expel waste increases, making it easier to release toxins – that's detoxification. Therefore, starting detox from the full moon enhances its effectiveness."
I see.
"Conversely, from the new moon, the body's absorption capacity increases, so it's said to be a good time for starting new skincare or focusing on nourishing treatments."
And so, after a leisurely New Year's holiday spent lounging around, I'm finally diving into detox life tomorrow, the 11th (Saturday), which is a full moon.
Naturally, the day before, I indulged in my favorite foods to my heart's content (laughs). So, I toasted with grilled dried flounder sent from my hometown, stir-fried vegetables, the shumai I'd been craving (laughs), sushi, and beer, to celebrate the upcoming 3-week intensive care (laughs).
Day 1: January 11th (Sunday) Breakfast
The first important step in SHIGETA's detox is to dilute about 5 tablespoons of "Sage Floral Water" in 1.5 liters of water and drink one bottle per day.
I prepared two sizes, 1.5 liters and 500ml, in the main image. The idea was to use the 1.5-liter VITTEL bottle on days I'm mostly at home, and to divide the 500ml into three bottles to carry around on days I'm out and about.
Indeed, a feature on "Water" in last year's "Nikkei Health" suggested that the ideal way to drink water is 500ml in the morning, 500ml during the day, and 500ml in the evening. So, I plan to drink about 500ml at a time.
What's more important is to consume fruits and salads – raw vegetables.
The recommended eating pattern is "Fruits" in the morning, "Salad" at lunch, and "Salad" at dinner. Three weeks of this, huh...
Day 1: January 11th (Sunday) Lunch
I bought plenty of fruits and vegetables yesterday. For fruits, there were strawberries, iyokan, hassaku oranges, kiwis, apples, and pineapples. For vegetables, lettuce, cabbage, parsley, tomatoes, and so on.
Normally, when I go grocery shopping, I only look at the meat, fish, and prepared food sections. But looking closely at the vegetable aisle again, I realized that perhaps there aren't that many things you can eat raw?
According to the "SHIGETA 3 Weeks Detox Program," consuming plenty of uncooked vegetables and fruits allows you to take in more enzymes, which boosts bodily functions without burdening digestion, thereby promoting detoxification.
In other words, the main goal is to give the liver, which is responsible for detoxification, a rest and to activate it. Hmm, now I understand why alcohol is forbidden.
And so, lunch on the first day is "salad." Let's avoid mayonnaise and use a non-oil dressing.
Is the dressing okay, K?
Day 1: January 11th (Sunday) Dinner
After drinking water, eating salad, and eating fruit, this is the third meal of the day. I thought, "I want something with a bit of flavor," and asked myself, "What about dried fruits or nuts?" (laughs). So I bought plums, mixed nuts, and pistachios. Is this okay?
Also, since it's Sunday, there are so many gourmet food shows on TV (laughs). Normally, we'd be saying, "That looks delicious," or "Should we make this tonight?" but none of that is happening.
"What will you eat after the 3 weeks are over?" I'm already thinking that on the first day! (laughs).
Munching on salad at the dinner table, with no particular conversation (laughs), dinner concluded.
However, there was a positive comment: "This kind of meal – fruits in the morning, salad for lunch and dinner – might be good to do once a week even after the detox." And indeed, I feel like my body is becoming cleaner.
Day 2: January 12th (Monday, Holiday) Breakfast
Today is Coming of Age Day. "Coming of age has nothing to do with detox, right?" we joked, while preparing another 1.5-liter bottle of "Sage Floral Water" this morning.
The taste... According to Yahoo! Encyclopedia, sage is "a plant in the mint family, its leaves contain essential oils like pinene and cineole, have a pleasant aroma, and have been used medicinally since ancient times. It's also known as medicinal sage, but its main use today is as a flavoring agent for sauces."
Well, to be blunt, it's a taste I'm not used to, with a spicy bitterness like medicinal herbs. I'm sure the 3 weeks will be over by the time I get used to it... but it's not difficult to drink.
Day 2: January 12th (Monday, Holiday) Lunch
For lunch, the key flavor point was a cabbage coleslaw-style salad. After the meal, I had a hassaku orange.
The basic rules for meals during detox are:
What to increase...Raw vegetables and fruits
What to decrease/avoid...Beef, pork, dairy products, sugar
And again, caffeine, alcohol, and smoking.
Yesterday, on the first day, we were saying, "I can't keep eating just salad," but today, the second day, is quite peaceful (laughs).
Day 2: January 12th (Monday, Holiday) Dinner
The comment from the kitchen, "Cleaning up after eating only salad is so easy," is it just sour grapes!? (laughs)
Dinner on the second day was also just salad, but I mixed napa cabbage and daikon radish in a kimchi style and ate it with the salad dressing. Adding shredded nori seaweed made it a Japanese-Korean salad style (laughs).
