don't stop til you get enough

Today closes the first work week of a cleanse I started on Monday. It's the one outlined in Quantum Wellness and it feels way less like a "cleanse" and more like just a really specific way to eat for three weeks. I know the book was a big deal on Oprah a while ago, but I just recently heard about it and really felt a connection to the way Kathy Freston talks about eating and our eating habits. So for the duration of the cleanse I have not/will not eat any animal products, sugar, caffeine or gluten. It's tough because it involves way more planning and thinking but that is also precisely why it's great too.

Figuring out a healthy food balance has been on my mind lately. I had a class last semester studying the value different cultures place upon food and we read some great articles including a lot of Michael Pollan who is a big advocate of eating natural, organic food for personal, economic and agricultural reasons. I think he's great and like that he looks at food from a global view because the products we choose affect more people than just ourselves.

So generally I try to be aware, try to eat healthy and buy locally but I know I have a nasty sweet tooth and all too often opt for something that will fill me quickly and cheaply rather than fill me properly. Reading Quantum Wellness I just felt a real and true desire to rid myself of bad habits that I so easily fall into and a three week, concentrated attention to my diet felt like a nice fit right now. Luckily, roommate Naomi got on board too, so Monday she loaded up our kitchen with fresh fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes and we've been rolling vegan style since. Like often is the case, I've found that once I stop and question my motives behind why I do what I do, I have realized a whole slew of things and have felt much more aware of not only food-related decisions, but my motivations behind all kinds of decisions in my life.

So...I am doing flowers for a wedding tomorrow and to pump myself up for a day without my usual flower arranging Sonic 32 ouncer in my hand, a reminder of the progress I've made so far:

1. I avoided the delicious Costco chocolate chip cookies that the receptionist buys every Monday...and avoided them every day since (that one is seriously difficult)
2. Also avoided the fully stocked Diet Dr. Pepper and Diet Coke shelf at work
3. I added broccoli to the spinach/berry/soy protein shake I usually drink every morning and it's surprisingly delicious
4. I didn't buy myself a Sonic Blast or any other sugary treat after Morgan was born
5. I didn't buy myself a treat any other day just because I passed a store/felt like candy/was out with friends/wanted M&Ms for dinner.
6. I am SO glad our good friend Kent is well versed in the world of organic food because he suggested a soy ice cream that has a great sweet taste AND he made us some delicious tofu curry on Wednesday
7. I have felt really pretty great so far even with some heavy sugar cravings and some overall tiredness

But the weekend is before me...a time usually full of magical sugary delights, bread at Sunday dinner and the most delicious, coldest sodas known to man at my mom's house. Please bless I make it to Monday!