Clean

If you've been in my immediate circle for the past 21 days, you're probably sick of hearing me talk about "THE CLEANSE." Since I'm on day 19 of 21, I decided it was blog-worthy at this point.

It's an eating program designed by a cardiologist to last for 21 days and "restore the body's natural ability to heal itself" by eliminating the diet of common allergy forming foods (dairy, wheat, gluten, soy) In addition to having nagging health problems disappear, it gives you more energy and you might even lose a little bit of weight in the process! This video will explain it.

Anyone can do it with a little preparation. Smoothie in the morning, whole foods at lunch, soup for dinner. Lots of water! Exercise & sweat.

On to my experience. [Disclaimer: I can't tell you WHY these things happen, just take my word for it...]

1) Really deep sleep. Crazy dreams. More energy throughout the day. Looking back, I used to yawn all day long at work. Don't get me wrong- I'm still exhausted come 2:00, but I'm not tired. My "needing quiet wind-down time" meter starts pinging on high around late afternoon, but I don't feel like I am about to fall asleep. There's a difference.

2) My clothes fit so much better. I may even be able to go down a size. I'm not scared to try on pants anymore! I even needed a belt with my jeans the other day. I surely did.

3) Strength. I felt like a machine in yoga last week. Probably could've done an extra 3 sets of ab work and been totally fine with it. Normally abs are my arch nemesis! I think I even did a few yogi push ups too. Me and push ups didn't get along in the pre-cleanse days. I'm such a girl when it comes to upper body strength, but lately I've felt much stronger.

4) As far as my nagging health problems disappearing- I won't say that they've vanished, but I can tell a difference for the better. My TMJ (pain in my jaw joints) has improved big time. I know this because I ate an apple, whole, the other day! Big deal you say? Well, my jaws used to hurt to the point that I had to cut my apple into tiny wedges and also cut off the skin in order to eat it. And, opening my mouth wide enough to take a bite out of the apple was impossible. Chewing tough foods was miserable. So, biting into a whole apple, skin and all was an accomplishment! I'm not sure if the positive effects are because of the 2 liquid meals a day or what, but I'll take it.

5) My level of anxiety is pretty low these days. A welcomed change. I'm not attributing it all to this diet, but I'm sure it has helped.

6) New friends made in the process. Every Wednesday night at Savannah Power Yoga, we have a Clean (Support Group) Meeting. Its so nice to hear how everyone else is doing. Mostly everyone is ready to be done so they can re-introduce wine and coffee back into their daily routines. Me? I just want chocolate. That's all. I actually bought a very fancy chocolate bar from Fresh Market this weekend as a reward for day 21! Its in the fridge waiting patiently. A few restaurants got into the game and made "clean" meals for all of us. Props to Rocks on the River, Brighter Day, and Thrive Cafe. My new Cleanie-friend Angie and I went to Rocks for lunch one Saturday and followed it up with a thrift shopping marathon downtown.

Foods I could not have lived without during the cleanse include but are not limited to: Almond Butter, Date Coconut Rolls, Almond Milk, Stevia, Frozen Blueberries, & Mary's Gone Crackers, Decaf Peppermint Herbal Tea.

This recipe for Cheesy Pumpkin Dip is a keeper. I have made it 4 times since I started. Another recipe that I have to share is the Black Forest Smoothie. Omigosh. It may as well be dessert. And, my favorite night time liquid meal is Butternut Squash Soup. MMmmmm. ( I can't find the recipe I used...but you can google one. I'm tellin' ya...the Butternut won't let you down.)

 Have you yet decided that I'm a total weirdo with all this health freak business? Its okay if you have. You won't be the first to think so.

PS: I wouldn't recommend using half a bag of frozen pineapple in your smoothie like I did tonight for dinner. My throat and lips are still burning from all the acid in the pineapple. Try it if you don't believe me.

Caroline

Confession,  I did cheat & have a cupcake at this little guy's 1st b-day party. How could I not?