Day One of the Cleanse. The beginning of the end.

This is why I've always been afraid to blog. Sometimes everyone gets to see you trip and fall...Here it goes. 


So it's the night of the first cleansing day. I'm feeling a little foolish for thinking this was a good idea. Don't get me wrong, the concept of raw food is absolutely incredible. But I'm feeling pretty silly for thinking it was a good idea to do a 21 day raw food cleanse in the middle of winter. And in the middle of blasted Ohio. Let me further explain some of my recent findings. 


I recently re-read some of Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet and made some realizations. She stated in one chapter that she was living in New York during winter time trying to follow a raw vegan diet until visiting her naturopathic doctor. The doctor explained that you shouldn't be consuming only raw "cold" foods (i.e. pineapple) in the winter, UNLESS you live in a climate zone that yields such foods during the season. HELLO LIGHTBULB! I mean I'm not totally stupid, I realize I can't get a lot of things organic regardless of the season because of where I live, but I guess I kind of dropped the ball when it came to researching exactly WHEN and WHERE to perform a cleanse. 


I researched some more after reading that and came across some other info that reiterated exactly what the book said."Detoxing decreases your body temperature. Therefore, it is most comfortable when you are in a warm place. If your house is normally cold in winter and warm in summer, then wait until summer for your detox." 


Please pause while I have a face in palm moment. 


Ahh ok. A couple more things come into play with our decision. I made the trip to the grocery store with a trusty sidekick, and when I got the bill I wasn't too surprised. It was about 40 bucks more than I usually spend so I wasn't completely shocked by the total. Fast forward to the next day as I am preparing our kale salad and over half the kale is being thrown into the compost because it is bad. The celery, which is organic, just doesn't taste right and I gag through each bite until I finally throw that in the compost bin as well. I was able to get a majority of the items on my list organic, but for the price that I paid the quality just doesn't cut it. $4  for just one head of cauliflower when I usually buy it in the summer for $2. I'm not saying I won't buy anymore cauliflower until the summer, but I definitely can't continue to buy 4 heads at a time paying $16 for sub-par veggies. 


So we will continue with our cleanse until Saturday, that's how far in advance I purchased food. After that it's McDonald's and Wendy's for us...hahaha NOT! We will continue in our vegan ways, just adding back in our whole grains like brown rice and couscous, and sauteing some of our veggies as well. I can't say it was all bad, I figured out a lot of new great meals and snacks that we can use to compliment our "warm" dishes until summer comes along! We will definitely be keeping the smoothies around as well especially for breakfast and snacks because we really love them. 


So in closing I hope that I haven't disappointed anybody too much. I'm already feeling a bit of failure and remorse, but I know I need to do what's right for my body and there is always a next time. I will be proud of myself even after just a 7 day cleanse because damn it I'm already craving a cupcake! Sorry for letting you down peeps, I hope you don't shake me for good and still take time to visit the blog!!! And here's a recipe for you from a great site Incredible Smoothies!!!

Banana-Nut Smoothie
1 banana
2 tbs natural creamy peanut butter
3-4 strawberries
2 cups fresh baby spinach 
½ cup water

Blend and Enjoy!!!!!