Autumn Cleanse and a Rooty Tooty Salad
They say that seasonal changes are the best time to undergo a cleansing program. In the past I've done a Master Cleanse once a year, usually in March. I have an ascetic streak in me that likes the idea of spending 10 days abstaining from solid food, alcohol, and caffeine. Most major religions include fasting as a part of worship. For me there is something spiritual about the clarity, focus, and lightness I feel at the end of a cleanse.
I had been thinking about doing another Master Cleanse, but lately the thought of all that maple syrup just doesn't seem like a good idea. It's a lot of sugar, and the more I learn about health and nutrition the more convinced I am that sugar is one of the leading culprits of a host of ill health effects.
Then I started working with a life coach/energy healer. If this all sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo, well all I can say is don't knock it til you've tried it! Part of my life coach's program is a 21 day cleanse that is totally food-based and a much slower and easier process than the 10-day Master Cleanse. She offers a whole support package around it, including a 100 page guide and weekly support phone calls, which is kind of cool since this is the kind of thing I've always done on my own in the past, or with one other person. The name of the program is "Sexy and Confident in 21 Days."
The basic idea is you spend the 1st week cleaning up your act, cutting out common allergens like wheat and dairy, avoiding meat, alcohol and caffeine as much as possible. Well I didn't do too great with that the first week, but hey, I was being easy on myself! The second week, which I'm in the middle of now, is mostly raw foods. Smoothies, salads, fruit, nuts, seeds...you get the idea. I've actually been pretty on top of it all week! I'm even off of caffeine which is pretty remarkable for me. Usually if I'm not drinking coffee I need a couple of cups of green tea to get me going in the morning. But I just embraced the morning brain fog, and no dire consequences thus far. The third week is supposed to be mostly fresh juices and smoothies, so that will be a little more extreme also. I wasn't sure if I was going to do the 3rd week full out, but I'm feeling good! I think I'll go for it.
My basic meal plan: green smoothie in the morning (can be any combination of fruit and greens in a water base), massaged kale salad with sauerkraut and avocado for lunch, and the past few nights I've been enjoying this Rooty Tooty salad for dinner. That's my name for it, anyway. I got the idea from Mark Bittman, he has a fantastic article with 101 Simple Salads. His recipe is:
Grate or very thinly slice Jerusalem artichokes; mix with pitted and chopped oil-cured olives, olive oil, lemon juice and a sprinkling of coarsely ground cumin. Unusual and wonderful.
I couldn't find Jerusalem artichokes so I used celery root and carrots. I liked the contrast of white and orange, and the olives really make this salad. Go over board with the olives! Go overboard with the cumin, too. I didn't think a "sprinkling" gave it enough flavor. Of course with an imprecise recipe like this you want to start conservatively and add more to your taste. I also added sunflower sprouts for extra greens, but I don't think they improved the flavor.
I had been thinking about doing another Master Cleanse, but lately the thought of all that maple syrup just doesn't seem like a good idea. It's a lot of sugar, and the more I learn about health and nutrition the more convinced I am that sugar is one of the leading culprits of a host of ill health effects.
Then I started working with a life coach/energy healer. If this all sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo, well all I can say is don't knock it til you've tried it! Part of my life coach's program is a 21 day cleanse that is totally food-based and a much slower and easier process than the 10-day Master Cleanse. She offers a whole support package around it, including a 100 page guide and weekly support phone calls, which is kind of cool since this is the kind of thing I've always done on my own in the past, or with one other person. The name of the program is "Sexy and Confident in 21 Days."
The basic idea is you spend the 1st week cleaning up your act, cutting out common allergens like wheat and dairy, avoiding meat, alcohol and caffeine as much as possible. Well I didn't do too great with that the first week, but hey, I was being easy on myself! The second week, which I'm in the middle of now, is mostly raw foods. Smoothies, salads, fruit, nuts, seeds...you get the idea. I've actually been pretty on top of it all week! I'm even off of caffeine which is pretty remarkable for me. Usually if I'm not drinking coffee I need a couple of cups of green tea to get me going in the morning. But I just embraced the morning brain fog, and no dire consequences thus far. The third week is supposed to be mostly fresh juices and smoothies, so that will be a little more extreme also. I wasn't sure if I was going to do the 3rd week full out, but I'm feeling good! I think I'll go for it.
My basic meal plan: green smoothie in the morning (can be any combination of fruit and greens in a water base), massaged kale salad with sauerkraut and avocado for lunch, and the past few nights I've been enjoying this Rooty Tooty salad for dinner. That's my name for it, anyway. I got the idea from Mark Bittman, he has a fantastic article with 101 Simple Salads. His recipe is:
Grate or very thinly slice Jerusalem artichokes; mix with pitted and chopped oil-cured olives, olive oil, lemon juice and a sprinkling of coarsely ground cumin. Unusual and wonderful.
I couldn't find Jerusalem artichokes so I used celery root and carrots. I liked the contrast of white and orange, and the olives really make this salad. Go over board with the olives! Go overboard with the cumin, too. I didn't think a "sprinkling" gave it enough flavor. Of course with an imprecise recipe like this you want to start conservatively and add more to your taste. I also added sunflower sprouts for extra greens, but I don't think they improved the flavor.
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