
About once a year, I do some sort of cleanse. I have this notion that it is a good idea to give my digestive system a break from the onslaught of treats that I send its way over the course of a year - from triple cream brie to single vineyard Pinot Noir to Kobe short ribs - and let it recover a bit.
Every time I do it, I'm so glad I did. I feel more energetic, healthier, leaner - everything good. Every time I finish a cleanse, I resolve to do it more frequently - every quarter, for instance - but I rarely do. In any case, it has most certainly been a year or longer since I've done a cleanse, and this month seemed like the perfect time. New year, new perspective: time to cleanse. I had plenty of time to think it over in Mexico, while doing backflips in the pool and sipping palomas in the mid-afternoon. By the time I got back, I was ready to go.
Here's what I chose this year: the Elimination Diet. Though it is called a "diet," the main goal is not to lose weight - rather, the idea is to eliminate every known allergen from your body in order to "reset" your system. In theory, you would then begin adding back in one item at a time - dairy, wheat, etc. - in order to see which items your body is sensitive to. I chose the Elimination Diet for a myriad of reasons: I wanted to follow a couple of my hunches on suspected food sensitivities, but I knew from previous experiences that something too severe would distract me to the point that I wouldn't be able to focus on work. Essentially, I wanted to be able to keep a normal routine and high energy levels throughout while still giving my system a break. This seemed to allow for both.
The parameters of the Elimination Diet are, in summary:
NO:
Dairy
Eggs
Wheat
Soy
Corn
Sugar
Caffeine
Chocolate
Alcohol
Peanuts
Red meat
Processed meats (sausage, etc.)
Shellfish
Sodas or any other soft drinks
Oranges, grapefruits
YES:
Vegetables
Most fruits
Brown rice, quinoa, amaranth, millet
Olive oil, flax oil, almond oil
Nuts & seeds (except for peanuts)
Agave nectar
Organic chicken
Wild caught fish
Doesn't sound terribly hard, does it? After all, I've done cleanses with simply juice, and the mother of all cleanses - The Master Cleanse. This one seemed tame in comparison. I was bummed to give up oranges and grapefruit while they're in season, but it was a loss I could bear.
I decided to do it for a minimum of 14 days, with the option to extend it for longer if I was feeling great.
Ready, set, eliminate!
Next up: this is way harder than it seemed at first.