We're told, "Eat plenty of raw food without reducing the portion size," but I don't quite get the feeling of being full from just salad.
Just like when I quit smoking, by the second or third day, I start to feel a bit calmer. Then, around the first week, the urge to smoke really hits. But once you get past that, you start to dislike the smell of cigarettes.
I wonder when the major wave will hit during this detox.
Also, regarding "healing crisis" – apparently it manifests in the body's weak areas – I wonder where mine will appear. Fatigue is also a possible symptom, so apologies to my colleagues at work (laughs).
Day 3: January 13th (Tuesday) Breakfast
Water, raw vegetables, fruits... Now, what about these is difficult?
The answer: there's nothing warm... I sent a weak email to K from SHIGETA JAPAN, asking, "Is soup or miso soup not allowed?"
Drinking 1.5 liters of water isn't that hard, fruits are delicious, and salads can be made tasty with some effort (to a degree), but in this season, the body really craves something warm.
Day 3: January 13th (Tuesday) Lunch
Today is back to normal business hours, and luckily, I could eat lunch at home. Bell peppers, celery, tomatoes, lettuce (I use a whole head of lettuce a day), with non-oil dressing, and for a salty craving, nuts. And water.
During lunch, Haruka Igawa's KFC commercial came on. Ugh.
I had a cosmetics presentation starting at 3 PM. As I was getting ready, I felt the urge to go to the bathroom. Perhaps it's unavoidable that I need to go more often because I'm drinking water.
Also, (speaking personally) I was born with only one functioning kidney, so I tend to need to urinate more frequently and can experience swelling.
Now, on the third day, I apologize, but my bowel movements were a mugwort-green color. Wow, this is amazing! Is it the effect of the detox? Or maybe I ate too much salad (laughs)?
Day 3: January 13th (Tuesday) Dinner
I'm sleepy. So sleepy. It's not quite fatigue, but I'm sleepy. And cold (laughs).
After the "Derma Visuals" cosmetics presentation, I had a 4-hour meeting at the editorial department, but I was sleepy and cold.
I announced that I had started detoxing at the editorial department. Since I only told them the general outline, please read this (laughs).
I really wanted something warm to drink! So I bought a hot roasted green tea from a convenience store, but K from the company pointed out, "Doesn't that contain caffeine?" Ugh.
For dinner, we ate salad while saying, "I wish we could eat something warm." I added caramelized onions as a topping.
Additionally, I received a helpful email from K at SHIGETA: "It's important to continue even little by little, so please enjoy by incorporating foods like natto and tofu (although the enzymes are destroyed by heat, they are nutritious)." So tonight, I added chilled tofu and natto.
Just that alone feels like a feast (laughs).
Today too, I managed to drink 1.5 liters.
Day 4: January 14th (Wednesday) Breakfast
I'm still sleepy today.
Yesterday, after dinner, I had no energy to do anything. I took a bath and went straight to sleep.
This morning, I added an apple. It was sweet and juicy. When it comes to fruit, perhaps winter is a suitable season for detox.
I wasn't feeling great, and I felt like I was catching a cold, so I emailed K: "Is it okay to take Kakkonto (a herbal medicine)?"
Since we're doing the "SHIGETA 3 Weeks Detox Program" with two people, one bottle of "Sage Floral Water" wasn't enough, so I ordered more online from web shopping rumors (rumors). I also reordered VITTEL water online. The internet makes things convenient.
Day 4: January 14th (Wednesday) Lunch
Of course, it's salad for lunch too, but for some reason, I didn't feel like reaching for the salad in the fridge. I stopped after about a quarter of it. I drank vegetable juice and had an iyokan orange.
I might be reaching a state of detachment (laughs) regarding food.
I can't quite tell if the slight feverish feeling is due to the program or the cold.
So, I decided not to take any medicine and just lie down for a bit. My bowel movements today were also mugwort-colored (laughs).
Day 4: January 14th (Wednesday) Dinner
For dinner, I'm completely relying on tofu and natto (laughs). It's truly wonderful to be able to eat something with a bit of texture.
Regarding warm food, I received a welcome email from K at SHIGETA: "I'll send you recipes for hot smoothies and soups later."
I feel like having something warm would boost my spirits. I'll introduce the recipes in the sequel.
Also, from K (who is also detoxing with her husband at the same time!), I received an email saying, "I also get cold, so I apply River of Life not only to my neck and shoulders but also to my feet and the tops of my feet."
That's right, I completely forgot to use "River of Life (Essential Oil)" and "Basic Sense (Massage Oil)."
I'll report on that in the sequel.
