Lessons From a 14 Day Cleanse

A few weeks ago Andy and I were talked (or suckered) into a “cleanse” to rejuvenate eating habits and clear the mind. As many know, I am a horrible eater so I knew this would be a challenge for me, but I also thought that it might take something this dramatic to make me no longer crave my unhealthy favorites, like processed mini chocolate donuts and everything and anything bar food.

By definition, this cleanse was meat-free, dairy-free, gluten-fee, soy-free, alcohol-free and caffeine-free. It also required a daily ritual of vitamins, natural supplements, digestive enzymes and wheat grass – all of which I took blindly into my body, trusting that since they were recommend by a yoga instructor and could be purchased at Whole Foods, then they would do my body good. So here is what I learned through this process:

- 14 days is interpretive (only meant 7 for me)
- Cleansing is expensive
- There is such a thing as vegan butter
- I can go five days without alcohol, but not sure why someone would choose to?
- Cleansing makes me mean (Andy preferred to be in another room)
- Cleansing makes me forgetful (I lost my phone at Barnes & Noble next to a Dora look-and-find book)
- Run Like Hell is a sacred night (a sexy Raggedy Anne needs a post race beer and nachos)
- Kids eat like crap when two parents are on the cleanse
- Andy has more willpower than me
- All you can do is talk about the cleanse when on the cleanse – Sorry Jenni that it dominated our morning workouts!

But ending on a more positive note, I did shed a few pounds putting me in good shape for some upcoming guilt-free holiday indulgence and it might have reset my taste buds, if only temporarily. Yesterday, I actually preferred my mystery morning green shake over Starbucks. Hmmm …