Detox retox

I started 2011 with the intention of having a Detox January. This is common among lushes like myself -- we drink almost daily year round and enjoy foodie food and a good party now and then. Come January, after the decadence of the holidays, the body is always ready for a (short) break.

I had met a lovely Ayurvedic Dr. at nitespa who professed that she designed effective cleanses specifically for the individual. Mela is one of our clients; curious about Ayurveda, I decided this would be perfect! However, I didn't factor in her popularity; she was booked until mid- January.

Rather than wait for my appointment, I improvised a provisional cleanse for myself with Mediclear supplements. I chose it based on the testimonial of a friend (Stacy: "I love Mediclear. It really tastes good!") and the advice of a trusted professional Patrick Avedessian, my chiropractor. I hear about a lot of different types of detoxes during the course of my week. Spa enthusiasts love to cleanse.

This particular one appealed to me because I have impossible allergies and it is supposed to help with that. You actually eliminate known allergens from your diet and slowly introduce them back. Too bad many of the yummy things I like to eat are allergens: caffeine, alcohol, dairy products, soy, gluten, eggs, peanuts, corn, soy, beef, pork, & desserts. Giving up my coffee w/ a dash of milk, butter on toast, cheese on everything, pre-dinner bread, delicious bacon, steak frites, WINE and sweet anything has certainly put a damper on my foodie lifestyle. No charcuterie! No vino! Que horror!!

My darling-sweetheart-boyfriend Zach has graciously been going along with the detoxing month and has not only been avoiding wine, but he has been cooking yummy meals for me with our new healthy guidelines. So, we did the Mediclear for 2 weeks, but I decided to use it as a daily supplement rather than going by the strict crazy meal schedule. The powder is spendy, so we take it once a day rather than the recommended 3 X a day. I did eliminate the bad foods for the most part and only fell off the wagon 4 times in 3 weeks. Not bad for a daily wine drinker.

When I finally got in w/ Mela she gave me a new plan that was quite similar to the one I was already doing. Included are a whole bunch more supplements based on my constitution. She eliminated even more of my favorite snacks. And advocated all sorts of mysterious and challenging guidelines. I learned that bananas and macadamia nuts are too fattening, and I should stick to berries, apples, citrus & papaya for daily fruits. In the nut category, most other nuts are OK (except peanuts and walnuts). I can have all the turkey I want (Hooray for tryptophane! Along w/ low calories and high protein and lots of amino acids). Brown rice is fine 4 times a week, but garlic only twice a month. Stay away from pineapple!! Of course, alcohol (including my beloved wine) coffee, dairy and sugar are strictly forbidden. Among other things. More on that later.

How did I do? Well, I did fall off the wagon a few times by choice. A blog writing lesson, a pre-cinema glass of wine (the film was Black Swan, the wine was not), a champagne toast to welcome my brother's new baby and in-between cleanses bottle of Pleidades were all divine moments of tipsy splendor.

I have not had a single caffe latte or a drop of milk or a spoonful of sugar; I have managed to follow the food rules pretty closely. I had some rice dream ice cream which is sweetened with brown rice syrup and probably not allowed. Big deal. I definitely have had brown rice in some form or other daily. I am certain there was butter in my Luna Park meal the other night. I enjoyed several salads w/ feta or organic goat cheese. Almond milk chai tea has gotten me through a few days. Tea: green is good for you; black tea is for extreme moderation. Oh, well. It's bad enough I can't drink coffee.

When I told Mela about my weak points in the cleanse, she was unfazed. She was actually impressed that I did better than most of her new patients. She encouraged me to keep my stride and insisted that her goal was to give me long term tools for health.

What I realized is this: it’s not about which cleanse you choose or the ability to go 3 or 4 weeks without booze and bread. It’s about making sensible choices and adopting lifetime healthy habits. When faced with a choice between a sweet potato and any other type go for sweet. It’s the one time sweet is better.

Honey or sugar? honey, of course. Bananas or berries? berries.

A detox is a good way to come to the realization that you just feel better when eating better food. So, I'm not feeling guilty about enjoying the occasional great glass of wine w/ friends, even during the cleanse. Wine is made from grapes and they are on my list of "good for you" foods.

I leave you with two of my favorite Spanish proverbs:

"El vino mata lentamente; no tengo prisa" (Wine kills you slowly; I'm not in a hurry)

"Vino: te perdono el mal que me haces por lo mucho que me gustas." (Wine: I forgive the harm you do to me because I love you so much.)