My Seven Day Cleanse

 My second piece of published work - page 12:

http://issuu.com/michaelabuzalaf/docs/november_master_single_page

Situated on Grove Business Park on the beautiful Alscot Estate, just outside Stratford upon Avon, is Motus Training, a specialist personal training, nutrition and lifestyle consultancy business.

Darren Putt, founder of Motus Training, and his team create bespoke fat loss, health and lifestyle programmes. Darren is one of the UK’s leading experts using a unique technique called BioSignature Modulation, a cutting edge fat-loss and health assessment method developed by world renowned strength coach Charles Poliquin.

BioSignature is a system, based on thirty years of research, showing that where people store their body fat is an indication of their hormonal profile. In order to lose weight from these problem areas individuals need to correct their hormonal imbalances through specific steps such as; nutrition, training, lifestyle modifications and a supplementation protocol.

After a thorough consultation with Darren in which I was provided with my unique biological signature he recommended I undergo a seven day nutritional cleanse protocol under his personal supervision. This is something he has done himself three times and has used with many clients. The cleanse is based upon a protocol designed by Doctor Robert Rakowski, clinic director of the Natural Medicine Centre in Houston, Texas. Dr Rakowski is one of the world’s leading experts on nutrition and functional medicine and uses such techniques to help people ranging from elite professional athletes to children and to treating critically ill patients with a variety of cancers, inflammatory conditions and autoimmune diseases. Dr Rakowski’s protocols were modified by Charles Poliquin to work alongside his BioSignature Modulation assessment tool.

The cleanse procedure is not a ‘fast’ or standard low-calorie ‘detox’. Many people actually consume more calories, fat and carbohydrates than they do following their normal diet. It detoxifies and nourishes the body by flooding it with nutrients in order to promote healthy functioning. It allows your organs to be rested and replenished meaning they perform more efficiently when you resume your normal dietary routine. It improves performance both physically and mentally. People undergo the cleanse regime for a number of reasons; fresh start, to break through a plateau with training or weight loss and also people who suffer from health problems involving digestion like IBS. Many people see improvement in sleep, energy levels, mental clarity and mood, pain threshold and even sex drive. People emerge from the seven days feeling leaner and stronger and most importantly healthier and happier. On average people experience a weight loss of 5lbs and a body fat loss of 2%.

I’d been training for the Birmingham half marathon which took place on Sunday 21st October but I needed to train harder to achieve my goal, a time under two hours. I had successfully lost 18lbs but had started to reach a plateau and I’d also been suffering from urticaria since April. All of the above reasons are why I agreed to undergo the cleanse protocol. Darren had never supervised somebody suffering from urticaria so we were both intrigued to see what the outcome would be. We were hoping that the anti-inflammatory powers would help. In order to control my urticaria I was taking a combination of three tablets a day, two of which I had to take twice a day. For the purposes of the cleanse programme I decided I would stop taking all of these tablets.

The cleanse procedure consists of seven days of consuming ‘medical food’ shakes (which taste surprisingly nice), supplements according to your personal hormonal profile and your choice of a different vegetable each day which you can eat unlimited amounts of. It also requires you to drink plenty of water. Now this may seem a little daunting but you quickly adapt to the routine and believe me it’s worth every second.

I was warned that day one and two would be the hardest. I found day one to four hard! I experienced severe food cravings (every advert or television programme involved food), disturbed sleep, dizziness and tiredness. Also, on day one and two my urticaria flared nastily. However, by day five and six the hard part was over and I was beginning to feel the positive effects of the cleanse protocol. My tiredness had disappeared and I was feeling far more motivated and energetic and could notice the difference in my ability to concentrate. On the seventh and final day I was almost over-flowing with energy and motivation. The change in my mood was phenomenal. I could also see improvements to the condition of my skin, especially skin around my nails which had been quite dry, and hair. I experienced a body fat loss of  3% and a weight loss of 6lbs. However, the most important outcome of the cleanse regime was that after months of pumping my body with antihistamines my urticaria had finally vanished. Completely! This was an outcome that was hoped for but not entirely expected but shows the huge systemic health benefits of the cleanse programme.

