The Anti-Cleanse: Day 1

In an effort to rebuke the smattering of Hollywood cleanses & fad diets, Joli and I are making some simple changes to our dietary routines this week. Namely, the removal of all artificial sugars, caffeine and alcohol. Now some of our readers/clients may already be off caffeine & alcohol. Kudos. For us however, big bodied, tasty beers  and a morning cup of coffee represent true joys rather than vices. Farewell for this week. But we'll be doing our cleanse the proper way by choosing the correct foods & ingredients, rather than no food at all. Hello, cayenne lemon water with a touch of maple syrup??? That's not sustenance, that's nonsense. With our approach, you should still have enough energy to maintain normal levels of activity and still accomplish good workouts. With the foreign invaders(processed/refined sugars, alcohol & caffeine) now leaving your system, your body can perform it's natural cleansing processes much more efficiently. We'll keep you posted on our findings.

6:30AM : 1 Trader Joe's whole grain english muffin(check the ingredients, no added sugar). 2 table spoons of Trader Joe's unsalted peanut butter(no sugar), 1 table spoon of North Eastern honey(naturally sweet, no ADDED sugar) and 1 8oz. glass of orange juice(naturally sweet, no ADDED sugar).

-B

10AM: 1 banana (between clients). That oughtta keep things woking until lunch-time. Remember, we're also trying to illustrate that the removal of refined/processed sugar, caffeine & alcohol doesn't mean that you'll be reduced to zombie status. There are plenty of ways to get natural, lasting energy while avoiding these 3 ingredients. And if you were typically having your first drink @ 10AM, well then................

-B

12:30PM 8 thick slices of cucumber dipped in hummus(check your hummus labels as well, many manufacturers will add preservatives). 2 Trader Joe's all beef, all natural(no nitrates/nitrites) hot dogs diced, pan grilled, wrapped in whole wheat wrap with a slice of cheese and panini grilled. YUMMY! 1 4oz. cup of all natural, NO SUGAR ADDED apple sauce with cinnamon.

6:30PM Should've brought a snack back to work, but forgot. From approx. 3-6PM, my caffeine withdraw headache was raging. It was as if I'd been days without food and water. Pretty acute symptoms, fatigue, sensitivity to light/sound. I'm hoping tomorrow will not be as bad. So, to dinner: more cucumber slices and hummus. 1 turkey/pesto burger oven broiled, sliced and whole wheat wrapped with a slice of cheese then panini grilled. YUMMY! So we covered our veggie serving with the cukes, the legumes from the hummus, the lean meat and dairy proteins from the turkey and cheese, the whole grain from the wrap, and finally, another fruit serving from the 4oz. serving of apple sauce. Man did that headache suck.

-B