3 days done, only another 27 to go…oh god!

So on day 1 I was feeling pretty good, day 2 I still felt rather virtuous and proud of myself, but day 3 has been tough. Perhaps it was the fact that I started the day with a Boxing class, and I felt as if I was running on empty with no chance of reaching top speed. I did have a Super Green Smoothie before the class, but two days of low carbohydrates hadn’t left me much in the way of energy stores and I felt far from super.

Then by mid-day a headache began which I haven’t managed to shift. I wasn’t expecting it, but even though I am not a coffee drinker, stopping the 2-3 teas (black and green) must have been enough to give me a caffeine withdrawal.

On the up side, I have done pretty well at sticking to the detox; I do feel that I need a little more variation though. 

Planning is certainly the key to sticking to it. Plus, it’s definitely good to clear the house of temptation before starting…a few squares of Green & Black Chocolate have been plaguing me and I can’t quite bring myself to throw them away, instead they wave at me each time I open the fridge, saying “eat me Karen”.

Okay, here is a peek at my three day eating plan…warts and all.

Breakfast	Snack	Lunch	Snack	Dinner	Beverages
Day 1: Hot water and ¼ squeezed lemon Glass of green smoothie 2 boiled eggs, EVO oil and sumac	Apple, cashews and macadamias Bliss ball	2 x organic roasted chicken legs and winter cabbage and carrot slaw	Bliss ball Orange, cashew and macadamias	Fillet steak and mixed leafy salad Fried (in coconut oil) banana and goats yogurt	5 glasses of water 4 herbal teas
Day 2: Hot water and ¼ squeezed lemon 2 boiled eggs, tomatoe and spinach Orange juice	Apple 2 dates and handful of almonds	2 x organic roasted chicken legs and mixed salad Soaked chia seeds, blueberries and passionfruit  pot	Orange and handful of almonds 2 bliss balls 1 glass of Green Smoothie	Flathead fillet and mixed salad with tahini dressing	5 glasses of water 4 herbal teas
Day 3: Glass of Green Smoothie and 2 chlorella tablets 2 boiled eggs, mushrooms and silverbeet	Apple Almonds, Brazils and Walnuts (handful) 1 date and 1 fig	2 chicken legs and mixed salad 2 chlorella tablets Soaked chia and blueberry pot	2 bliss balls Passionfruit and mandarin Flats (vegie and flax dehydrated crackery things) with left over pate	Fish soup (including ocean trout and flathead, lots of fresh coriander, basil and some celery, sprinkle of fennel seeds) 2 chlorella tablets Orange, goats yogurt and kiwi fruit	6 glasses of water 4 herbal teas

I have to confess I have had a few slip ups: 

*goats yogurt (I know its dairy, but I had some left in the fridge and it’s too good to throw away)

*used butter to fry the flathead (more dairy, but in my defence butter is a stable fat, should have steamed it or baked it to avoid the butter ) 

*I ate pate (it was duck liver pate, French, but not exactly organic, very tasty though).

Still finding my detox feet…

The Beginning of a Detox

Since Spring has rapidly graced us with its presence, I feel the need to Detox some of the winter sludge and lighten my diet somewhat, keeping my motivation alive by sharing my progress and experiences with you! 

I have decided on the following detox plan:

EAT	AVOID
Meat (lean red & organic poultry)	Sugar
Fish	Processed food
Eggs	Grains
Nuts and seeds	Beans and Legumes
Fruits	Dairy
Vegetables (especially green ones)	Starchy foods
Oil –  EV Olive Oil & Flaxseed oil
DRINK	AVOID
Water (At least 2 litres)	Alcohol
Herbal tea	Caffeine
	Sugary drinks

I suppose this detox is nudging at a Palaeolithic style diet, and this feels right for me because it’s been a Winter of maxing out on carbohydrates – roasted potatoes, risottos, pastas, porridges and breads – and my body has wanted all of it. 

Now with Spring well and truly in the air I am ready to move away from the grains and starch – and ramp up the vegetables and lean protein.

Preparation is the key in any Detox, so my day before went a little bit like this: 

-        Shopping – first to Frenchs Forest market to get some organic vegetables plus I picked up some organic fuji apples, lemons and bananas. Then I nipped to Coles to get some organic chicken and some lean fillet (not organic but hormone free)

-        Cooking – roasted some chicken legs to have cold for lunches

-        Snacks – I’ve made a batch of ‘Bliss Balls’ (check out recipe ) feeling a bit flash with new food processor so made two batches – a low dried fruit version for me and a bit more dried fruit for ‘sweet tooth’ Hans.

-        Last supper – I’ve invited 4 friends round to join us in our ‘last supper’ before we start – on the menu is Vegetable Lasagna (with extra cheeseJ) and a couple of salads, washed down with some red wine, then chocolate for dessert – Ha! Well I might as well have something to detox.

      Wish me luck...! 

Food from Plants

Well I am finally biting the bullet, creative juices flowing, committing to a weekly juicy bite to send out to the world. I have roped in my colleagues Karen and Hayley to contribute too - their insight & perspective on wellbeing, nutrition, herbal medicine and what makes us healthy is spot-on. Karen recently embarked on a 'must practice what I preach' detox and will share her experience in the following weeks. I can feel myself get a little itchy, on the verge of daily postings that irritate even the most avid fans...this should be fun! 

So in brief, a bit of food for thought for this week - the key to healthy eating lies in not what we shouldn't eat (there is plenty of that we know about), but what we SHOULD be eating. 

Food from Plants.

Only 9% of Australian adults, according to the Bureau of Statistics, consume the recommended daily intake of vegetables (5 serves) and fruit (1 -2 serves). And just to shock you even more (I made an audible 'what!' when I read this) - 40% of Australians do not recall eating ANY vegetables on a given day. Imagine how we could change our health outlook if we simply ate more plant food?