My first day back on my normal dietary routine felt like Christmas day and my birthday all rolled into one. I chose to begin my day with an ‘unorthodox breakfast’ of lamb’s liver’s, smoked bacon and onions. Disgusting you might think? But so much better for your body than cereal or toast! Darren warned me I may experience a ‘euphoric feeling’. I didn’t. However, what I did experience was running my fastest ever mile of six and a half minutes! I was blown away by the change in my performance.

A week on it was clear the cleanse protocol was continuing to have a positive impact. I’d lost another 4lbs and my physical performance continued to improve. I ran a 12 mile training run in one hour thirty eight minutes meaning I was well on target to run the Birmingham half marathon in under two hours. I ended up running the 13.1 miles in a time of one hour, forty eight minutes and twenty eight seconds. I smashed my personal best by twenty minutes!

It is clear that the cleanse protocol produces a healthier individual with enhanced physical and mental performance. I would recommend it to anyone struggling with similar issues to those that I was or to anyone who simply wants to look and feel better and improve their quality of life.

If you would like to know more about the nutritional cleanse protocol then contact Darren Putt.

Website: www.motustraining.co.uk

Email: darren@motustraining.co.uk

Telephone: 07736 324456
Twitter: @MotusTraining
Facebook: Motus Training Studio

Afternoon Tea at Jesmond Dene House - 22/10/12

Assorted Finger Sandwiches - coronation chicken, Neil Robson’s smoked salmon and cucumber, free-range egg and cress and mature cheddar and apple pickle.

Mini Scones - plain, fruit and cheese with jam and clotted cream. They were beautiful scones but the cheese was definitely my favourite.

Selection of Pastries - Chocolate financier with white chocolate and blackberry crémeux, chantilly cream profiterole, plum and szechuan pepper cheesecake macaroon and lemon meringue pie. Every pastry was a delight but if I HAD to choose a favourite I think it would be the lemon meringue pie, closely followed by the profiterole, which was to die for. 

Dinner at The Chef's Dozen - 15/09/2012

17 month old 'The Chef's Dozen' is located at Longbarn Village just outside of Alcester. 

Both the location and the layout of the restaurant came as a surprise. Longbarn Village is situated in the middle of the countryside down a driveway that looks like it leads to a farmyard, suitably fitting as The Chef's Dozen is situated within a restored Tudor farm building. The restaurant itself is relatively small. However, unlike most restaurants nowadays who simply just want to maximise cover numbers and therefore, cram as many tables in as possible, it is overly spacious. The room we were seated in only had five tables. I found this created a really relaxing atmosphere. Although, some might find it a little intense or awkward. 

The idea behind chef Richard Craven's menu is simple, the customer is in control. You create your own tasting menu from the dozen (hence The Chef's Dozen) seasonal dishes he imaginatively creates using fresh and local ingredients. He cooks every dish himself as he is the only chef working in the glass walled kitchen which is viewable from the restaurant. It all creates an experience that feels very unique. 

On a Saturday evening you can only opt for 5 or 7 courses. 5 courses is £38 and 7 courses is £50. The menu is a written in a no nonsense sort of way that matches the style of the restaurant, 10 words maximum, which leaves you feeling a little intrigued. There were 13 dishes on the menu that night as grouse had been added as a seasonal extra. We just couldn't decide on 7, everything sounded so delicious. I could have eaten all 13! Luckily, Solanche, Richard's lovely wife who runs front of house came to the rescue and let us have 8. 

Amuse bouche - Chicken liver parfait, damson and ginger crumble. 

This was a lovely little start to the meal. Full of flavour and texture. Rich, smooth parfait contrasted with sweet damson and the crunch of the ginger crumble. 

Milk loaf with butter and pork dripping (made green using spinach).

 I've never had pork dripping before but I loved it. It tastes just like pork scratchings! It made for an interesting alternative to flavoured butter or olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  

Ox heart tartare with tarragon, bone marrow and hay-smoked duck yolk. 

Katie chose this as her first starter as she is a huge offal fan. I love steak tartare so was intrigued to see how it would compare. It was beautiful but just incredibly rich.

Courgette with goat's cheese, thyme, lemon curd, raspberries and bitter chocolate. 

This was my first starter and it was exquisite. With each mouthful you got the creaminess of the goat's cheese contrasted with the sharpness of the raspberries and the bitterness of the courgette and chocolate. A very clever creation.

Hand-dived scallop with hare, green cobnut, turnip and sorrel. 

