Clean Cleanse - again

Back in March I embarked on a 21 day journey to eat clean on the Clean Program. And believe it or not, I completed all 21 days with no cheating! The first week was the hardest, and after that I couldn't imagine giving up before the full 21 days were done.


During that time I lost weight (which so far I have kept off), slept soundly every night, felt less sluggish, and just generally better (whatever that means!). So tomorrow I'm in for Round 2. Part of what I love about Clean is that you don't have to do the full 21 days every time - do what you need or are able to do. This time around I am going to do 3 weeks, but know that some meals will be off due to family engagements. I do recommend the first time you do the Clean Program that you follow the rules and complete it without cheating. For me that was a spiritual as well as physical experience because if you know me, you know I have ZERO self-control when it comes to food and exercise.

Another part of Clean that I like is the fact that while you can purchase supplements and shakes in a complete program through Dr. Junger's website, you don't have to. In fact, his site offers shopping lists for what you can do on your own. Some people who cleansed with me opted for the full package because the financial accountability made them more likely to complete the full 21 days. I on the other hand don't have the money for that. So below I'll show you what I use in place of the pre-packaged program. I did not get sick (as others have reported - especially when not taking supplements). I did have some gassy stomach problems as I came off of Clean (uh, that sounds like no big deal, but I missed 2 days of work and was prescribed hydrocodone by an ER doc because the pain was so intense), and I think I can attribute that to not taking the probiotics/enzymes. Gonna do that differently this time!

I do recommend the book if you want more info on where Clean came from and what it's been shown to do, but for the cliff notes version you can down load this pdf from the program website. I use it to remind me DAILY what I can eat and what I can't (some of the fruits and vegetables are hard to remember - I always seem to forget that corn and tomatoes are a no-no).

I'm not really big into cooking (as most of you know) so my program is pretty simple and repetitive (which I like because then I know what to plan for and expect):

Breakfast = smoothie made with frozen fruit (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, pineapple and mango); Acacia fiber and brown rice protein (I used Jarrow formula the first time, but this time it wasn't in stock at Whole Foods so I'm trying a different brand) + Supplements (milk thistle/liver caps)

Mid morning = Probiotic

Lunch = brown rice, avocado (I eat TONS of avocado on this deal!), ground turkey or chicken breast seasoned with Emeril's Original Essence and other spices that are not on the elimination diet list. Sidenote: Chipotle now serves brown rice! So you can get a brown rice bowl with chicken and their guacamole (it's only lime juice, salt and avocado). Great to break up the monotony for those of you who like me do not cook.

Afternoon = Probiotic

Dinner = juiced fresh veggies and fruits or another smoothie + Supplements (garlic caps). I also frequent Jamba Juice for their all fruit juice smoothies. You may have to ask them to swap things out (I think I have to trade blueberries for strawberries in one) but other than that, all that is in the smoothie is juice you can have. Don't get a protein shot - whey and soy are both no-no's.