Glowy.

brown rice pasta with fresh basil pesto and kale
So much better than it sounds.. really..


Two weeks and counting people. Today officially marks day 15, I've only got 6 days to go. But let's set things straight: I haven't been a complete angel this whole time. There was that batch of cookies I brought over to a friend recently and at least one of them had to be tested by me for quality assurance. Oh those chocolate chips! Sweet, sweet paradise.

But this darn detox has been much easier than I expected it to be. I never thought I would say it but I think I actually prefer brown rice pasta to the regular stuff. It seems to have a better al dente quality, if you're into that sort of thing. And since I do have a tendency to get hooked on a particular ingredient for stretches at a time, my sudden addiction to kale can't be too much of a surprise.
I'm telling you, that kale. Is it possible to eat too much?
I can't seem to get enough of it. I just want to snuggle up to it at night and read it bedtime stories. In the summer I want to plant a garden and fill it with just kale.
That is how much I love it.

My efforts seem to have been rewarded with some welcome comments on the state of my skin this past week ranging from "luminous" to "hydrated".
I mean really. Luminous? If Gwyneth and I stood side by side, I just might out-glow her.

So what happens after day 21? I'm not sure. It doesn't seem quite right to celebrate a healthy liver and a clean system by mucking it all up again. So I think I'll just have to ease back into it slowly.
A hot cup of coffee might just be first on the list.

A little healthier than the day before

Since I made such a big spectacle of announcing that I was going to be detoxing I thought I should fill you in now that a few days has passed.
The good news is: I'm still alive and I have not turned the colour of spinach or carrots.
After several days of snacking on rice cakes I actually find myself satisfied by them and not wishing I could top them with cheese or potato chips or chocolate or a combination of all three.

However, I did feel a bit dorky when a friend invited me to come over for dinner later this week and I told her I'd have to bring my own food. Good thing she's known me since we were 12 years old and I can comfortably get away with that kind of thing. I certainly wasn't about to give her a list of what I can and can't eat and make her go to all sorts of extra trouble, right?
I mean really.
I'm detoxing, but it doesn't mean I have to be a pain in the ass.

The big shocker was that I actually made a batch of madeleines for another friend and I swear to you not a single crumb passed my lips. I just had to have faith that they turned out right and the word on the street was that everything was a-ok.

So, I'm feeling good. That headache that had me swearing like a sailor on the first day did not reappear. This detox plan doesn't feel at all like deprivation which is key, because I would be complaining so much more if it did.

I did have a minor conniption fit when I realized that soy sauce was not allowed, especially since I planned on eating all sorts of things that just taste better with soy sauce, like tofu and rice and sashimi. But because it often contains wheat or yeast or both, and are loaded with sodium, it is considered not particularly detox-friendly. It breaks my heart, it really does.

But the miracle that is the internet led me to this product which is made from just soybeans and purified water. The website makes it sound all test tube-y and strange, but the ingredients speak for themselves. I found it at my local health food store and am happy to report that it actually does the trick. It's much better than low sodium soy sauces which just taste like someone sucked the flavour right of out it and sold me a bottle of 'bland'. After my 21 days on this detox are up I'm definitely going to keep using it. But of course, I'll keep the Kikkoman on hand for when we have guests. Come on, I'm not crazy.


So, listen, I've got 16 days to go. I'm thinking it can only get easier, right?
I'll keep you posted.

Detoxing. Because I really am that fun.

I bet you are just dying to come over for lunch..


I think this whole flu and cold business has made me a little crazy. February has really sucked for G and I. We cancelled dates with friends and basically locked ourselves in our apartment 2 weekends in a row with nothing to entertain us but the sound of our own complaining. And I was the lucky one; G suffered far more than I.

I know I've said it enough, but our TV is still in the process of being shipped from the UK and nothing is worse than being sick and having no TV to take your mind off of the misery.

We spent one evening complaining about how bored we were before we finally broke out a deck of cards and set about trying to learn some old and obscure card game called Bezique. The instructions should include a forewarning that trying to learn it may make your brain melt. Trying to learn it while sick, may actually make your brain implode.

But I've had enough of this being sick business and have decided to take extreme measures in the form of a 21 day detox.
It hurts me just to write that. At the risk of stating the obvious, 21 days is 3 weeks.
For 3 weeks I am saying goodbye to red meat, cow's milk dairy, wheat, gluten, sugar, caffeine and alcohol and in their place I have stocked my cupboards with bread made of quinoa, brown rice pasta, tofu and all manner of things that probably won't have you running over to my house for lunch.

It's not all bad though. I mean, on what other occasion would I have turned my nose to a chewy golden baguette and opted for a dense, slightly orange coloured quinoa loaf? And I was surprised to discover that it doesn't taste all that bad. Top that with some detox-friendly pumpkin seed butter and I can feel my immune system getting stronger already.


My detox breakfast: quinoa bread with pumpkin seed butter

So yeah, I'm embracing the craziness and doing what needs to be done. I haven't had a good night's sleep in over 2 weeks, I seem to have a constantly sore throat and I just feel like I need a good reboot.

I started my detox this weekend and was feeling pretty enthusiastic about it. Except that I woke up on the next morning with a pounding headache.
Grr.

But then I remembered that it's all part of the detoxing--caffeine withdrawal and such. I guess no one ever said detoxing was fun. But the rough patch is only supposed to last a day or two so I'm banking on that.

So wish me luck. This may be a bumpy ride. But by the end of it, I should be as glowy as Gwyneth Paltrow. Or so they say.


Where's my baguette? Oh yeah, it's in my dreams.


The Optional Reading
********
If you're interested, here is the detox plan that I'm following. I'm basically eating wheat and gluten free breads, vegetables, soy products, legumes, yogurt, chicken, fish, turkey, brown rice and any grains or pasta products not made with wheat. And there are some exceptions to the rules.
They say no caffeine, but green tea is allowed. They say no gluten, but spelt bread is allowed because it apparently has minimal gluten. Sugar is not allowed, but honey is ok. etc. etc.

Of course, it's probably best if you read the book and get all the info on it and all the exceptions, but since this is going to occupy the next 21 days of my life I figured it might help to spell it out a little bit. I'm not recommending you do it, I'm just saying that I am. If you have a problem with the idea of detoxing in general, I recommend this website.


Me, Detoxing
My first day was fine. Although I seem to have gone heavy on the carbs, (oops) but a girl has to ease into it. I mean, I stuck to the rules so I get points for that, right?

Breakfast: green tea, 1 slice quinoa bread with pumpkin seed butter.
I bowl sheep's milk yogurt.

Lunch: spelt pita with hummous and salad greens, mint tea

Snack: brown rice crackers, celery sticks, some more green tea.

Dinner: Brown rice noodles with sheep's milk feta, olive oil and lemon dressing, cracked black pepper and a side of roasted french green beans.

And then a rather unsatisfying late evening snack of more brown rice crackers. Maybe by day 5 they'll start to taste like a treat. Let's hope.