this is the third year that i've done a spring cleanse. there's a lot of controversy surrounding detox "diets," especially with my history of eating disorders. you can shake your heads and judge all you want, because i'm going to do it anyway.
the deal is: for 30 days, i will avoid all dairy products, meat, eggs, sugar and gluten. i will not drink alcohol, coffee or black tea. i will increase my consumption of water and herbal teas, drinking lemon/ginger tea (made with the real deal) and a bit of maple syrup (no high fructose here) first thing in the mornings and throughout the day, and ending with psyllium husks and senna tea (think natural, slow-acting ex-lax) in the evenings. i will decrease my salt consumption (this is the toughest one!) to avoid water retention.
after about 2 weeks, i'll enter into the juice fast phase: all fruit and veggie juices with no protein. this will last 3 days and is mainly just to flush the kidneys and give my system a break.
really, this isn't much different from my normal diet. you all probably know how i love wine, so that might be tough. i don't drink milk or eat yogurt (don't worry, i take calcium supplements and drink fortified almond milk), and i eat eggs and fish minimally. i already drink tea like a mofo, though i'll miss my chai (i can still steep the spices with my almond milk and add a little maple syrup, especially when i'm craving chocolate at night). yes, i love my goat cheese and occasional brie, so giving up cheese for 30 days might turn me into a cranky bitch, at least for the first 2 weeks...
there's still a ton of things i can eat. kale, chard, spinach, broccoli, peppers, carrots, onion, garlic, squash, mushrooms and celery, to name a few. all the herbs. (well, not ALL of them...) avocados, berries, melons, citrus, coconut...raisins and dried fruit like cranberries and cherries (though they have added sugar, so used sparingly) do well to satisfy my sweet tooth. quinoa, rice, barley, bulghur, buckwheat and millet for grains. nuts and seeds. and trust me, i've been eating lots of all of these.
the concept behind the dietary changes is that gluten, sugar and dairy products are symbolic of other things. why do you think macaroni and cheese is considered a comfort food? for 10 years, i've tried to numb out by consuming sugary, rich and bready foods, hoping that eating enough of them would soothe my broken heart, repair my low-self-esteem, give comfort to my sadness and quell my rages. i became addicted to them as one becomes addicted to alcohol, using them to try and produce certain emotions while avoiding the uncomfortable ones. so, for a short time every year, when the seasons change, i strip myself bare of these crutches to find out what comes out in me.
the diet helps make my body light and healthy so i can be ready to purge all the intangible crap. this morning, before i even got out of bed, i identified some negative thoughts, mostly dealing with my insecurities in relationships, and wrote a letter to the person with whom i have the relationship. signed it, dated it...and took it into the kitchen sink to light that sucker on fire. taking a few deep breaths (careful not to inhale the fumes of burning paper and ink), i let those insecurities go up in flames and drift out the open kitchen window. it didn't get rid of all the insecurity, but i feel better then i did.
i'll be trying to meditate for 15-20 minutes once or twice a day. yesterday i took the dog out to the lake and let him run around like a crazy man. it was strange to walk slowly, as i'm so used to jogging the trail, but i noticed a lot more of my surroundings. i sat on the bank and watched the sun go down.
today i haven't felt as dizzy or weak, and no headache. took some vitamin D at noon and had a good lunch before jumping on the computer to figure out some new yoga classes for the summer.
it's disturbing at first to let life slow down and unfold, to watch hunger creeping up on me and notice how i begin to crave certain tastes and textures at night even though i'm far from hungry. very strange in this society to take time to watch the breath and feel sun and wind, to shiver because i'm cold and have that be okay.
think i'll end the day with a walk and yoga...not the burning kind, the kind that lets me go where i'll go.
the deal is: for 30 days, i will avoid all dairy products, meat, eggs, sugar and gluten. i will not drink alcohol, coffee or black tea. i will increase my consumption of water and herbal teas, drinking lemon/ginger tea (made with the real deal) and a bit of maple syrup (no high fructose here) first thing in the mornings and throughout the day, and ending with psyllium husks and senna tea (think natural, slow-acting ex-lax) in the evenings. i will decrease my salt consumption (this is the toughest one!) to avoid water retention.
after about 2 weeks, i'll enter into the juice fast phase: all fruit and veggie juices with no protein. this will last 3 days and is mainly just to flush the kidneys and give my system a break.
really, this isn't much different from my normal diet. you all probably know how i love wine, so that might be tough. i don't drink milk or eat yogurt (don't worry, i take calcium supplements and drink fortified almond milk), and i eat eggs and fish minimally. i already drink tea like a mofo, though i'll miss my chai (i can still steep the spices with my almond milk and add a little maple syrup, especially when i'm craving chocolate at night). yes, i love my goat cheese and occasional brie, so giving up cheese for 30 days might turn me into a cranky bitch, at least for the first 2 weeks...
there's still a ton of things i can eat. kale, chard, spinach, broccoli, peppers, carrots, onion, garlic, squash, mushrooms and celery, to name a few. all the herbs. (well, not ALL of them...) avocados, berries, melons, citrus, coconut...raisins and dried fruit like cranberries and cherries (though they have added sugar, so used sparingly) do well to satisfy my sweet tooth. quinoa, rice, barley, bulghur, buckwheat and millet for grains. nuts and seeds. and trust me, i've been eating lots of all of these.
the concept behind the dietary changes is that gluten, sugar and dairy products are symbolic of other things. why do you think macaroni and cheese is considered a comfort food? for 10 years, i've tried to numb out by consuming sugary, rich and bready foods, hoping that eating enough of them would soothe my broken heart, repair my low-self-esteem, give comfort to my sadness and quell my rages. i became addicted to them as one becomes addicted to alcohol, using them to try and produce certain emotions while avoiding the uncomfortable ones. so, for a short time every year, when the seasons change, i strip myself bare of these crutches to find out what comes out in me.
the diet helps make my body light and healthy so i can be ready to purge all the intangible crap. this morning, before i even got out of bed, i identified some negative thoughts, mostly dealing with my insecurities in relationships, and wrote a letter to the person with whom i have the relationship. signed it, dated it...and took it into the kitchen sink to light that sucker on fire. taking a few deep breaths (careful not to inhale the fumes of burning paper and ink), i let those insecurities go up in flames and drift out the open kitchen window. it didn't get rid of all the insecurity, but i feel better then i did.
i'll be trying to meditate for 15-20 minutes once or twice a day. yesterday i took the dog out to the lake and let him run around like a crazy man. it was strange to walk slowly, as i'm so used to jogging the trail, but i noticed a lot more of my surroundings. i sat on the bank and watched the sun go down.
today i haven't felt as dizzy or weak, and no headache. took some vitamin D at noon and had a good lunch before jumping on the computer to figure out some new yoga classes for the summer.
it's disturbing at first to let life slow down and unfold, to watch hunger creeping up on me and notice how i begin to crave certain tastes and textures at night even though i'm far from hungry. very strange in this society to take time to watch the breath and feel sun and wind, to shiver because i'm cold and have that be okay.
think i'll end the day with a walk and yoga...not the burning kind, the kind that lets me go where i'll go.
