Coconut sweet potato with a side of salad

For dinner this VERY SIMPLE recipe is your yummy comfort food.

Ingredients: Sauce - 1/4c. coconut milk, 1T maple syrup (only from VT will do), 1t cinnamon. Mix in bowl. Add 1-2 yam / sweet potato (or both). Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees F. Done!

I served with a salad of greens, toasted pecans, golden raisins and avocado with a simple balsamic vinaigrette.

Tempeh w/ Curried Cashew Sauce - Vegetarian Times

 Try this recipe - it's honestly good. It's from Vegetarian Times.

Tempeh w/ Curried Cashew Sauce
Tempeh: 1T rice vinegar, 2T soy sauce, 1.5T honey, 1.5T finely chopped peeled fresh ginger, 1 garlic clove, minced, 1 (8oz) package organic tempeh cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
Sauce: 1t olive oil, 2T coarsely chopped unsalted cashews, 1/2c. chopped onion, 1/4t curry powder, 1 garlic clove minced, 1/4c. coconut milk, 2T hot water, 1/8t salt

To prepare tempeh, heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add first 5 ingredients to pan, stirring with a whisk. Add tempeh. Bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes or until liquid is almost evaporated, stirring frequently. Place tempeh in mixing bowl, cover and keep warm.
To prepare sauce, heat oil in small saucepan over medium high heat. Add cashews to pan and cook until lightly browned. Add onion to pan and saute until tender. Add curry powder and 1 garlic clove to pan, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Place cashew mixture, water and salt in blender. Blend until smooth. Add cashew sauce to tempeh, toss gently to coat. Serve with pita wedges.

The salad was simple - spinach leaves and sauteed pear in maple syrup and some roasted pine nuts with a simple dressing of a sprinkle of olive oil, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, squeeze of an orange and some agave nectar whisked and drizzled over the lettuce

Week 2 Begins (Day 8)

So I need to clarify. The diet I am following is a 28-day diet. This cleanse for me will only last for 20 days. Why you ask? Simple. I turn 28 (haha - how ironic) on day 21 of the diet and I plan to eat cake. And lots of it. I was recently asked if I would continue the diet after my cake binge and to that my answer is simple, that this diet is more of a lifestyle change for me overall, and though I will probably not continue the cleanse to the extent I am currently, I will most likely continue to adapt many of it's principles into my daily routine.

That said, today begins week two. I woke up not feeling hungry at all. In fact, I hardly had a hunger craving all day. Granted, I also haven't been doing much physical exertion either, but still, I didn't eat my first meal until 3:30. And even then, I wasn't famished. I think overall my continuous munching on nuts and fruit has shrunk my stomach. Today’s brekkie / lunch / late lunch was a delicious tofu scramble. I've never had a tofu scramble before - but I might be a convert. It's basically just sautéed veggies (we used mushrooms, red pepper, chilies, onion, carrots, celery) with tofu and fresh herbs (chives, dill, parsley). Seasoned - eaten with avocado and salsa.

Dinner... Potato Leek Soup.

Potato Leek Soup: 3-4c. potatoes, peeled, 64 oz, water, 3 c. leeks (thinly sliced), 1T Cletic sea salt, black pepper to taste, 2-3T parsley or chives. Cut leeks lengthwise in half. Wash carefully to get out any dirt. Thinly slice into half moon (include the entire length of leek). Simmer the vegetables, water and salt together for 40-50 minutes, partially covered. Mash the vegetables with a fork or emulsion blender. Top with herbs before serving. * Julia Child (smith alumnae!) perfected this recipe - of course she would add butter or whipping cream right at the end. ;) Yummy!

