Day 4: Starting to lose my detox mojo. Did well with everything all day then had dinner in the mall food court – I ordered a superfood salad from Chick Fil-A but it just was not cutting it for me… so supplemented it with 3 fries and a chicken nugget. Those were the best 3 fries and chicken nugget my mouth has ever tasted.
Day 5 started out okay, but by the end of the day I decided I definitely need a cheeseburger. So we had dinner at Burger-Fi and I thoroughly enjoyed every sinful bite.
So that was it, that was the official end of the detox. Do I feel guilty for quitting before day 15? Yes. But I’ve decided I’m not going to beat myself up over it. Here’s my summary of the experience:
The Bad
- It’s very difficult to prepare and eat one type of food while also preparing and serving a completely different type of food to a house full of people. It would be much easier to do if everyone in the house was on the same diet so the temptations weren’t so readily available.
- Veggies are delicious but they make me gassy. Very very gassy. I felt like I couldn’t leave the house through most of the detox because I dropped stink bombs every time I took a step. It doesn’t feel good to be so gassy, it certainly doesn’t smell good, and it made me feel like a prisoner of my house.
- I was hoping to feel an energy boost after a couple days of the mostly-vegetable diet, but I really felt kind of tired all the time. After the cheeseburger meal I felt like my old self again. I think my body just needs cheeseburgers, period.
The Good
- The health issues I was experiencing prior to the detox are now completely gone – even the nighttime coughing thing that lingered for 6+ weeks. It could have been the Chinese herbal supplements or the new diet – most likely a combination of the two. Either way, I’m 100% back to good health! Yay! 🙂
- I now know how to cook with all kinds of healthy ingredients that I never tried before! I’ll continue using coconut aminos in place of soy sauce because it tastes exactly the same. Dandy Blend is a nice healthy coffee alternative and blends well with all liquids, so I like adding this to my morning vanilla smoothie. SunButter, oooooh the SunButter. It’s like heaven in a jar. Great substitute for peanut butter, made with sunflower seeds. Perfect for dipping apples into, or for making a banana SunButter sandwich, yum. I also like the taste of coconut oil – something I previously only used topically in lotions and soaps!
- I learned that I love spaghetti squash (never had it before the detox!), and roasted broccoli florets – though both make me gassy so I have to eat them in moderation.
- I have 2 new kitchen gadgets which I plan to continue using: a food processor (can’t wait to try making hummus like my Aunt Donna’s!) and a fun lemon squeezer, which Jacob absolutely loves using, too. Lemons are great for clearing/brightening skin, aiding digestion, boosting energy, and elevating mood. Aaaand they’re affordable! I plan to keep squeezing lemon juice into my water and tea regularly. Side note: I learned about the magic of lemon juice a few months ago and occasionally dropped lemon essential oil (by Young Living) into a glass of water, but it always seemed to just float on the surface and didn’t taste nearly as good as the fresh squeezed lemons. Another side note: You can buy lemons by the sack and it’s cheaper than buying them individually.
- I will continue drinking Amazing Grass Protein Superfood each day because it is packed with nutrition and tastes great.
- The detox plan came with a recipe book which I plan to continue trying recipes from. It includes several healthy desserts too – can’t wait to try those!
Overall it was a good experience and although I didn’t end up feeling super energetic and renewed, I did learn a lot about nutrition and I believe I will [generally] make better food choices because of it.