I have also been reflecting on how my body has been functioning lately. Not so good, really. I have had lots of issues pop up recently... and they are really starting to wear on me: insomnia, severe allergies, acne, anxiety, foggy brain, lack of energy... I think that's it. Well you know what- I AM SICK OF IT! I have been thinking about all these things a lot lately... they have all just been swimming through my brain ("food. anxiety. allergies. I feel like crap. I feel bloated. I can't sleep. I feel like I need to flush out my system... I need a CLEANSE!) And that's when I started to really think about dedicating some time to cleanse my body. I have researched a few different cleanses and I came upon The Master Cleanse.
I know. It's crazy. It's absolutely insane. Ever since I came upon this, I have been absolutely hooked into researching how I can do it. I am both completely intimidated and in complete awe. It's very overwhelming. I am going to attempt to go 10 days without food. This is not something that can be done willy nilly at the spur of the moment. It taking lots of research and planning. One of the most detailed oriented parts, is the ease in and out phase. Here's how it's going to break down:
Day 1: The Living Food diet. Practically a vegan diet, with a huge emphasis on not eating processed foods.
Day 2: Like day one, but in liquid form.
Day 3: Nothing but orange juice and water.
Days 4-13: The Master Cleanse (Consuming only the lemonade drink, water, doing the salt water flush and/or tea)
Day 14: Orange juice and water
Day 15: Liquid Living Food diet.
Day 16: Living Food Diet
Day 17 and beyond: .... Still undecided. I DO NOT want to go back to the way I have been eating. I want to put more thought into what I am putting into my body. This is actually something I'm waiting until after the cleanse to decide, because I anticipate this cleanse to not be only a body cleanse, but a mental and spiritual cleanse. I hope to gain mental clarity and become more connected to knowing how to nourish my body.
I'm actually leaning towards being MOSTLY vegan.
I know. You're thinking "Mostly?" Me too. Here's the deal- I have a few hang ups that are keeping me from becoming vegan.
1. MEAT IS SO GOOD! Hamburgers are my second favorite food. And they are even better if they have bacon on it.
2. I love dairy products. Cheeseburgers are my first favorite food. I have a hard time if I go a whole week without buying a gallon of Tillamook icecream. I don't eat the whole thing... I just like to have 1 or 2 small bowls of it. It's seriously one of my most simple/guilty pleasures I have.
2a. Half and half in my coffee. I have been able to give up putting sugar in it and frilly coffees with tons of calories. A month or two ago I actually bought a carton of soy creamer to test out. It was barely doable. I LOVE MY HALF AND HALF.
3. I love eggs. And pastries that are made with eggs. It depresses me a little just thinking of not partaking in a real pastry ever again. AND- John and I have plans to build a chicken coop in our backyard.
So, there you have it. Man, I think I just convinced myself to not be vegan after all.
CONTEMPLATING: being mostly vegan. Allowing myself to consume the above mentioned items on a very strict basis. Allowing myself to consume eggs (and possibly other animal products in the future) that I produce and know that they came from a health environment. And to count calories more strictly.
Apparently lots of people can't go the whole 10 days without food. I really really really want to go the whole 10 days. I am planning on using meditation and rest if I feel weary, weak, or any other physical symptoms, that might make me cave in and eat food.
And- I am going to try and blog everyday about it. About what I am going through. That should be fun. I even moved my laptop in a more accessible spot so that I can blog more easily.
I plan on starting this Saturday, which will give me 16 uninterrupted days where I'm not traveling or going to any social gatherings with food. Wish me luck!
1 comment:
You go, Amberley. I hope the cleanse works well for you -- I read all your later posts, and you seem to be hanging in there -- keep it up!!
As I read this particular post, I wondered if you had ever seen an allergist and/or a dietician about how the specific foods you eat are affecting you. Allergies, fogginess, lack of energy, etc. can all be food-related issues. Are you familiar with the glycemic index of foods and how that works? Low energy can sometimes be the result of eating too many foods that are high on the glycemic scale (the sugar in a PBJ sandwich plus the peanut butter, if it's processed plus white potatos can cause such an energy drop plus a craving for sugar and carbs). The South Beach Diet books give an excellent overview of the glycemic index, and all their recipes employ low-glycemic foods that will give you great energy. Another great book is Dierdre Imus' "The Imus Ranch: Cooking for Kids & Cowboys". It's an ovo-vegetarian cookbook. Dierdre is (I think -- sorry, I also have foggy brain) a registered dietician, and she lists all the foods they use at the ranch and explains why they were chosen. She's very concerned about freshness, local sourcing, and whole foods for the sick kids that come to her ranch.
Anyway, good luck with the cleanse and with deciding how you want to proceed with food when the cleanse is over.
Lisa Gottlieb-Kinnaird
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