Joshi Detox II - Week Two

Day 7 - I wake up and happily go to the gym for an hour. I am sleeping deeply and feel great when I wake up. In the middle of the afternoon we are out and I haven't eaten enough, so I buy an apple and some seeds and nuts at a grocery store to get me through till dinner. We meet friends for dinner and I order salmon with rice and veggies, and just drink water. I am craving gingerale, but other than that I'm quite happy.

Day 8 - I've slept well again, and get out of bed quite easily (even though it's a work day). Am continuing to enjoy my hot lemon drink, like every other morning since I started the detox. Try some cocoa-flavoured Quinoa cereal, but find it's way too sweet so I don't think it's a good cleanse food. Found I was hungry as soon as I got to work, so I need to have an egg or some pumpkin butter for breakfast instead. (Speaking of which, pumpkin butter is fantastic, no matter what the colour and texture may remind you of). Lunch is cottage cheese, rice crackers, raw broccoli and carrots, and one slice of gluten-free bread with a bit of honey. I really find that bananas are the saving grace of this detox, though right now I have a bunch at home that aren't ready to eat. For dinner we have a ready-made roasted chicken from the grocery store, rice and peas and carrots. Joshi says it's fine to eat frozen veggies because they are usually picked ripe, as opposed to a lot of the veggies we find in the grocery store, which ripen on trucks (thus depleting their nutritional content).

Day 9 - Another fabulous sleep. I get up and start the kettle for hot lemon, and sip that while I start getting ready for work. I learned from yesterday that I need a substantial breakfast, so I soft-boil two eggs and eat them with two slices of gluten-free toast. I also drink cold herbal tea, which we always try to have on hand. It's a nice change from water. As an addict to orange juice with my breakfast, this is a decent alternative because it's cold and fresh and fruity. I pack my lunch: chopped carrots, bok choy and celery, some cottage cheese, rice chips, and a bit of hummus. When I get to work, I make sure to drink a couple of glasses of water right away. I eat dinner out, and order a chicken curry with rice. It unfortunately has some sweet chutney, peppers and tomatoes on top, which I try to avoid with minimal success. I do not, however, touch the pita bread that comes with it. I go to a theatre opening, and successfully avoid the pink champagne. I'm hungry when I get home, so I have a delicious shake made with bananas, rice milk, pumpkin butter and ice.

Day 10 - Great sleep. Great hot lemon. Breakfast is Corn Flakes (I think this is cheating a bit because while they're wheat-free, sugar is the second ingredient) with rice milk and a banana. For lunch I have chicken, rice and bok choy. I feel like I need a treat in the afternoon, so I stop by Starbucks on my way home and get a tall decaf soy latte with a bit of honey. I think I'm technically supposed to avoid even decaf coffee, but Joshi said this would be okay as a treat. For dinner we decide to actually sit at the table instead of in front of the television, which has unfortunately become our habit, and enjoy our meal and some conversation. We eat salad with mesclun, carrots, celery, onion, broccoli and feta, with an olive oil and garlic dressing. Then we have salmon with brown rice. Neither of us is much of a fan of the brown rice, but we're trying to be good. Later in the evening I have one gluten-free cookie, which Phil calls cheating and I call delicious. One thing to note: I desperately wanted a glass of red wine with dinner.

AND THEN I CHEATED. OOPS. IT MAY HAVE INVOLVED NAAN AND RED WINE. MORE TO COME WHEN I GET BACK ON TRACK...