So I did have just one cheat... a thin mint girl scout cookie. I felt badly (kinda, not really).. but seeing as how I was once a girl scout, I felt it my DUTY to have at least one. :)

I did have just one cheat - a thin mint girl scout cookie. I felt badly (kinda, not really).. but seeing as how I was once a girl scout, I felt it my DUTY to have just one! :)

Retrospective Day 7

My little 1/2 cup of oatmeal in the morning packs a lot of sustained energy throughout the day. For the first weekend in a long time, I have felt productive. Most weekends, I tend to feel lethargic and in need of a nap, but recently I don't have the same horizontal inclination as I used to. Saturday was beautiful in Portland. 
At 8 o'clock, I arrived at the vet to get Dogan's stitches out. By 8:20 I was as Les Schwab to get my tire fixed. While that happened, Dogan and I strolled about the neighborhood of Irvington for an hour. By the time I got home, I was ready to eat. Then I met Ross for tea at Tea Chai Te. Portlander's - AMAZING chai. I have yet to come to anything as good (Extracto on Killingsworth is a close second). 

Historically (haha), my diet has revolved around convenience. After a 6 mile run, I would normally come home and eat something along the lines of nachos. It's quick, it's easy and I love it. Today, since nachos were out and because nothing was jumping out at me (a drawer of fruit, some veggies, some hummus and olives), I decided to have another bowl of oatmeal with an orange. Yes, I was lazy - but if I want to change my overall diet, these are the moments in which I need to make it easier for myself to find a healthy, convenient alternative. 

Dinner was easy - Siam Society (thai restaurant in my neighborhood) has a whole menu separate from their normal menu that offers vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options (reason #1455 why I heart PDX). I got my favorite thai dish - cashew tofu but the star of the night was a bowl of thai coconut soup. It was so good, it literally made my day. The lemongrass and coconut combination were paired beautifully and I had to use all my self-restraint to not lick the bowl clean. There were a few little "cheats" on the dinner out - my dish came with white rice which technically I should have replaced with brown rice... but the great thing about this diet is that you can allow for little exceptions without ruining the benefit. 28 days, though long, is enough time to adjust your body to a healthier diet. It's not like those intense 48-hour or 1-week diets where a little cheat can cost you all the effort. 

On another note, my craving for a nighttime sweet (usually digestive cookies w/ 1/2 covered in milk chocolate) have virtually all disappeared. Don't get me wrong, I'd love a digestive cookie right now -but I don't crave dessert like I used to. You know - when 9 o'clock rolls around and you think to yourself, "Hmmm.. I'd love just something small and sweet right now?". 

Weight: 129-132 (fluctuates between meals and water consumption)

Week 1 complete.

Friday Night Dinner

This dinner deserves its own special post. Master Chef Bret pulled this one together after a sauna round at the gym. I give all credit to his culinary skills - this plate was DElish.

Salad: green leaf, red cabbage & purple kale with cucumbers (sliced), tomatoes (quartered), avocado (sliced), jicama (julienned) with a citrus dressing - orange juice (1 cup, fresh), juice of 1/2 lime, splash of apple cider vinegar, splash of canola oil, squeeze of agave, 1t grated ginger, S&P to season

Seasoned Fries: 1 potato (cut lengthwise into 1/2" stripes), seasoned with: old bay, cayenne, chili powder, S&P, olive oil: baked @ 450 degrees until crispy. Whole grain mustard makes for good dipping sauce.

Portobello Mushroom Sandwich: sautéed onions (sliced) & 1 red pepper (sliced) in olive oil (in medium heat until caramelized... put in peppers first b/c they take a bit longer). 2 portabellas (cleaned, stem removed from cap, top-side down, brushed with olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper, fresh (or dry) thyme), pop under broiler for about 5 minutes per side. Served on REALLY healthy bread (e.g. live grain bread). 

Let the weekend temptations come! (day 6)

It's Friday. There are sweets in the kitchen. My two coworkers have just come in with Starbucks and pastries. Woe is me! I glance back down at my lukewarm green tea. Nope - not satisfying me. I want a blueberry scone, moist and full of flavor bursting with every bite, followed by the warm sweetness of a soy chai. Be strong Beth. You're strong. I take a sip of my cooling green tea infused with pompegranet. Nope, it's definitely cold now. I glance over at my stash of cleanse-friendly food. Nuts? Kinda sick of them. Carrots? Too loud. Apple? Not in the mood. Grrrr. This is why I'm not normally a vegan.

