Cleansing

I do this fantastic cleanse about twice a year. I found out about it through a dear friend of mine, Amanda, several years ago, and have since used the cleanse to reestablish my natural body flow whenever I'm feeling out of balance. The cleanse if from the book If the Buddha Came to Dinner.


Usually, when I tell people I'm cleansing, they think I'm on an all-juice diet, or not eating all together. Not at all true. I actually probably eat MORE during the day than I do when I'm normally eating, I'm just eating "cleanse" foods. (I have to admit, the hardest thing about this cleanse is giving up coffee. Man, I love my coffee...)

During the first phase, I eat only fresh fruits and vegetables. They can be raw, cooked, steamed, whatever. I've decided my favorite 1st-phase meal for this time around is fried potatoes and onions (in a little olive oil, okay on the cleanse) with sliced avocado.

Today marks the start of my second phase, where I am allowed to add in some grains, nuts, and seeds. I usually choose brown rice, almonds, walnuts, and sunflower seeds.

The final phase lets you eat a bit of protein, in the form of beans and tofu.

All three phases allow you to "spice up" your food with a few approved spices, like sea salt, black pepper, dill, garlic, and cinnamon. This definitely helps. You can also drink room-temperature water or tea. (As I said, no coffee. Sigh.)

What is great is that YOU choose how long to do the cleanse. I usually do a 9-day cleanse - 5 days of the first phase, 2 days of the second phase, and 2 days of the third phase.

By the end of the cleanse, I feel better, have lost a bit of weight, and feel good about myself. And since this is what I'm going through right now, I thought I'd share.