One Last Binge

Knowing that I am starting a full-scale detox tomorrow, I gave myself permission to eat whatever I wanted all weekend. Having that kind of freedom on Easter weekend means eating a lot of cookies and candy. I honestly can say that I have had my fill. But to be brutally honest, I am surprised at myself.

There was once a time where a free eating pass would have had mean gorging on everything under the sun. Instead, I found myself still exercising some restraint -- even when it came to the King's Hawaiian rolls we had with Easter dinner. I had made my husband pick up an extra package on Friday because I was going to eat one all by myself. As of 9 p.m. tonight, I've eaten two. Not two packages, two rolls. It just wasn't as exciting as I had predicted.

That's my entire philosophy when it comes to this detox. Though I'm afraid I won't be able to make it the full 30 days, my guiding belief is that there is no food in the world that I can't stay away from for 30 days. And it if it's that miserable, I can always decide to eat it again at the end of my detox. I'm hoping to stick with the plan of doing a slow introduction to see what, if any, foods bother me. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Detox Prep: Cleaning the Kitchen

I've been cleaning my kitchen since the sun rose today in an effort to get ready for my detox. Even though the rest of the family isn't joining in, I think it's important to make room for the outrageous amount of produce I'll be bringing into the house and also to hide the foods that may tempt me to fall off the wagon.

Cleaning the kitchen also means making room for the juicer and blender on the counter so they are easy to access and hiding the coffee pot so I don't brew a pot in a moment of weakness. I wish I could say it's fun but it's not. I hate cleaning, but it's necessary. I'm sure I'll be content once it's all said and done.

Spring Cleaning is an Inside Job

After a long talk with Brian, I've decided to take the plunge and begin a 30-day detox/cleanse on Monday. After the series of incremental changes I've made since Jan. 1, it feels like the right thing to do at this time. I've already incorporated green smoothies and fresh juicing into my daily eating routine, and with the exception of this week, have been committed to a steady exercise routine.

Something I've learned this month, though, is that I have zero willpower in social situations. I can be on the top of game at home, but the moment temptation crosses my path at work, parties or in restaurants, I'm a goner. That's why I have had to ensure Brian is enrolled in my goal. He's not planning to detox with me, but I need him to know my goal so that he can support me at home and in public. Luckily, I married a pretty amazing man and he immediately jumped on board.

Purpose

I hope stripping away all toxic foods and common allergens that I can reset my digestive system and palate in a way that enables me to pinpoint which, if any foods, cause me discomfort or general feelings of malaise. I'm also hoping to eliminate my wild cravings for sugar.

Plan

I like to keep things simple so my detox is based on plant-based whole foods with no synthetic supplements. I'll start each morning with lemon water, fresh juice and a green smoothie. Fruits, vegetables and some seeds will comprise by other meals and snacks. I'll increase my exercise to three intense sessions each week (Spin, interval training, Pilates) and two yoga classes. I believe this, in addition to drinking 90 ounces of water each day, will further help my body to release built-up toxins.

Foods to Eat

• Whole, unprocessed fruits and vegetables (fresh or frozen)
• Seeds -- pumpkin, chia, sunflower, hemp, flax (raw, unsalted)
• Fermented foods (to aid digestion)
• Dried fruits/veggies (limited)
• Water
• Herbal tea
• Cashews, walnuts, almonds, pistachios (raw, unsalted)
• Apple cider vinegar

Foods to Avoid

• Eggs, dairy (includes soy/casein)
• Beef, pork, chicken, fish, seafood
• Soy
• Processed foods, dressings, sauces (anything in a box or can)
• Sugars (white sugar, brown sugar, natural sugar, etc.)
• Artificial sweeteners
• Natural sweeteners/syrups (maple syrup, honey, agave syrup, brown rice syrup, molasses, etc.) 
• Coffee, soda, alcohol
• Beans, legumes (exception: green beans, snow peas, sugar snap peas)
• Grains (wheat, corn, rice, millet, quinoa, oats)
• Preservatives
• Coloring agents
• Oil
• Peanuts

The lists above may seem exhaustive, but I prefer to think of them as very freeing. With a focus on whole, natural foods, meal preparation should be relatively easy with minimal cooking required. I'm excited to see what happens.

Eat Crap; Feel Like Crap

I've done a little experiment this week, skipping my daily green smoothie and fresh juice to see what, if any, effects I'd notice.

Even I am surprised. Not only do I find that I am hungrier throughout the day, but my sugar cravings are through the roof. Additional side effects include water retention, moodiness, excessive thirst and general fatigue. I barely made it through work today without falling asleep on my keyboard. Stimulants such as coffee have become a necessity.

To say I feel unwell is an understatement. It's been eye-opening for my family and me.

Of course, I'll be getting back on the wagon soon. I'm contemplating an intensive detox next month in combination with my daily routine of smoothies and juices. How I'm feeling this week motivates me further.

Eating on the Road

I am one of those crazy people who is always on the go. Whether for work, charity or personal reasons, I am on the road a lot. I go here, I go there. The truth is it's not very often that I'm at home for more than a couple of consecutive hours.

