From Detox to Retox!
by Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis30 May 2010
I have escaped London in search of some peace and quiet in the green pastures of the Austrian countryside. After having done most of my unpacking, I feel almost settled in my new flat. I felt it was time to escape for a few days. I packed my bag and off I went with a trumpety trump. I have been waking up somewhere outside of Vienna to the tweeting of birds. As I write this, I can even hear an owl howling somewhere amidst the green, surrounding me. I must say the fresh air seems to be doing me wonders. I sleep better. I feel healthier. I went riding through the forest, so thickly overgrown due to all the rain, it felt like riding through the jungle. Afterwards, I lay by a pond the sun beating down so strongly I even got a sunburn on my nose.
The countryside is all about organisation. If, like me, you enjoy action, be mindful of visiting a house in the middle of nowhere or at least do your homework and be prepared. Sometimes all you want to do is take a long walk and relax by the fire. Other times, enquiring discreetly about extracurricular activity is wise. Horses, a lake (with a boat, even better) basically any energy release will do. I tend to pack my computer wherever I go, which means I can crack on with work. There is always heaps to do and what if there isn’t? There always is. If all else fails, I suggest using the countryside as a cheap DIY rehab to detox from whatever it is you need to detox from. After only recently putting down fags, apparently now gluten is what is weighing me down. I did think I had already shed most of my vices, but one should never think it’s over till it’s really over.
The reason why I embarked on this ridiculous diet, the so called Low Allergen Diet, is not because I was trying to lose weight, although I wouldn’t cry if I did, but because of my general exhaustion. I have been feeling incredibly run down for the past couple of months. I have even had problems concentrating. Basically a good chunk of the time, I have been feeling as though I have been wacked over the head with a sledge hammer. Not a good feeling I can assure you. I eat well, I exercise and stay clear of pretty much every mood altering substance I can think of, so what on earth is wrong? Have I entered the age of the ancient ever since my recent 28th birthday? Probably the Antarctic air-conditioned planes haven’t made it any better but that’s nothing new to me so why the sudden reaction? The Doctor suggested it was all down to greedy gluten that was clogging up my mechanics.
As I write my blog, I am on my 5th day of my gluten detox. How is it going? It’s been interesting in an experimental, slightly sadomasochistic sort of way. In a way being here in the green countryside, away from Starbucks, from Pret’s filled with the fatty smell of croissants and other fast-food chains cramming the sidewalks. Not that I would normally want much of all that but hell, on a detox you feel like eating cardboard. It’s helpful not to have dinners and party’s that make any detox so awkward. Sitting at a dinner party not touching your food makes you look like such a hysterical Hollywood tart. I must say aside from a constant headache (of course meant to be a good sign, surprise, surprise) I am feeling a bit more energised and a little less foggy already. Having said that, it’s a struggle but I guess it’s always dark in the middle of the tunnel. Sticking to Doctor’s prescribed diet of; fruit, potatoes, eggs, olive oil and avocado not a crumb of anything else is challenging. I am not even allowed to lick a stamp. No coffee, no green tea, just herbal tea and countless no no no no nos!! Not easy. Yes I have been avoiding dinner party’s but nevertheless, I have been sitting opposite a friend ordering four course menus in delicious Viennese restaurants and countryside beer -garden’s whilst I had to battle to get a piece of grilled fish and some potatoes.
I forgot to mention that on day two (what a trooper) I made my first emergency phone call to my doctor. I simply couldn’t stomach eggs at every meal. I mean come on eggs and potatoes? Both happen to be ingredients that don’t rank very high in my books. It’s not even that I dislike them they just don’t appear on my usual menu very often. So the Doctor had mercy and allowed me to add white fish and sweet potato. Yay, it makes a world of a difference. So it is a struggle no doubt but I figured before I throw in the towel and accept that I am ready for an Austrian nursing home I might as well give the Gluten-free business a shot. And then? Well, if all else fails, at least I get to go from detox to retox, always a buzz.
