Spring Cleaning

I've tried a few different "cleansing" tactics over the years.  My most recent attempt was last summer.  It involved losing dairy, wheat, meat, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol.  The idea was to take a break from common food irritants and introduce them back one at a time to feel their effect on the body.  My goal was to give my liver, and other organs, a break.  I was curious if dairy was causing some skin irritations and I knew I was eating too much sugar.

The main result of this cleanse involved me overeating nuts.  I managed to consume an entire jar of almond butter in a couple of days.  My gut was bloated.  I looked pregnant and I wasn't.  This wasn't what I was aiming for.

Will I ever figure this cleansing thing out?  I want clean organs. . .and - I love food.  I especially love butter, wine, bread, and pasta.  One led me to the other over the past week or so. 

I ordered, The Art of Simple Food, by Alice Waters last week.  This is a beautiful book that celebrates good food.  Bread.  Meat.  Butter. Garlic.  Pasta.  Just thinking about it makes my soul happy.  Alice offers the following philosophy to her readers:

• Eat locally & sustainably
• Eat seasonally
• Shop at farmers' markets
• Plant a garden
• Conserve, compost & recycle
• Cook simply
• Cook together
• Eat together
• Remember food is precious

When I went to Arches Book Company to pick it up I found this book called, Crazy Sexy Diet.  I was a little hesitant to pick it up because of the word Diet in the title but the words Crazy and Sexy won and I found the book in my hands.  I liked the vibrance of the pages and the sassy, yet supportive, attitude of the author.  I decided not to buy it that day though, because a couple of messages stood out to me as I turned the pages:  no dairy, no alcohol, no caffeine, raw.  Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

A couple of days later I realized I was still thinking about the book, Crazy Sexy Diet.  I had already devoured a large portion of, The Art of Simple Food.  I thought, maybe there is a place for both in my life and my diet.

http://www.crazysexylife.com/

Today is Day 1 of the 21 Day Adventure Cleanse outlined in, Crazy Sexy Diet.  I've already messed up (a little).  The thing is she gives you some cool affirmations & space to make mistakes and I think it is why this cleanse just might work for me.