For lunch I thought I'd try out whatever food carts in the area that served up cleanse-friendly fair. Today's winner? Sonny Bowl (http://www.foodcartsportland.com/?s=Sonny+Bowl). I thought I was going for oatmeal - but apparently oatmeal is only until 10am (mental note to get breakfast at work one day). So I opted for their version of a whole bowl - brown rice, pineapple, chickpeas, zuchinni, radishes, carrots, golden raisins, red onions, almonds and some sort of sweet sauce that uses agave nectar. I added some hot spices and yes, now my mouth is on fire. For $5 I got practically 3 servings! And this is why I love Portland so much - I am able to go to a food cart, get vegan friendly food for $5 have still have it for 2 more meals. Unreal. For all you PDX'ers who want a healthy cart to try out - Sonny Bowl on Washington & 3rd (*note, in the am it's called "Bloop Oatmeal cart").

Modified Sonny Bowl:

1c. brown rice (to cook use 1.5c water, boil then keep on low for 30-40 minutes)

1 can chick peas (rinsed)

1 sm. zucchini (sliced)

1 sm. carrot (sliced)

1 sm. red onion (diced and sautéed with garlic and agave nectar)

Fresh pineapple chucks (or from a can if needed - 1 can, reserve some of the juice for the sauce)

1 sm. avocado (diced)

Sauce: Mix over low heat: 2T sesame oil and add 1 clove minced garlic & sauté add red onion and 2T agave nectar, sauté till soft remove from heat and add 1t curry powder, 1/4t turmeric spice, 1/8t Celtic sea salt, 2 pinches cinnamon. Stir and add to sautéed vegetables.

Combine zucchini, carrot, pineapple in sauté pan, simmer over medium heat until veggies are soft. Combine with chickpeas and sauce. Add over brown rice, add avocado. Add sliced almonds for topping.

A big part of this cleanse is sweating. The authors recommend sauna rounds. Now I love the heat. I love to sweat. But there's something about dry intense heat in a small little room with nothing to do that makes it harder for me to endure. The main objective is to condition your skin to open / close to allow sweat to flow and allows for a flushing out of toxins. Our skin is our largest organ and has the ability to transform toxins into water-soluble (i.e. sweat) form. Other ways to treat your skin is to "skin brush" (vigorously brush skin before or during a shower); rehydrating, alkalinizing baths (sea salt or baking soda in a hot bath), and a good old fashioned cardio workout. So tonight I did a round at the sauna, swam some laps and then finished my skin workout off with a dip in the hot tub. Tough life - I'm telling you!

Dinner tonight: Roasted portobello mushrooms with caramelized red onions and red peppers with an asian salad with citrus vinaigrette complete with season oven-roasted chips. Thank to Master Chef Perkins.

PS. On this diet - you are technically allowed to eat meat. The rules?

1. No dairy. Period. It's too mucus forming

2. No eating meat by itself - animal products should only be 5-10% of the total meal. 

3. Choose only pure and organic.

4. If you do eat animal foods, you must sweat often each week. 

PPS. I was REALLY craving cheese after my bike home tonight. I mean, salivating for it kinda craving. I miss cheese.

El quinto día

So let's talk brekkie (that's breakfast... shortened... just in case you didn't get that upfront - which you should have, but just in case...).

Before the cleanse I would wake up craving my Harvest cinnamon cereal with soy milk. On weekends, I'd usually opt for exercise and then treat myself to an egg / veggie sausage / toast brunch (complete with cheese and maple syrup). Five days into this cleanse and I don't wake up hungry (noticeably anyway). The diet I'm on calls for 'groat oats'. I never heard of these before - but apparently they are what comes before the Quaker Oats Guy (note: Quaker oats dude is rumored to be Pennsylvania founder, Quaker William Penn - but apparently it's just some old guy dressed in Quaker gear. Seems a bit silly). Groat oats are little oat seeds that need to be boiled and then simmered for some ungodly amount of time (approx 8 hours). They give off a "oat cream" that settles on the top. I had a bowl of groats... and it was ok. But if I am going to be realistic about an overall diet change, it's not going to include the time-intensive groats. So I stick with my (already rolled) Quaker oats (cooked with water), with some golden raisins, agave nectar and a dash of cinnamon. It is actually pretty good and filling. I'll add a banana if I'm feeling sassy.

