So I'm currently on week two (almost three) of a six week liver detox diet. I'm doing this in support of my sister Emily who is doing the same diet in London as part of the health plan her naturopath has set out for her. I'm also doing it because I've been looking for a reason to stretch my diet to include different ingredients and foods (as part of my new year resolution) in an overall attempt to improve my health.
So far this has been the strictest, weirdest, hardest to follow diet I've ever been on, and I've been dieting pretty much non-stop since I was 6. Seriously. I've done Slim Fast, South Beach, Zone, Atkins, and a million other diets. I've even played around with a few different eating disorders and trust me- exercise bulemia is actually a little easier than this diet because of all the prep work that you have to put in to this. The basic goal of the diet is not really weight loss, but just to detox your system- you know... get out all the yucky gunk that's clogging the pipes. To that end, it eliminates any and all food that could possibly contain allergens. That means no dairy, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, wheat, eggs, pork, beef, bird (unless it's organic), shellfish, corn or corn byproducts, oats, sugar, honey, maple products, peanuts, soy products, and caffeine.
That leaves me with pretty much brown rice, lamb, fish, organic chicken and turkey, quinoa, and veggies to eat. Do you know how many foods contain beef, pork, corn, tomatoes, and sugar? Like all of them! Wheat and dairy are impossible to escape as well. I didn't think that dairy would be as hard to give up as it is b/c I've been off milk for almost 10 years (b/c I'm fully allergic... no, NOT lactose intollerant... ALLERGIC), but I CAN have processed milk products like yogurt, butter, and cheese in small quantities. We've been stretching to find good food to eat and we've had quite a few hits and misses over the past two or so weeks.
Here are the cons:
-I love cheese, which is totally off limits. This is hard b/c most of my MOST delicious recipes are cheese-based.
-I LOVE tomatoes, and my gorgeous tomato bushes are starting to ripen. I have a feeling tomatoes may be the first food to make it back in when I start adding foods back in a few weeks. Also, do you know how hard it is to cook healthy food without tomatoes? They are the basis of SO many delicious, nutritious things.
-I am SO sick of chicken. I never want to eat it again.
-Some of the ingredients are hard to find or a little expensive.
So here's the pros:
-My skin is totally clear for the first time since I went off birth control in 2004
-I have had no heartburn at all, even when eating foods that usually make me a little ill like banana bread (wheatless, eggless, dairyless banana bread, that is) which is a recurring problem for me.
-I have had no gastrointestinal upsets for two weeks, which is the bomb b/c I'm pretty sure I'm developing an allergy to gluten which may be why I'm pretty much constantly sick to my stomach most of the time.
-I have lost 2-3 pounds, which is cool because it's not a calorie restricted diet and I'm eating like a queen but losing weight anyway. It's AWESOME!
-I have broken my addiction to sweets that was the bane of my existance. I cheated once on Tuesday this week, and found the cake I was eating so unsatisfying that I was not even tempted to cheat later on when presented with the opportunity.
-I have learned so many awesome new things that I can use to cook healthier meals for my family long-term, like egg substitutes (flax meal and water works great!), rice flour, and quinoa!
-I have learned how to prepare foods I never even considered using in the past, like lamb. Luis HATES lamb from his childhood experiences in Mexico. However, I grilled some last night b/c we were about to go chicken-crazy and he loved it so much he had seconds.
Anyway, if you want some yummy, easy, gluten/egg/dairy free recipes, give me a shout out. I'm working on typing some of them up for Emily anyway because she's been on the diet even longer than me and is really running low on ideas.
3 comments:
Yes please send recipes! Tell me more about this quinoa..if you like it I trust you and will give it a try myself..if I know how to use properly that is :)
I want new healthy Ideas!!! I am so low on ideas... You rock my socks!
Thanks for your comment on my blog... I'd love any recipes you'd like to share! I'm amazed you can stick to such a restricted menu - can you have soy? And flaxseed as an egg sub is great! Share any other tips you find. :)
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