Today is day six of my detox and I’m feeling … pretty good. Not stupendous or amazing; just … pretty good. Maybe a little above average. My sinuses have cleared up a little bit, and I do seem to have more energy, so that’s all good. I suppose I can’t expect too much change in just six days after a lifetime of eating foods that may have not been the healthiest choices.

Yesterday was difficult. I can see why raw foodists, vegans, and others on strict diets go through the time-consuming and often elaborate process of creating stand-ins for some of their favorite but unhealthy foods. Eating the same things all the time gets pretty boring. Last night, all I really wanted was a big bowl of macaroni and cheese. I had to settle for a vegetable omelet. Not the same.

Today was much better, though, thanks in large part to a catered lunch at work that was actually really good and included foods I could eat: roasted chicken, green beans, and a mixed greens salad. Afterwards, I had a little bit of dried fruit back at my desk and felt totally satisfied. Perhaps I’ve passed my first major hurdle.

Though I am detoxing, I am not fasting or doing any kind of crazy fad diet, like eating nothing but grapefruits. My goal is not to simply do a well-meaning but short-term cleanse and then return to my former eating habits. My goal is to determine if eliminating certain foods (i.e. wheat and dairy) make a difference in my overall health, and find out ways to sustain those dietary changes.

I am eating what is probably closest to a Paleo diet: lots of vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins — foods that our Paleolithic ancestors would have eaten. Loren Cordain, author of The Paleo Diet, asserts that the healthiest diet is one based on foods that our bodies were designed to eat — foods that people ate before the dawn of the agricultural age, before humans became more dependent on high-carbohydrate diets.

Cordain advises eliminating grains, dairy, refined sugars, and processed foods, which is what I am currently doing with my detox. However, without a supply of recipes, I’m getting pretty tired of the foods I’ve been eating – lots of vegetables, fish, nuts, seeds, some fruits and some quinoa (not sure if quinoa qualifies as a grain, since it’s actually a seed). In order to really sustain this type of healthier lifestyle, I’m going to have to start experimenting with some new recipes.

The Paleo Diet web site lists several sample recipes; I’m going to print out a few to try this weekend. In addition to seafood, meat, and vegetable dishes, there are recipes for salad dressings, marinades, and fruit-based desserts. So, my challenge for the next few days is to step things up a notch and get a little more creative in the kitchen so that I can find healthy ways to satisfy my cravings. I’m usually a little more lax with my diet on the weekends, so it could be challenging. But my vegan friend will be back in town from Chicago, which could out to be good timing — not only will she be up for trying some healthy new recipes, but it’ll get me out of my regular routine, which should help keep the unhealthy habits under control.

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