This was my favourite starter. It contained such a contrast of flavours. A sweet, meaty scallop perfectly cooked contrasted with a piece of pink, rich, gamey hare, little pieces of hare black pudding (something I've never tried) and bitter turnip and sour sorrel. This, plus the added texture element of the green cobnut created a wonderful dish. Unfortunately my camera threw a wobbly here, hence the difference in the quality of the image.

Gilthead bream with winkles, sea purslane, salt and vinegar new potato and curry sauce.

We weren't particularly enamoured by this dish. The fish was cooked beautifully and there was a balance of flavours between salt and vinegar. It just didn't have a wow factor.

Paddock farm tamworth pork with swede, earl grey and prune.

Again, we weren't particularly astounded by this dish. It consisted of pork belly and pork loin. The fat on the pork belly wasn't as crispy as I like it. Our favourite part of this dish was the swede dauphinoise which were lovely. 

Roe deer with Scottish girolles, beetroot and blackcurrant

Again, we weren't particularly fascinated by this dish. The roe deer was flavoursome and cooked perfectly. However, the other flavours were a little bland.

Grouse with sweetcorn, smoked bacon, redcurrants and bread sauce.

This was my favourite main course even if it did initially confuse us. What we thought was bread sauce powder was actually smoked bacon. The idea behind this was to create different textures of bread. Therefore, you had smoked bacon powdery crumbs, crunchy croutons and smooth bread sauce which was green, hence the confusion. This was because it had been made with thyme.The grouse itself was gorgeous. Again beautifully cooked. The redcurrants gave a sharp little burst of sweetness which cut through the rich game flavour. This dish was full of different flavours and textures and I loved the colours in it.

'Marmite and Mini Cheddars'

Out of the 12 courses we ate this was my favourite. It's amazing how something so simple can be so tasty. It just reminded me of home. It was like a miniature version of a favourite comfort food of mine and my Dad's. Cheese on toast! It was a deep fried ball of gooey cheddar sat on a pear puree with a little drizzle of marmite. I've been served dried pear with cheese before but who would have thought pear would work so well with cheese AND marmite? Such a clever and effective little dish!

Blackberry tart with ginger and meringue.

This was kindly given to us by Richard as another extra course. Katie really liked this but I wasn't bowled over by it. It was a de-constructed blackberry tart. When you put all the separate elements together it's meant to taste like the whole thing. Tailor's in Warwick do this with a Black Forest Gateaux and it's amazing. However, this just didn't have the same effect. Plus, I wasn't sure where the meringue was? Although I must say, blackberry and ginger compliment each other particularly well. 

Chocolate with English strawberries and salted caramel.

Chocolate and salted caramel, to me, is a perfect marriage. The salty caramel cut through the rich chocolate and the juicy strawberries added sweetness. The added extra of a little popping candy created a bit of a party in my mouth. Again it was a perfectly pleasant pudding but I've had far more impressive chocolate desserts. My current favourite being The Horse and Groom's chocolate, caramel and peanut torte. 

12 courses later and we were done!

My favourites courses were definitely the goat's cheese, the scallop, the grouse and the marmite and mini cheddars.

The Chef's Dozen isn't pretentious. I felt utterly relaxed whilst we ate, so much so that we were there for nearly four hours! However, we did spend a good 30/45 minutes talking to Richard and Solanche. They make a wonderful partnership. Solanche makes a warm and welcoming host and it is clear she is just as knowledgeable as her husband when it comes to food. Richard has had a wealth of experience. He worked under Emily Watkins, former sous chef of Heston's Fat Duck, at the Kingham Plough and was sous chef himself at The Tasting Room in South Africa. 

Richard serves fresh, seasonal food that's beautifully cooked and presented. His portion sizes are spot on. I didn't leave feeling uncomfortably full. It is clear than Richard is a superb chef who can be creative with food.  It amazes me that he does it all by himself. That's a big job for one man. However, I did feel that some of his dishes were lacking that wow factor. I was expecting to be stunned by every course and unfortunately wasn't. Maybe my expectations were too high. 

The Chef's Dozen is probably one of the best restaurants Warwickshire has to offer. However, the food isn't worthy of a Michelin star as some people on Trip Advisor have commented. It is definitely a restaurant to put on your 'to visit' list though!