Dietary Quirks - My Cleansing Journey

Hello there, bloggy buddies! I know this isn't an entertainment related post, but I wanted to get some feedback and talk about the new dietary journey I've been on these past few weeks. I've made some big changes in the way my family is eating, and it's pretty interesting to analyze the resulting effects.

So what inspired this change? Tony Horton. I don't know if any of you are fitness buffs, but Tony Horton is the creator of P90X, which is one of the most popular at-home workout programs in America. He's insane. He's in his 50's and in better shape than I've ever been in my life. The man is a beast, and my husband follows his fitness stuff like gospel. He is intent on owning anything and everything that Tony Horton has ever touched. So, when Mr. Horton wrote a book, he had to have it the week it hit shelves.

I may be older than your dad,
but I look fantastic!

Tony Horton's book, Bring It!, features a 30-day diet cleanse to get you off of sugar, processed foods, gluten and animal products that was pioneered by Karma Chow (whose founder is also Tony's personal chef). The second my husband read this, we were committed to do a serious diet cleanse. And, boy, was it serious.

In the first week, we gave up soda. This may not seem like a big deal, but most of you haven't met my husband and his twice-daily Super Big Gulp. We also let go of all processed foods, which wasn't so bad since I don't really like the stuff anyway. Just from that change alone, I lost four pounds. Four pounds from soda! I was amazed.

Pretty sure my husband could kill this in an evening.

The second week, we gave up all products containing gluten. This was rough. I don't know if you know this, but gluten is in everything that contains wheat. Almost EVERYTHING contains wheat! No more pasta. No more bread. No more flour tortillas. No pastries of any kind. I was terrified of this step! But I went a-searchin' on Google and found out a lot of delicious gluten-free alternatives for things. I learned about quinoa and amaranth, which are super-tasty, ridiculously healthy grains that you can use to give variety to a gluten-free diet. I made my own gluten-free portobello ravioli with a combination of soy, rice, potato, tapioca and corn flours that was incredible. I found some great rice and quinoa pastas to replace wheat noodles. I have to say, I'm not really missing the gluten. And I lost another three pounds from giving up the gluten! So that's seven pounds in two weeks, without changing my workout routine (read: not doing anything, aside from chasing my kids). Incredible! Maybe this Tony Horton guy knows a thing or two.

Quionoa. OMG, is this stuff tasty!

I'm about midway through week three of the cleanse, which is dairy-free week. This wasn't too difficult, since I don't really eat dairy products, but I do miss being able to use milk in my cooking and cheese on certain things. I got some tasty rice "cheeze" for the enchiladas I made last night, and it was just fine as a substitute. We'll see what pulling dairy from the diet does at the end of the week.

If only I could say that was me under that tape measure.

Next week is the final week, and it's the one where we give up all animal products. Full blown vegan. This one makes me nervous because my husband is a candidate for the poster boy of carnivores, and because vegetable broth just doesn't work as well as good old hearty chicken stock. As tough as this will be, I'm going to stick with the commitment and give it all up, at least for a little while. I figure, it can't hurt to try something new to get healthier. Who knows how much weight I can drop from this!

What about you guys? Any special dietary considerations you're making? Anyone with a gluten intolerance or living vegan? Tell me all about it and let's talk food! If you're interested in taking on a big time cleanse like this, you can pick up Tony Horton's book from my Amazon A-Store below, or you can visit Karma Chow's website to sign up for a group cleanse.