Eating clean, feeling good
Posted: February 11, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: clean food, detox, food 2 CommentsSee? As soon as I don’t have to blog every day, I don’t blog at all. And I haven’t run that much since Janathon either, need to get a shift on if I’m to hit my 75 miles target. But it’s the wonderful Bramley 10 this weekend so that will catapult me a good part of the way there (don’t think I’ll be beating last year’s performance, but it’ll still be a heap of fun).
This month the focus is on food, which is a troublesome thing to be focusing on. My relationship to food is no more troubled than most women’s but frankly that’s not saying much. It’s fuel, treat, comfort, enemy, reward, indulgence, penance, depending on the day and what the scales say.
I am an all-or-nothing kind of a girl (as you’ve probably worked out) so for me keeping it really simple works well: all month so far I’ve been detoxing, eating ‘clean’. No sugar, no dairy, no meat/fish, no wheat, no caffeine, no alcohol. What I HAVE been eating is great piled plates of salads, puy lentils with chargrilled vegetables, rice cakes with guacamole, pilafs, tabbouleh, handfuls of nuts, hummus on pumpernickel, sweet potato bubble-and-squeak, vegetable soup and mountains of fresh fruit, washed down with litres of water. I can honestly say I’ve not been hungry once, but the weight has fallen off nicely (6lbs in two weeks) and I’m feeling so perky I’m irritating myself.
The first week not so much: I had that cold, which didn’t help, but the second day of the detox I also had a banging headache all day and felt utterly miserable. Every time that happens, and every time it takes me by surprise.
What’s interesting is that having to think about what I eat has reminded me of the rich variety of fabulous stuff I usually DON’T eat, mainly because the kids (and Mr IM) would fall off their chairs in horror if I served it up. Or rather, I assume they would. In fact it turns out Catherine loves puy lentils, and everyone was impressed with the bubble-and-squeak. I need to keep on introducing this kind of food rather than falling back on the tried and tested family favourites every time.
Any favourite detox/vegan recipes? Send ’em in, please…
IM blogging 
There was I thinking I was the only woman with that kind of relationship with food. Phew! Well done on weight loss, and getting the family to eat put lentils!
Thanks – I think very few women (certainly in my experience) have a completely uncomplicated relationship with food. My kids are both so straightforward about it – eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full – I hope they stay that way.