Gradual Change

Hi friends,

With all the other essential things to talk about on Saturday, we didn't have a chance to discuss in detail how to incorporate some of the foods we specifically cut out back into your diet, if you feel a need to do so.

I've been thinking a lot about this cleanse diet and this time something that came up for me was the realization that perhaps the simplest way to continue eating in a wholesome, healthy and balanced way (a la cleanse) is simply to make sure that vegetables are the main part of your meal. Anything you add to it should be complimentary and in a much smaller portion. In other words, rather than think of vegetables as your "side dish", begin to think of them as your "main dish" and anything else as "sides". This approach will help you consume more vegetables which are most nutritious, easiest for the body to process and digest, most alkaline producing and least likely to create mood swings, cravings, etc. Part of our problem is that the main portion of our meals is usually an animal or a wheat-based product (like pasta) which results in difficult digestion, less nutrients to the body, more acid, more trouble for the liver and in the case of pasta, an insulin response (sugar highs and lows). So if you're struggling, rather than get really restrictive with yourself, perhaps you simply choose to undertake the "Vegetables As The Main Event" diet plan and chances are you'll begin to get full on your vegetables and will be less likely to consume nearly as much from the animal/wheat families.

Now, should you decide to incorporate some of the "restricted" foods we avoided during the cleanse again, do it slowly! Just as you pre-cleansed, you should also post-cleanse so your body doesn't go into gastro-intestinal shock, or any other kind of shock for that matter! I must say, if possible, don't go back to caffeine and sugar. These two things seem to function like demons that begin to control your mind - one week away from them and we saw it! Do you want to go back into their grips? Ok, my personal preaching aside now, post-cleansing should consist of you very slowly and gradually bringing things you feel you want back in. So if you're going to start back on dairy, you might start by having a dish that has butter in the sauce, or maybe one with a little yogurt in it or some milk and honey in your tea rather than have a 32 oz glass of chocolate milk or an ice cream sundae or a quesadilla!

The main foods we cut out are:

Meat
Eggs
Dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, cream)
Wheat products
Processed Foods (most packaged foods sold in the aisles of the store vs. the perimeter)
Sugar
Coffee/Soda
Chemicals (nutrasweet, splenda, diet drinks, etc)

In general, you would NOT want to start back by consuming things from multiple restricted groups, like eggs with cheese and toast, for example. Pasta with meat sauce and garlic bread...cereal with milk and a cup of coffee...you get my drift, right? Your body has had 6 days or more without these things and will probably not be too happy with your aggressive "re-entry".

You have to ask yourself, where are the vegetables in any of these examples? Yet, they are very typical meals. No wonder our bodies have so much trouble...Please don't think of these "restricted" foods as something to reward yourself with for having done the cleanse. Is it really a reward for your body, or just your mind? Your mind can be re-trained but our body can't get nutrients where there are none! This was a practice of mindfulness, not self-deprivation so no "reward" is needed.

Just as an interior decorator can design a whole house around something as humble as a single throw pillow, let us begin to design our whole meals around our humble vegetable dish. This way what is essential gets taken care of first - you're not restricting yourselves from other things but changing your food priorities to benefit this exquisite instrument we ask so much of each day for our entire lives.

Love and lettuces,
G