The Ups and Downs of Detoxing

6 Days in...

The Ups
1. I feel good, surprisingly energetic and mentally alert, with the only side effect being a dull hunger ache that comes and goes.
2. I've consumed more produce in the past week than I probably have in the past month—seriously.
3. My cravings for refined carbohydrates, sugar, and dairy are virtually nonexistent (which is absolutely shocking).
4. It's been great having all of my meals planned out in advance and having an excuse to say no to unhealthy cravings that I normally love indulging in (pizza for dinner...again, the frozen dessert section at the supermarket, a glass or 2 of wine after a long workday).

The Downs
1. Drastically limiting your diet totally sucks as far as your social life is concerned. Do I really want to hang out with my friends and watch them eat pizza and drink wine? Nope! Guess I'll just stay in. Going out to dinner is 100% impossible at this point too which is a total bummer (although not for my wallet so I suppose that's a plus).
2. Some of the food is great (those "vegan deviled eggs" were delish), but some of it is absolutely awful (the beet soup was borderline unbearable).
3. I've realized that food accounts for about 75% of the joy in my day (looking forward to a nice breakfast or a hearty, home cooked dinner), and when you cut out enjoying your meals, you cut out some of the best parts of your day. Eating at this point is totally out of necessity, not enjoyment.

Wait, so why am I doing this again (I ask myself this question at least once a day)? There are a lot of mixed messages about detoxes out there, but the majority say that your body doesn't really need any extra help detoxifying, after all, that's the primary function of your liver. However, the plan that I'm following is more focused on cutting out all of the junk in your diet and loading you up with what you should be eating: real food in its purest form.

So, to answer my own question, I'm doing this to reset my diet and make healthier, more nourishing choices when it comes to food. It's been tough but I'm already 1/4th of the way through so I might as well just suck it up and go the distance.

After all, everything, including this detox, is impermanent.


Gotta love a lettuce, kale, parsley, pineapple, mango smoothie! Gag...