Day 4 of the Detox

So it’s Day 4 of eating off my personalized detox meal plan. The first couple days were the hardest. I was feeling very hungry and a bit sluggish. But I’ve been sleeping like a baby and this morning I felt GREAT. I had such clarity and energy and I felt unusually happy. Yep, I know that’s hard to believe for all you meat-eating-loving friends, but I really did. And those happy thoughts took me back to what I’ve been putting into my body and the relief over what’s coming out.

Though as the day progressed and my afternoon snack wore off, my energy quickly faded. I felt weary. Besides that my intestines were grumbling a bit. So I opted out of going to the gym, had a nice snack of celery and carrot sticks with hummus and began preparing dinner.

That’s the thing. Meal prep on a gentle detox like this takes a bit more time. Yes, I was tempted to order a pizza and open a bottle of wine, but my body won out—longing for more fresh vegetables and water. I’m listening. I’m listening. And the food consumption restraint is teaching me more than how much effort and denial it takes to do this.

I’m learning to savor life just a little bit more. Receiving the time to plan meals instead of feeling like meal planning is taking something from me. And I’ve been enjoying listening to music as I spend the evening preparing dinner—especially some of the Indian tunes I’ve collected over the years. I’m learning to listen to every instrument, every nuance. And I’m learning to be present to the moment…with every slice of a carrot and pinch of a cilantro leaf.

One night I prepared this scrumptious mixed beet salad with watercresss, endive, red onion, cilantro and toasted walnuts.

I don’t think I’ve ever bought endive before. It sure was good. You’d be surprised how much flavor there is in all this plant life.

Another evening I went off the meal plan and took a risk on the recipe that came with fava beans—“Fava Beans with Olives and Peppers.” Deeeelicious!

So what’s cooking tonight? Mixed steamed vegetables with Indian spices, toasted walnuts, fresh cilantro and grape tomatoes. And it smells Scrumptious!

Bon appetit!