How exactly does a self-proclaimed bread lover, sweet tooth and all around foodie get roped into a food cleanse? The answer—my mother. My mom, who is a huge health nut, has been begging me for years to try cutting gluten and processed sugars from my diet. She hoped that by eliminated certain foods from my diet I would feel more energized and less sluggish. In addition, she was convinced that a cleaner diet would finally rid me of my persistent case of acne and lessen my rosacea. Of course, as any dutiful daughter would do, I stubbornly refused. That is, until in a search to find a new primary care physician I found myself with an appointment at an Integrative Medicine practice (I’m from California, give me a break). Long story short, I left the appointment with a new diet plan, two oral supplements and two weird looking powders all of which are supposed to promote liver and digestive health. Finally, I was doing what I had been avoiding for years. And after seeing the bill at the doctor’s office, there was no way I was going to half-ass it. I was all in.
My new diet consisted of fruits, most veggies (with an emphasis on dark leafy greens), raw nuts and seeds, beans, a limited selection of whole and unprocessed grains, wild caught fish, and free-range chicken and turkey. I was not allowed to eat gluten, dairy, sugar or sweeteners of any kind, eggs, red meat, peanuts, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, corn, dried fruit, fried foods, or anything processed. In addition to cutting out a lot of foods from my diet, my food plan required that I replaced one meal a day with a smoothie. My diet seemed so restrictive and I was scared that I would spend the next two weeks constantly hangry and dreaming of food I couldn’t have. However, I was determined and I started with as much optimism as one can have given they are now only fish and turkey away from being vegan.
The first day went surprisingly well. I had an unconventional breakfast bowl with quinoa, arugula, steamed broccoli, Persian cucumber, hummus I had made the night before and a whole baked sweet potato. I drizzled everything with olive oil and fresh lemon juice. On the side I had a glass of water and all my vitamins and supplements. I spent the afternoon hiking with my sister and came back home with a rumbling tummy. I decided to try my first smoothie. I followed the recipe I had been given by the doctor. It consisted of blueberries, chia seeds, coconut water, a handful of kale and one scoop each of the powders I bought at the doctor’s office. I am a huge smoothie fan but I don’t care much for supplemental powders. Needless to say, while not inedible, the smoothie was not my favorite. Dinner consisted of baked sweet potato spears, roasted beets, homemade spinach pesto (sans parmesan cheese of course), a green salad with apples, and roasted chicken. I went the whole day feeling well fed and didn’t blink an eye at the pancakes my dad made for breakfast or the Girl Scout cookies in the pantry. In fact, during the course of my diet I found that I rarely craved any of the forbidden foods as long as I ate two solid meals plus my smoothie each day. This was surprising to me, especially since I was nearing the date of my special time of month. I am usually a notorious snacker, especially around my period. But for the two weeks I was on my diet, I seemed to be cured of my usual cravings.
By day three, I discovered if I wasn’t in charge of making all my meals, including family dinner, I wasn’t going to be able to eat. As it turns out, family members can be quite forgetful. As a result, over the course of the two weeks, I cooked a lot, and I got really creative. I steamed, roasted, baked and grilled all the vegetables, tried different soups and salads, and experimented with different dips and sauces to make meals more exciting. I even roasted a whole chicken for the first time and made homemade almond milk. Most people would groan about such a seemingly restrictive diet, but I found that I had quite a diverse set of food options. I was never bored by what I ate and I never felt like I was eating unsubstantial or bland “rabbit food.” This is probably because I like to cook and was willing to put in the time and effort into making sure I ate delicious things. I also happen to live in arguably the best state for food (yay California!) with access to fresh and local produce all year round. As a result, I think this diet would have been next to impossible to manage at school because of Sherman’s slim pickings or if I had a fulltime job because of the time commitment.
By the end of the first full week, the diet started to suck. I learned watching Food Network was a bad, bad idea. Also, eating out was next to impossible. My family ordered takeout during the second week from one of my favorite places and there was nothing on the menu I could eat. Smelling their food when my sister brought it home was torture. Plus, even though I was committed to cooking a eating well, preparing a wholesome meal for myself three times a day became tiring. There were days I looked in the pantry and wished I could just pour myself a bowl of cereal and be over with it.
I managed to power through and found that at the end, it was all worth it. Overall I started to become a lot more aware of my body and what I was putting inside it. I learned that I feel really good about eating well. I don’t know if it was just the placebo effect, but I did feel more energized and less sluggish. Plus, just as my mom predicted, my skin cleared up almost completely. Nevertheless, while I’m not going to say goodbye to kale and clean eating, this diet is definitely not forever. One of the most valuable things the doctor told me at the beginning of the diet was to never feel bad about what I eat. I’m young, she told me, and I should enjoy my life. And you know what, I think I will.