That means that eating healthy can be a bit of a challenge. Drive-thru fast food is cheap and easy. Sit-down restaurants take time and money. But nothing worth having comes easily. And if I want to be healthy, and I want to pass along good health to my daughter, I can't create a regular habit of feeding McFood to her or allowing her to watch me eat it.

So what's a busy mom to do? Well, a busy, motivated mom like myself has to plan ahead. I think the cheapest, easiest solution to pack food and snacks from home when I know we're going to be gone around meal times. It's not always practical, but it's ideal. Here's some of the snacks that work for us:

• Fresh fruit (apples, citrus)
• Crackers (we like the gluten-free ones from Crunchmaster and Mary's Gone Crackers)
• Pouches of fruit puree (Lily calls them "squeezers")
• Dried fruit (dates, raisins, apricots, apples, cranberries)
• Sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
• Dry cereal
• Nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts)
• Homemade muffins or granola bars
• Veggie sticks

When it's not possible to pack food for the road, then the planning goes into finding an eatery or restaurant worthy of the time and money required. Here are some of our favorites:

• Chipotle
• Baja Fresh
• Freebirds
• Panera Bread
• Nearest supermarket (grab something ready to eat from the deli), Whole Foods or Trader Joe's
• Jamba Juice
• Starbucks (Lily loves the protein bento box)

Where do you eat when you're on the go? How do you stick with your preferred eating routine when away from home?

Getting Juiced

I've recently begun to experiment with juicing, thanks to receiving a Breville Compact Juice Fountain from my employer-sponsored wellness program. Even though I had been planning to spend $100 on a juicer, getting it for free makes it even better.

Juicing is something I've shied away from for some time, fearing that even fresh juices would contain too much concentrated sugar for my altered digestive tract to handle. However, in keeping with my goal for the year of filling my body with more good stuff to make less room for bad stuff, I decided to risk it. Juicing may concentrate sugars but it also concentrates all nutrients, meaning that it's like a straight shot of vitamins and minerals our bodies desperately need.

For the past week, I've alternated between two green juice recipes every day. I haven't suffered any ill effects. If anything, it's been all positive. I've noticed a reduction in appetite, an increase in energy and general sense of wellness. Combined with a green smoothie every day, I've managed to almost double the amount of vegetables and fruits I'm consuming each day.

Here's a sample of what I've been "eating" each day in the form of juices and smoothies: 1 bunch spinach, 1 head lettuce, 1/2 bunch kale, 8 stalks celery, 2 carrots, 2 apples, 1 orange, 1 beet, 1 pear, 1 banana and 1 lemon. That roughly 20 servings of fruits and veggies, not including the solid food I'm eating. Talk about a nutrient boost. I'm sharing my two favorite recipes so far. Feel free to share yours in the comments section.

Rise & Shine Juice

Rise & Shine Juice

(Loosely based on this recipe from RebootwithJoe.com)

Ingredients:
4-5 Swiss chard leaves with stems
4 stalks celery

2 carrots

1 beet (feel free to include greens)

2 oranges

1-inch piece of ginger

Directions:

Push all items in order through juice shoot. Stir and serve over ice or at room temperature. For best results, chill oranges in refrigerator overnight.

Eva's Magic Elixir

Eva's Magic Elixir

(Courtesy of my dear friend, Eva Knox)

Ingredients:

2 handfuls of spinach

2 stalks celery

2 carrots

1 orange (peel but leave as much white pith as possible)

1 apple

Optional additions: juice of 1 lemon, 1 lime or 1-inch piece of ginger

Directions:

Push all items in order through juice shoot. Serve immediately.

Un-Green Your Green Smoothies

Green smoothies can be intimidating. Even I shied away from them for years. The idea of blended greens sounded weird. And if that wasn't enough, there was the color. How could anything that shade of green be tasty? Not only am I a convert, but I have become a loud evangelist.

Green smoothie with blueberries.

The undeniable health benefits I've received since incorporating one green smoothie a day into my lifestyle outweigh any possible aversion I may have had in the past.

Still, I can empathize with the odd looks and incredulous comments I get from others when drinking my smoothies in public. My carpool buddy says it looks like I'm drinking salsa. Other folks in the office can't even look. When it comes down to it, we are trained that green=mold and mold is nasty.

If you're averse to green drinks does that mean green smoothies aren't for you? Of course not, you just have to un-green your green smoothie? The "green" in the name doesn't really refer to the color anyway. It's about the ingredients. You can make green smoothies in almost every shade of the rainbow, depending on what you add in.

Green smoothie with beets.

My favorite add-ons to change the color of my smoothies to something more palatable by others are beets and blueberries. 

If you're not a beet fan, stick with blueberries. Blueberries are great because they mask both the color and the taste of the vegetables you're blending. This is especially great for winning over skeptical kids. Unless you have a Hulk fanatic at your house like I do. Then just make it as green as possible, call it a "Hulk Smoothie," and watch as they gulp it down in record time.

Other options include beet greens and rainbow chard in place of whatever greens your recipe calls for. Both will bring a bright pink/purple hue to your smoothie as they are pureed. 

Once the April smoothie challenge kicks off, I'll share some additional smoothie tips. Until then, start experimenting.