A couple of weeks ago, I completed 7 days on the Banana/Papaya Mono Cleanse, see Cleanse to Heal by Anthony William for more details on exactly how to do this cleanse along with the different options for food selections.
I’ve undertaken many cleanses in my past but this one was quite different for me. I decided to try this cleanse due in part to some real issues with my gut that have popped up over the past several months. Yes, no matter how long you may have been healing, layers unfold as they do, and it is important to be patient with yourself and the process. Also, I did have a long history of gut and reproductive issues and I needed to undergo some surgery back in 2018. This cleanse was powerful and yet a challenging process for me.
I’m still reflecting on my experience and have since added back all the variety of foods I was eating pre-cleanse slowly at first to continue to respect the healing process my body was and is going through now. I may go back to it again sooner rather than later!
Here are my takeaways if you are going to consider this for yourself:
- Cleansing is always a very deep mental, emotional and spiritual process. Give yourself the time and space needed always. Your sensitivity may increase as you move along.
- Having an abundance of all the foods needed for your cleanse so that you aren’t running out at the last minute, which will create unneeded stress is key! Especially when it comes to the timing of ripening fruit. Paper bags come in handy to quicken ripening.
- Simplifying your diet in this way on one hand is fabulous as there is not much to think about for yourself regarding food creations and food prep. But on the other hand eating the same 2 or 3 foods everyday can be a challenge to your mind at the start!
- Bowel movements will change (consistency and frequency) so do expect that and do not fear this change. Do make sure to hydrate well.
- Cravings may happen. Even for healthy foods! I really missed my wild blueberries and daily salads.
- I went through periods of loving the cleanse, thinking, ‘I may continue on it for much longer’, to counting down the days until I finish the week! Just allow all the thoughts to come and go and you will know whether or not to continue a cleanse or finish it as you may have planned.
- It’s very important to eat when hungry and not under-calorie yourself, even unintentionally. Knowing how much your body needs on this cleanse can take a little time and adjustment so pay attention to cues like drops in energy levels, headaches, etc.
- When you allow your gut to rest and reset with this particular cleanse there is a sense of peace that can happen, it may just sneak up and surprise you!
- Transitioning out of this cleanse was actually more challenging for me than expected. I was apprehensive about adding foods back into my diet for fear of the symptoms quickly returning. So I took it quite slowly, staying on mostly bananas and papayas for a couple of more days. I first added some watermelon, then some spinach and then coconut water along with barley grass juice extract powder. Testing only a couple of foods at a time.
My final thoughts:
Every cleanse you undertake will be a different experience for you (even when you repeat a cleanse several times) so do know these points are my personal experiences on the Mono Cleanse.
The Mono Eating Cleanse is a gentle healing technique has been known to help many people with:
- Bloating
- Constipation
- IBS
- Gastritis
- Acid reflux
- SIBO
- Candida
- Microbiome issues
- Gastroparesis
- Crohn’s
- Colitis
- Recovery from stomach bugs
- Food poisoning
- Food allergies or sensitivities
- Ulcers & more
It also has helped with conditions caused by viral neurotoxins, such as MS, fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, anxiety, and many more.
Overall I came to really enjoy this cleanse much more than I thought I ever would! If you have a long standing digestive issue of any kind you may wish to consider this cleanse. And I am happy to share that my symptoms have significantly improved.
