I am not one for fad diets or Master Cleansing–drinking only lemonade for 10 days?! You must be joking. But among other things I never thought I’d be into, I’m going to an awesome acupuncturist (merrittacupuncture.com) and she suggested a Cleanse. By Standard Products, this Cleanse isn’t as restricting as others, so I thought I could definitely do it. So I bought it, and here I am. Day 4 of The Cleanse .
The Cleanse features two iterations: one, where you simply remove sugar, alcohol, caffeine, processed foods, and fried foods; and the second, where you only eat fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts–no meat, fish, dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, etc. I decided that I have the willpower to go the distance, so I went with option two. For three weeks, it’s fruits, veggies, seeds, and nuts for me!
The point of The Cleanse is to clear the body of toxins, reset the cravings-system, and, for me, teach me new ways of eating. It’s also just a challenge for the competitive like me–can I really not drink for 21 days? Can I really not eat Mangia Pizza or sushi or Hula Hut fajitas for 21 days? Yes, folks, yes I can. So far anyway.
Looking back on this weekend, all I can remember doing is cooking, blending, and sauteing veggies. Dipping veggies in blends of other veggies. Chomping on fruits. Going to two farmer’s markets and three grocery stores. But amidst that time-consuming jaunt into amateur veggie-chefdom, I discovered that you can make veggies taste REALLY GOOD. I’ve always liked veggies, but as a compliment to my pasta or rice or (whole wheat of course) bread … but now I realize that you can make them stand up on their own! Kale saute for dinner! (A placard at HEB read, “As a side dish, serve 1 pound per person”) I’ve been pleasantly surprised.
I am secretly a little disappointed, however, that I haven’t lost any weight. They say it’s a side effect of The Cleanse, but I’ve got nothing. Part of that may be because I’ve been so busy learning to cook veggies, quitting my job, setting up my home office, starting a part time job before my full time one is finished, and training my dog that running has fallen by the wayside for the past four days. (Says the girl who lifted weights and did the elliptical on Fri, played sand volleyball for two hours on Sat, and only took Sun off. Oh.)