IT'S OVER!!!

I'm done. It's now Friday, the first day of reintroducing food back into my diet. By the last day of the cleanse I was very ready to be done... I potentially could've gone longer had I not been eating so much of the same foods and textures all of the time. I bought a ton of food before the cleanse so I would be prepared and always have food I could eat, but I ended up not having enough variety, which really affected my mood.

Overall, the cleanse helped me figure out what I want from food instead of mindlessly eating junk. I'm also even more motivated to eat well. The cleanse didn't exhaust me, just fuelled the flame for change! 

So today I had decided on a chocolate and peanut butter smoothie for my first breakfast:

-natural peanut butter

-cocoa powder

-honey

-coconut milk

-avocado

-spinach

It was very delish, but I couldn't finish it. It was very rich and filling. I also knew I would be going to all you can eat sushi for lunch with my guy, so I didn't want a full breakfast. I for sure stuffed myself with sushi (maybe a bit too much), but I was happy to reward myself. Also the chewy texture of sushi was excellent to have after nothing but crunch. 

For the next little while I have decided to stay away from fried foods (for obvious reasons), bready foods with added sugars and lots of carbs, and restaurant foods. I'm hoping to get my chef on and cook up some delicious recipes, including baked goods (need my sweets somehow ;)). 

Well that's all for now. Onto the next adventure! I'll let you know what it is when I find out :P

Eat Well,

G

Raw Food Cleanse DAY 4

Alright... This is the home stretch. Just one more day and I'm diving head first into some amazing cooked food (TBD). I'm really starting to feel the effects of this cleanse. I feel it mostly mentally in how I think about food and snacking, most often when I have that urge to reach for something not on this week's menu. I'll have that urge then suddenly think about why I wanted it, if it was because I was hungry, then I would find something that I could have within the cleanse, like almonds, fruit, veggie sticks, etc. I found that once I got over that initial desire and decided to eat something else, I lost the craving, and I felt totally okay with the fact that I may or may not be able to have it later when I'm done the cleanse.

As for my body, I believe I have lost a few pounds since starting the cleanse, and I will give those numbers once I've reached the end. Last night I started back up with hip hop classes and I felt sort of weak and out of practice, but my energy level was good, I didn't feel particularly weak or particularly strong. I'm generally feeling a good amount of energy, and no significant fatigues through work days. 

I'm repeating a lot of recipes, but I thought you'd like to see these stuffed peppers with mounds of guacamole. It was yummy and super filling. I love avocado, and no matter how much my guy doesn't like it, I will always eat it!!! 

I've decided that on Friday I will enjoy a yummy peanut butter smoothie in the morning, and for lunch I'm going out somewhere (possibly sushi) with my guy to celebrate!

Eat Well,

G

Raw Food Cleanse DAY 3

Aaaaaaaaaalllllllright. Getting to the latter half of this here cleanse. Feeling pretty good about eating well, still really looking forward to eating cooked food... And cheese. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I probably will never go vegan. I am a big fan of eating less meat and not consuming too much dairy, but even in moderation I think I need them in my diet. 

Despite all this, I am still happy I'm doing this raw cleanse. It is a good experience and I'm feeling some drastic effects in my body. I feel like I'm ready to get back on top of my eating habits and ready to fully embrace everything in moderation. I hate the idea of completely eliminating certain foods from my diet. Fast foods, sodas, and deep fried food I'm pretty okay to eat on the very rare occasion, if not at all, but I enjoy cheese, bread, and meat too much to say no forever.

I have decided that after the cleanse I will only eat candies or goodies if they are home-made. I will only eat them if I or someone I know have made them myself. I think this is a good way to still have goodies I enjoy, but limit the amount and for sure motivate me to try out new recipes. It will also mean that I won't be consuming all the preservatives and unnecessary chemicals that go into packaged foods.

Today I had a yummy green smoothie, a little different from the last:

-spinach

-pineapple

-kiwi

-ginger root

-celery

-coconut water

yummmmmmmm

Eat Well,

G

Raw Food Cleanse DAY 2

So made it through the first day without a scratch. The second day has been pretty good! I did have to watch my guy eat Tim Horton's without me, and Wendy's last night :/. I'll get him on board with me soon though! So I had a green smoothie for breakfast:

-mango

-kale

-cucumber

-apple

-coconut water

I also had another spinach and guac salad for lunch, but for dinner I had this awesome Zucchini Mango Salad yummmmmmmmm :)

So onto something not so nice about this cleanse that maybe you don't want to hear about. Since I have been eating so many fibrous veggies and fruits, but not much insoluble fibres, my *ahem* stool has been a little... Watery... I don't feel ill or like I can't control it, but it's obviously not comfortable. I'm for sure feeling the cleansing effects haha.

Anyway, enough of the gross stuff. I am honestly excited for the cleanse to be over so I can start cooking again. I'm missing the warm comforting food for these harsh Nova Scotian winters. I'm going to be making a new eating plan for after the cleanse so I can keep the motivation of the health train.  

Eat Well,

G