06.03.08
Cleansing Part III: Confession - I Almost, But Pretty Much, Made It!
Confession: I had to end my cleanse one night early. It wasn’t my fault. The magazine I work for won a kick-ass national award and I couldn’t bring myself to celebrate with ice water. So I had myself a cosmotini. The crazy thing? It actually made me slightly ill - as if my body had truly adapted to a diet without sugar and booze. I couldn’t even finish it. Yeah, poor form for a party girl.
But after a week on First Cleanse, eating lots of brown rice, steamed broccoli, bananas, and oats, I’d momentarily overcome my weaknesses for indulgences like Americanos (espresso and water), pinot noir, and Glacier ice cream. I felt, if not pure, then at least proud I’d stuck with it, and slightly superior to everyone at my office who dumped processed CoffeeMate into the drip-brewed sludge in the copy room. And I learned a few things:
1. If nothing else, going on a cleanse forces you to stay away from crappy food (high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated anything, Yellow No. 5) for a short amount of time - which might kick-start a longer-term habit of eating healthy.
2. While it may make you obsess about eating, it also forces you to think about what you’re eating. You can take cleansing to an extreme - fasting, juicing, eating only apples - but it just isn’t sustainable when detox is over. More realistic: Eat lots of colorful organic fruits and veggies; whole grains like oats and quinoa; and essential fats like avocado and almonds. Drink lots of water, but cut out alcohol and coffee.
3. If you have a life, cleansing gets in the way - unless you want to bring a Tupperware of teff to a dinner party. Schedule it when you have more down time than usual. And don’t be embarrassed to order peppermint tea at the bar down the street. By the way, if you cleanse right, you’ll still have energy to work (damn) and workout (yippee!).
Still interested in cleansing? Pick up the oh-so-useful guide, The New Detox Diet: The Complete Guide for Lifelong Vitality With Recipes, Menus, and Detox Plans.
But after a week on First Cleanse, eating lots of brown rice, steamed broccoli, bananas, and oats, I’d momentarily overcome my weaknesses for indulgences like Americanos (espresso and water), pinot noir, and Glacier ice cream. I felt, if not pure, then at least proud I’d stuck with it, and slightly superior to everyone at my office who dumped processed CoffeeMate into the drip-brewed sludge in the copy room. And I learned a few things:
1. If nothing else, going on a cleanse forces you to stay away from crappy food (high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated anything, Yellow No. 5) for a short amount of time - which might kick-start a longer-term habit of eating healthy.
2. While it may make you obsess about eating, it also forces you to think about what you’re eating. You can take cleansing to an extreme - fasting, juicing, eating only apples - but it just isn’t sustainable when detox is over. More realistic: Eat lots of colorful organic fruits and veggies; whole grains like oats and quinoa; and essential fats like avocado and almonds. Drink lots of water, but cut out alcohol and coffee.
3. If you have a life, cleansing gets in the way - unless you want to bring a Tupperware of teff to a dinner party. Schedule it when you have more down time than usual. And don’t be embarrassed to order peppermint tea at the bar down the street. By the way, if you cleanse right, you’ll still have energy to work (damn) and workout (yippee!).
Still interested in cleansing? Pick up the oh-so-useful guide, The New Detox Diet: The Complete Guide for Lifelong Vitality With Recipes, Menus, and Detox Plans.