Detox: Midway

Today is day 11 of my detoxing program (read the introduction here). I'm halfway through. Excitingly, I finally get to add lean protein! I was thinking about what to make this week, and I actually forgot that I can have chicken and fish now. I kept thinking, "Okay, this would be good, and I can add this protein for Dear Husband." Except, I can have that protein now, too! My chiropractor said I could also have quinoa, the only protein that is complete protein, meaning it has all nine of the essential amino acids that humans need. I'm going to ask her if egg whites are okay.

Mmmmm ... eggs.

I'm also no longer on the "cleansing" supplement. I'm still taking the protein and fiber powders with the smoothies, but now I'm taking five capsules of SP Green Food twice a day (it's made of dried buckwheat and barley juices - not sure how a juice can be dried, but what do I know?). When I checked in with the doctor, I mentioned that I was feeling unsatisfied and hungry, especially in the later evening. I had only been taking two smoothies a day because I was worried it was too much fruit, meaning too many calories. (Not to mention the fact that you can't eat for an hour afterward, and once you eat, you have to wait two hours before having another, so time management with three has been tricksy.) She suggested that I be sure to get in three smoothies, since they were my protein source, and that I blend up veggies, any veggies, like spinach and carrots. She said I could add stevia to sweeten them.

Well, I made a carrot/strawberry smoothie from a recipe from the supplement manufacturer's website. It tasted good, but I don't have a high-performance commercial drink blender, so the raw carrots were chunky and it was a little off-putting. I'm going to try this one again, but with shredded carrot in the hopes that my blender can handle that more easily. I can't bring myself to blend up a veggie smoothie, though. I just don't know what to do. I'm sure I could mine the depths of the Interweb, but I'm scared about what I might find. So I haven't added a third shake, but I'm hoping that won't matter now that I can have three palm-sized servings of chewable protein a day. I had avocado and tomato chunks with a little red onion and chopped capers over spinach with oil olive, fresh lemon juice and fresh ground pepper last night when I had my 9pm hunger attack. That was actually incredibly satisfying. It was delicious and the good fats in the avocado really filled me up. I wish I had thought of that sooner!

I've been eating pretty much only veggies, since I've been using fruit for the smoothies. It's been pretty easy to make sure half of my veggies are raw; I usually have a salad for lunch, cooked veggies for dinner, and raw veggies for snacks. I've also been trying to stick to seasonal bounty when it comes to the fresh food. Eating seasonally is something I started a couple of years ago since it's more eco-friendly (surprising, the aforementioned spinach and tomatoes were found at a local farmer's market - probably the last of them, though). It's usually quite easy, but it's been a little harder with this program since I don't have grains, dairy, nuts, seeds or shellfish to add some variety to my palate. I sometimes feel like I'm eating the same things over and over. Sometimes I feel creative, and sometimes I just don't have the time to think about it. I'm hoping the addition of protein today will also alleviate the perceived boredom.

Things that haven't been happening? I haven't been gassy or bloated. I haven't had any indigestion or discomfort after eating. I have been going to the bathroom a lot, and, um, regularly. But that's good. That means my system is flushing itself of waste. Since I'm putting only good things into my body, it can finally work to get rid of any crap it's accumulated. Points to you if you noticed my puns.

I've also discovered that eating out is difficult. First, you might not find anything that works for you. Secondly, you might find something, but only if you can have substitutions. And some restaurants don't take to that and make sure you know it's a difficult request. It's upsetting because I'm trying to live the healthiest life possible and the overall attitude toward food in this country doesn't jive with mine.

If you have any favorite recipes that would work during this program, please share! And if you know of a delicious veggie smoothie that can easily be made in your standard home kitchen blender, I beg of you, let me know!