Agave nectar is actually a great sweetener if you are looking for a sugar replacement (http://www.allaboutagave.com/). Anything that's made from the same plant as tequila has my stamp of approval! Use it in replacement of honey, in dressings, over rice cakes... anything really! It's actually pretty good shit.

 

So yesterday I stomached beet  + other veggies in liquid form. Again - in terms of overall lifestyle change, not sure I will be juicing such a concoction again (in fact never - I hate beets). My juicing would probably fall into the lines of oranges, apples, bananas, berries... sweet sugary stuff :) The compromise? Finding juice recipes that have a twinge of sweetness but still have healthier components (like veggies). Until I get a juicer, I'll be drinking Odwalla "Superfood". I had always veered away from the stuff because it's green - and anything that looks THAT green must taste like grass. But actually, it's really good - sweet good (due to the fruit) but still has some of the healthier components like wheat grass, barley grains, and spirulina. Try it - you'll like it. I noticed this morning that my little Odwalla beverage also packed 130 calories. That got me thinking - what's my normal grande soy chai from Starbucks costing me in added-weight? As it turns out - between 150-200 calories a cup. And that doesn't include the second coffee I tend to go back for in the afternoon due to low energy levels.

Today's lunch - a simple "salad" of cherry tomatoes, avocado and cashews sprinkled with balsamic vinegar and some salt and pepper. I've noticed that I munch a lot (on nuts / carrots / fruit) but overall, my meal portions have gotten smaller. I've also noticed that the thin tire around my hips diminishing which is AWESOME. I was wondering how that got there...

As for my biking to and from work - I can tell I'm getting faster. I am using higher gears and getting home in record times. Of course, it helps that I'm naturally competitive with other cyclists and traffic lights. Every time I leave work I think to myself, "let's take this ride easy Beth - sit back, enjoy, relax, it's beautiful out and your legs are tired... just take it easy". That works until I spot some dude going slowly up ahead of me and I switch into, "just pass him before the next turn, it will make for a nicer ride to not be behind him", and then it goes to... "that light is about to turn orange - I have 10 seconds before I can safely cross the intersection - click gears, head down and PUSH!" Yeah - so I'm getting faster on my bike. Awesome.


Today I noticed at lunchtime that I hadn't been taking my normal hourly pee-break. What's going on? Am I retaining water? Am I not drinking enough? After grabbing my first glass of water for the day (mind you, I had already had a tea and a juice)  - I set out to find some answers. Apparently, my body will (has) adjust(ed) to the increased amount of fluids and I'll learn to hold water longer. Yippee! No more weird looks from all those coworkers I pass on my way to the bathroom. That said, I rarely know what my internal organs are up and did a bit of research on my little kidneys... suffice to say, I hope I never have to deal with a kidney failure of any sort - nor kidney stones for that matter!

Dinner tonight was not your average cafeteria fruit salad. I understand why Eve picked the forbidden fruit - because it tasted so damn good! Tonight's dinner was fruit salad - fresh pineapple, pear, orange, grapefruit, grapes and apple. Yum. This diet actually tries to veer you away from eating lots of fruit and suggests that you don't eat anything 60 minutes prior or 3 hours after you eat fruit.

Avocado / Cashew Salad: 1/2 - 1 avodaco, a handful of cashews, cherry tomatoes - sprinkle some balsalmic vinegar with a dash of S&P. Add chickpeas if you're feeling frisky.


* On a quick unrelated side note - my dog as started to opt for the top of the bed (right where the covers and the pillows meet rather than at the foot of the bed where he knows he is to be. Little bugger. He's too cute - I can't say no to him! He enjoyed the fruit salad too! :)

Day 4 - or should I be counting down?

Today, I took one for the team (and by team I mean my intestines, vital organs and digestive system - go team!)


Today, I drank beets. Eww. Yes, I did it. I had to hold my nose and swallow (for real) - but I drank a full glass of vegetables. Eww. Eww. Eww. It was hard. I felt like I was on a survivor challenge. Do I feel better because of it? Honestly? Not at all. That's not to say my insides are not thanking me for it, but my taste buds certainly are not (sorry fellas, will make it up to you later on...).


