What do you like to eat?
I’m an omnivore and I love food. I’d even venture to say that I’m obsessed with food.
I enjoy cooking with new ingredients, trying different dishes and experiencing another culture with my palate. So when it was announced that Cleanse 2011 was looking for participants, I decided to jump in with both fork and knife (or any other utensil for that matter!). The program was created 4 years ago by Renee Trepanier, raw food culinary artist/yoga teacher, and Dr. Natasha Zajmalowski, N.D., to help our local area learn how to eat and live clean.
Cleanse 2011 provided guidelines on foods to choose and how to cook them, doing yoga or some kind of exercise, being proactive in personal healthcare and finding natural ways to clean around the house.
Since the yoga was already in place for me (saw Dr. Natasha in a class at Eastside), it was the food that I really wanted to focus on for my first time around. It helped that Dianne organized a recipe/food swap with twelve people from the studio. Less cooking means better compliance. I even got my hubby to “play along” and eat clean with me for the week.
Been having lots of fun cooking (great recipes Renee!), shopping (thank you Marcella at Healthy Nuts!) and eating. A vegetarian meal plan was suggested in the PDF handout that was emailed to all registrants. I’ll admit that I’ve eaten lamb and chicken, which were allowed items on the grocery list. But it hasn’t been a real strain to forego red meat, wheat, dairy and eggs. I’ve got a pretty adventurous stomach! What I’ve observed though is that I need to eat frequently because when I get hungry, I don’t function well. Three meals and two snacks a day is just fine by me.
Been keeping a food diary, using my iPhone and the “Memorable Meals” app. The photo is my snack from Day 2 – Almond Butter Rice Crisps with Dandelion Tea, sweetened using apple and lemon juice. Yes, I’m a yoga geek that is obsessed with food! What can I say?
