I have officially completed one week of eating Clean! I almost gave in to my coffee and crepe cravings yesterday, but in the end I persevered. I made a great zucchini puree last night (see below) that restored my faith in soups. (I’ve learned the secret to a good soup is the broth; when I tried to puree broccoli with water last week, even with onions and garlic, it was bland bland bland.)
I have made it to day 5 of my cleanse without any major problems. On Wednesday, I felt very tired during the day, but my energy level picked up later and I actually got a lot done. I also had some great meals — a mango and pineapple smoothie with coconut milk, and homemade hummus with sliced cucumbers and carrots.
Day 2 on the Clean program and everything is going great. As predicted, there was a lot of indulging over vacation: pizza, beer, and some of the best donuts I have ever had at the Donut Haus in Estes Park. But it was all a little hard on my digestive system, so I was actually looking forward to starting the Clean program after we got back.
Yesterday’s post about orthorexia nervosa got me thinking more about healthy eating, so I thought I would share some more about how we overhauled our diet. A few years ago, I rarely bought fresh produce because I would just forget about it and it would go bad. I lived alone, I worked two jobs, and I didn’t have the time or inclination to cook, so I gravitated towards foods that could be prepared in the microwave. I ate lots of frozen dinners and macaroni and cheese. Sometimes I even had cereal for dinner. A friend once remarked that whenever she came to visit, my fridge always contained salsa and pudding.
According to British news source The Guardian, being overly fixated on healthy eating is now considered a disorder. Orthorexia nervosa is defined as a “fixation on righteous eating.” The Guardian reports that people “suffering” from this condition may refuse to touch foods such as sugar, salt, caffeine, alcohol, wheat, gluten, yeast, soya, corn, and dairy foods, as well as any foods that have come into contact with herbicides, pesticides, and artificial ingredients.
When I was in high school, back when I didn’t care about silly things like nutrition and would sometimes have nothing for lunch except a can of Pepsi and a pack of Rolos (shudder), one of my favorite meals was fettuccine alfredo. I loved anything made with cream and cheese and thought nothing of downing a big bowl of dairy and pasta. In later years, classic mac n’ cheese replaced fettuccine as my pasta of choice, and remained one of my regular go-to meals until just a couple of years ago (though I graduated from Kraft to Annie’s organic pasta).
melissa on Guilt-free avocado-chocolate mousse
Karen on “Clean,” Interrupted
Kelley Bastel on “Clean,” Interrupted Karen on “Clean,” Interrupted
Kelsey on “Clean,” Interrupted
