of Diet and Detox

I woke up on Tuesday morning after our first full day of true veganism with both a splitting headache and a crazy sore back. Knowing I actually hadn't done anything physical the day before to merit this pain I knew what this was, and knew it was coming, I had read about it, the dreaded....

Detox!  
( Cue Dramatic Prairie Dog )

The following few days had been quite the experience. From spiking pains in what I think was my liver (yes Mum, I'll admit this frequent-casual drinker may imbibe a little much), to the zombie-esque mind-clogged shuffle through the office, I was feeling it. I thought I had prepped for this experience but never really cutting anything off cold turkey before definitely sent a shock to the system, my body and mind were angry at me. If only I could tell them to calm down, this is for the best, and to trust me, I (sort of) knew what I was doing.

It's slowly been getting better and this morning I woke up fully clear minded and with a much lighter step. Drank my lemon/cayenne tea and our morning green drink and skipped out of the house. Sure, the fact that it's Friday may have a little to do with it as well, but it's also good to note that we're almost a week down from when we started, and we're still alive! :)

So lesson learned on this one, Angie played it smart and started weening herself off of the the 'bad' stuff the week before so she didn't get hit as hard as I did. But I guess it's also for the best as my experience can help anyone reading this realize that if they ever do want to give it a shot and turn to the green. Be prepared for some kickback...

-Cody

The First Day of the Rest of Our Lives

 Alright folks, so here it is, the morning of day one.

Angie and I spent the good portion of yesterday getting the tools we needed to start us off today. And by 'tools' I mean walking into Whole Foods and grabbing everything green we could get our hands on. I have to say it's a little scary walking into a foreign environment and not knowing your way around. Not that we've NEVER purchased vegetables before, but purchasing on this scale was a little...overwhelming to say the least. Thankfully the staff are friendly and were just as excited as we were when we mentioned our new cleanse. We were set, bags overflowing with the green goodness and gluten free product. Tho our wallets a bit lighter then expected, we were happy in knowing this is for the best and very excited to start.

Yeah I know it's a bit early to start the posting of the first day's events but couldn't  help it. We started this morning by un-boxing and reading up on our new juicer (Hurom Slow Juicer for those wondering at home). Once the instructional video has given us the OK to plug the bad boy in, we were set. The power of green was now in our hands...crap...now if only we knew what to put in it...Ang quickly grabbed Kris' book and flipped to the first green juice listed.  Purple kale, celery, romaine lettuce, cucumber, pear, ginger, broccoli stems and sunflower sprouts were quickly broken down and fed through the little tube in top.

From below came a sludge of green and purple goop....wait...what?...did we do something wrong? did we miss a piece in the machine somewhere? was this the magic green elixir we had been reading up on (and granted never seen a picture, which now makes perfect sense)? We looked at each other in horror as the twisting maelstrom of what looked like the morning after a bad night out poured out of the chute.

Of course, knowing that this wasn't going to be easy, and knowing that things are no longer going to be the alchemy twisted, preservative added, pre packaged swill we were used to from the supermarket. We got the notion out of our noggin's that this wasn't going to be a bad thing, this was change, this was green, this is what we're here for, and we're doing this for us.

After our warm water with lemon and cayenne tea we poured our new juice into a couple glasses, popped in some straws, and never looked back. Although this concoction may not look palate pleasing, it tasted (not surprisingly)...green.

Hell, this isn't going to be so bad. Morning of day one down, twenty and three quarters to go!

-Cody

Sugar: The Legal Drug

So this is it...our last day of so-called freedom before the start of a long 21 day challenge in which we will be fueling our bodies with super-foods and ridding of all toxins. I imagine we will feel pretty great when this is all over and then we are just left with the decision to continue down this road or go back to everyday foods that are slowly making us all sick. I for one could never give up meat or cheese...but I know I will not allow myself to indulge in these pleasures on a daily basis after this. My goal is to become more aware and take control of what I am exposing myself to. And this isn't really about weight...it's about repair and renewal. I'm pretty sure the almost daily alcoholic beverages plus the feast of potato chips and chocolate on the weekends (and then some) weren't doing much more than creating havoc on our insides...poor liver...poor intestines. Where's the magic school bus when you need it? Not to mention everything else we consume on a daily basis without thinking twice about it. I think a lot of us get sucked into the calorie counting when really we should be focusing on the one-ingredient items that aren't loaded with processed crap, preservatives, and chemicals. It's quite simple when you get past the withdrawal symptoms of being a crazed addict. Oh delectable pastries...you were constantly on my mind...how could I go a day without you? Well, I couldn't go without sweets for awhile but after a couple weeks of self-control and motivation I was able to stay away and with ease. I felt proud and that I had conquered something large. F-you Starbucks and your glass case of treats taunting me when really all I wanted was a tea. Or the massive bowl of Easter chocolate on our very top shelf, how it somehow learned to fly and make its way down to us every night after dinner. No more...the sugar monster has left the building.

Honestly I didn't even know what the word 'Vegan' really meant til about a year ago and when I did, I didn't really understand it. What was the reason behind not eating meat or dairy...ever? It's beyond what you know or what you think you know. I have (almost) all the answers now and I feel amazing just with the knowledge I've obtained. After a chapter or two into 'Crazy Sexy Diet' I was hooked, inspired, I wanted more. I'd toss and turn at night thinking about this incredible information that could change my life in such a positive way. The way I choose to take care of myself has been forever changed. If we could all strive to become even just vegan-ish I think our bodies and our earth would thank us for it.

Our cupboards and fridge have willingly opened up space for a truckload of veggies, fruit, seeds, nuts, legumes, and healthy grains. It's a lot of preparation for our meals but it'll be worth it. We're also throwing our microwave out the window and replacing it with a...wait for it........ juicer! I've been incorporating some of these plant-based meals into our diet over the last couple weeks and I have to say everything has been amazing so far. I've ordered a few raw/vegan cookbooks as well to help us through. There's no need to give up bold fresh flavors and creativity!

And yes, Cody did look at me like I had been abducted when I first started conversing with him about this exciting new discovery... But I'm glad we're on the same page now and doing this together. :)

-Angie