My diet has started to become routine. Leftovers from meals previous make up my lunches (except for today...read on), I refilled my nut tuppie and I've been drinking like water is going out of style. I might just be able to pull this cleanse off!


So I met my girls today for lunch at Whole Bowl (http://www.thewholebowl.com/). It's amazing. The bowl (there's only 1) comes with cheese, sour cream and cilantro... all of which I omitted for today's outing. So instead, it was brown rice, avocado, beans, olives and their special sauce (special sauce makes everything better). I did take a look at the variety of hot sauces available and I could only use one (the rest had added sugar). It was dElish. I might try an attempt at my own "whole bowl" at home one of these nights.

Do you ever notice how sometimes things just taste better in their take away containers? Coffee for example - to me tastes so much better in a take away cup rather than a coffee mug. I wonder if whole bowl would taste just as good in a normal bowl? Yes, I actually am thinking / writing this down.

The main thing I've noticed today is that I don't feel any "slump" throughout the day. I don't feel overly energized, but in the past I have noticed when my energy levels sink. Had a discussion about how much water is actually 2 liters... in my little Vermont container (which we estimate to be about 20 ounces), I would need to drink approximately 3-4 to get my full intake of H2O. What I said about higher energy? Nix that. My brain stopped working at 3:30 exactly. Energy levels fell, concentration dropped - I yawned enough times to make my coworkers think I had a permanent "O" face. Whether it's because it's Wednesday or because I am naturally horizontally-inclined... who knows.

Daily Muchie Nut Mix: cashews, tamari almonds, sunflower seeds, dried apple (no sugar)


No great dinner recipes tonight - had to polish off some leftovers :)
Day 5 awaits!

Day Three

I slept so well last night. For the first time in a long time, I woke up refreshed and ready to go. Since I didn't have the famous groat oats for breakfast, I opted for a bowl of oatmeal with soy milk, banana and agave. I packed 2 sushi rolls from the night before into my bag and biked on into work. I usually get fatigued around 10am and 2pm. I typically work through this with trips to the coffee pot downstairs, or a quick jaunt to Starbucks. And wouldn't you know it? Today was get a FREE pastry at Starbucks with any purchase of a coffee AND it was FREE CONE day at Ben & Jerry's!!! UNBELIEVABLE! Not only am I all for free shit - but a calorie-dense (aka YUMMY) scone from Starbucks in the morning followed by a tasty ice cream treat would have made for a phenomenal day. Wait - what's that? Diet? Challenge? What? 

Not on this diet. I am only allowed teas, herbal at that. Under "beverages" in the bible pure water is the staple. Here they say take total body weight, divide in 2, and drink that amount in ounces. So, 134/2 = 67 ounces. So that's about 2 liters of water a day. Fresh citrus coolers are a good way to get the water down (see recipe below). That said, be prepared to be taking heaps of trips to el bano. On average, I have to go about once an hour. I look kinda foolish making the trek to the ladies room so often, but it can't be helped. Is this what's it's like to be preggers???

In terms of energy, today I didn’t even notice a 10am or 2pm slump. That said, I have been drinking tea all day. A big part of the cleanse is drinking my vegetables – or juicing. I don’t have a juicer (yet), but am getting some “super food” drinks to supplement my diet. Today was Mango Tango (I tend to go for the sweeter juices, but will have to adapt to veggie ones soon). Here’s a basic list of what I can and can’t eat.

Eat	No Eat
Tofu, tempeh	Processed grains (flour, pasta, etc)
Beans, lentils, brown rice	Processed anything (goodbye veggie sausages!)
Soy Milk	Milk, Dairy, eggs, CHEESE!
Agave, maple syrup, honey	Sugar, anything with added sugar
Nuts, dried fruit (no added sugar!)	Alcohol
	Meats, chicken, fish

What I’ve noticed today: energy levels are up.Water consumption has been constant – either in the form of straight up H2O or tea. I am also taking Spirulina pills as a supplement… rumored to increase longevity, immune defense and natural antioxidant protection. They smell nasty but are small and go down easily (you take 6 / day).

