Thursday, December 27, 2007

Day One

A new year brings only one thing... a new fad diet.
Although I don't consider myself to eat bad on a regular basis, the unwanted sugars and processed foods make my way in. I know it's not good for me, and for anyone else at that, so I want to show my body some appreciation and detox my way clean. My M-K and I actually decided to do this together and I was a bit shocked and surprised by the suggestion coming from his mouth instead of mine.
For months I have been trying to get him on a better diet and for me to take over his eating. He eats fairly well but he has a huge sweet tooth and he is constantly snacking on stuff. I wont allow him to by chips and such but I have to keep in mind that he is a grown man and I am not going to deny him every time or nag continuously.
He does have a few health problems and I know a consistent, healthy diet would help incredibly. If it were up to me, we would eat a vegan/raw diet. Don't get me wrong, I love dairy and meat but I know the benefits way out in favor of vegan and raw. This may be pushing it a little bit for him but we do have days where we don't eat meat.
So over the past few weeks I have been researching and researching to find a sensible and effective detox plan. Try it: Google "Detox" and see how many sites there are, and this isn't counting the books I got from the library either. With so many to choose from and so many ways to do it, I am deciding to go my own route in hope that this will leave me full of energy, a few pounds lighter and a new approach on life.

The rules:

Every morning I am starting off by drinking a cup of warm water with a wedge of lemon. I may switch this up and by some ginger as well as I have read the benefits from these two additives start the detox off right in the mornings.
Water, water water! I am shooting for 2 liters a day.
I am not eating past 7 PM. This will help my digestion and make sure I am not sleeping on a full stomach. I am actually very good with this since I go to the gym at night and I cant work out after I have just eaten. Most nights I eat at 6 and if I do get a little hungry after my workout I will have a small apple.
I am being very cautious on how much I eat. I don't eat a lot as it is so this shouldn't be a struggle,
No alcohol, no caffeine. This is my biggest fear and worst dreaded part of this. I am a caffeine junkie, hands down. Knowing that I was planning on detoxing I have cut back on my coffee intake and I am allowing myself either one cup of plain coffee or green tea in the morning. This is only temporary though until I can see how my body reacts.
Once a week I am doing a juice fast, either on Saturday or Sunday. This will help cleanse me even more and will be good for my digestion.

What not to eat:
  • Dairy
  • Wheat
  • Sugar: refined, sucrose, dextrose, corn syrup, brown sugar and any other form
  • Gluten: barley, rye, spelt
  • Caffeine and alcohol

What to eat:

  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Rice: brown, wild, rice cakes, rice crackers (no white rice for me though)
  • Grains: quinoa, amaranth, millet, buckwheat
  • Beans
  • Nuts and Seeds: unsalted, also nut butters (no peanuts or peanut butter)
  • EVOO (in small amounts)
  • Decaf Teas
  • Lemon / Ginger water, 100% natural juice, rice milk, water
  • I am also allowing myself some fish if I feel I need it. I cant have tofu soy) during this time so tuna packed in water, salmon, cod, snapper and halibut should be fine.

That's pretty much it. I am very excited and I couldn't wait until the first... heck why wait? I am going to do the full 2 weeks but if I feel great then I am going to stick it out another week.

I will try to post everyday. My thoughts, my food, my feelings; its the only way I feel accountable for my actions and I love feedback from others.

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