Exercise: 8.4 mi bike, 35 minutes @ 17.5% incline, 3.5 pace, sit ups

Recipe of the Day: Tonight Bret made an amazing dinner - Salad Taco Wraps

Ingredients: Large lettuce leaves, shredded carrots, julienned jicama (a cross between a potato and an apple), sliced olives, diced cabbage, diced cilantro, avocado w/ dash of cayenne pepper, squeeze of lime juice

Sauce: 3T almond butter, 1T molasses, 1/2t apple cider vinegar, 1/2t soy sauce, 1T coconut oil, 1T agave syrup, 1/4c. water

Just like taco night, wrap your own leaves! Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a pan over medium heat - be sure to continually mix it so it doesn't burn. When well mixed, spread over your leaves... absolutely heaven. 

Retrospective: Day 2

Last night I went grocery shopping. A very different experience than what I’m used to. Normally I go right where I need to – get my soy milk, my cereal, my oj, cheese and whatever other weekly essentials I might need (yes, ramen and tostados are usually a staple). This time... not so much.

We went to Whole Foods because you can buy in bulk (nuts, grains and whatnot). I prefer New Seasons because it’s local… but whatevs. I had to take my time – look at the ingredients and assess whether or not I’d actually eat it. By the end, my cart was full of 6 different nuts, organic soy sauce, canned beans, fruits, vegetables and veggie stock. I planned my meals for the week out (which I find is beneficial so I don’t have to make multiple stops to the store as I hate shopping).  My total? Upwards $80 – and for only 1 grocery bag of food! I got my fruits and veggies from Fred Meyers… cheaper for sure. Overall, about $150 to stock my pantry for a week – seeing as how I probably will not be eating out, it should even out over time. 

When I got back home, I boxed up all the food I couldn’t eat… if I was unsure, I looked at the ingredients – any added sugars = no can do. Goodbye pasta, couscous, choc chip cookies... I'm saving you for day 29. For work the next day, I brought in a mix of nuts, baby carrots, and left over chili from the night before. I drank water – though not as much as I should have and tea (no sugar, no milk added – though honey would be okay or agave syrup). For dinner I made a tofu coconut curry recipe by my chef friend Ken (http://www.om-cooking.com/) which was delicious. The 3 cups of veggie broth seemed a bit much, but I let the curry boil down and it was great. The recipe calls for 1/8 c. apple cider vinegar which apparently has many cleansing properties. Check out this website http://www.justcleansing.com/applecidervinegar.htm for more info on vinegar, it also has information about many other cleanse diets / recipes. I also made brown rice sushi (brown rice, seaweed, avocado with pickled ginger) for lunches.

My exercise for the day consisted of commuting to work by bike (4.4 miles return trip), a quick jog with the Dog and a failed attempt at Bikram yoga. Whether it was because I plunked my matt down right by the heater, didn’t drink / eat enough or was just ill prepared for the 106 degree heat – I couldn’t even get through the first series of poses. I started to black out when I stood and my left hand was tingly. After sitting for about 15 watching everyone else do poses, I quietly left the studio to gain strength. I will make another attempt this week… hopefully more physically prepared.

Weight: 132.4

Exercise: 4.3 mi bike; failed bikram attempt, 20 minute jog

Recipe of the Day: Brown Rice Sushi 

Ingredients: Nori (seaweed sheets), 1c. brown rice, 1T rice vinegar,  1T agave syrup, 1-2 avocados, pickled ginger, organic soy sauce

Cook the brown rice as per instructions (usually 1 cup brown rice to 1 1/2 c. water). Slice avocados into thin strips. When rice is done, put in bowl and mix in rice vinegar and agave syrup. Spread enough rice onto nori to cover 1/3rd of sheet. Add avocado slices. Roll. Eat with soy sauce and ginger if desired.

Retrospective: Day 1

It’s okay if I cheat just once, right? I mean, technically the cleanse can start at 10am rather than 8am, right? I couldn’t resist. The two-bite leftover of lemon pound cake from the night before was staring at me from the pan. My cleanse can start right after this one bite….

Thought process? “This cleanse is going to be a challenge”.

When I tell people I’m doing a cleanse diet, the majority of first responses is, “why”? Let me address this upfront.

1. I was challenged – or let’s say “invited” to do a cleanse with a buddy. I’m not one to pass up a challenge, at least not without serious consideration.

2. After a night of delicious gourmet pizza, wine and cheese – I was bloated, felt disgusting and realized it would take me a week at the gym to work off that little pizza party (no, it was not a party for one!).

3. I have been a vegetarian for upwards of 15 years now and the cleanse diet is not too far off from my normal dietary routine; however, there are some major foods in my life I would have to give up – sweets being one of them.

4. Despite being a vegetarian, I actually have a terrible diet. You would think I’d be eating fruits and vegetables galore, but in reality, I’ve become a creature of convenience. Ramen noodles, nachos and quick-and-easy stir fries constitute my diet – not to mention all the wonderful delightful eateries of Portland OR. I reviewed the cleanse diet I’d be following – “The 28 Day Cleansing Program” by Scott Ohlgren & Joann Tomasulo and realized that a lot of the recipes actually sounded really appetizing and perhaps this diet might help me in adapting a healthier vegetarian lifestyle.

5. I’m not doing this to lose weight per say, but if I shed a few pounds in the process, I won’t complain.

So that’s why. Let’s talk about how.

Day 1 was a challenge – I hadn’t properly stocked my pantry / fridge and was at a loss for what to eat since my buddy took the book with him. So I fasted for the most part. A banana here – an apple there. Luckily, he grabbed us some lunch from Whole Foods – a quinoa salad and a bean salad. To be honest, I was so hungry I think I would have loved it no matter what. Later that night he made a surprisingly delicious sweet potato & bean chili (recipe below). Key to cleanse diet – make enough for dinner to have leftovers the next day!

Since this journal is to document my experience, I believe in no holds barred. So get prepared as I talk about digestion, excretion and overall experience. A part of this is tracking what my body does – how it responds to the diet and how to optimize the diet to suit my lifestyle. Though I’m not personally concerned about weight loss, it will probably happen. I read somewhere that all the cleansing that occurs can eliminate pounds of build-up from the intestines. I am curious to see what my body does while on this diet. Mind you, there are other factors that will contribute to my overall weight loss (or gain) – being exercise (I bike to and from work, am moderately active and will be taking up the practice of Bikram yoga during this diet) and normal female fluctuations in water retention (yes, it tends to retend in the chest region).

Weight: My weight at the start of the diet was 137 (thank you pizza). My height is 5’6”… so technically when I started, I was in the upper middle of my BMI (body mass index). Since I fasted most of Sunday, come Monday I had already dropped down to 134. BMI is a measure of body fat based upon height and weight. There’s an easy way to find your BMI (www.nhlisupport.com/bmi). BMI index says <18.5 = underweight (have a pizza party!), 18.5-24.9 = normal, 25-29.9 = overweight, 30+ = obese. My ideal weight range is between 115-154 lbs (mind you that’s a 39 pound difference). At 134, I fit nicely into the middle with a BMI of 21.3. Let’s start this cleanse!


Recipe of the Day: Sweet Potato & Kidney Bean Chili

Ingredients: 1T olive oil, 1 T chili powder, 1.5c. water, 1 t ground coriander, 1t celtic sea salt, 1 md. red bell pepper, 1. md. sized onion (diced), 1 lg clove garlic (minced), 1.5 lbs sweet potato (peeled), 2 c. kidney beans, 1t ground cumin, 2 md. tomatoes (diced).

Instructions: Free free to use an assortment of sweet potatoes and yams with this recipe. Heat oil in large skillet over med heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic - cover and cook until softened. Stir in the chili poweder and other spieces. Cook for 30 seconds. Add sweet potatoes and stir to coat with spices. Transfer mix to saucepan. Add the tomatoes, beans and water. Season with salt. Cover and cook for 45 minutes over medium-high heat. 

*I am going to be conscious of using the word diet – if I do use the word, please understand that I am using it in a nutritional sense, not in a weight-loss sense.