I started this blog eleven years ago, and for most of those years, I actually blogged faithfully. Then I got sucked into Twitter, and I got a 50-hour/week job, and my blogging practices atrophied and died.

However, I now have a reason to blog again.

I'm embarking upon a month long cleanse with an extremely narrow range of foods I can eat. Any of these limitations individually are doable, but together, they're very intimidating. By blogging about my efforts, I can wrangle my teeming thoughts and concerns into something coherent and manageable. I can post recipes and restaurant reviews to remind myself of all the cool options available to me. The blog will also provide a place for me to solicit advice from folks who have undertaken similar dietary restrictions. And who knows, it may prove helpful to future foodies, looking to improve their diet!

Here's what I'm facing:

Basic Dietary Guidelines:

FRUITS
INCLUDE: Unsweetened fresh, frozen, water-packaged, or canned fruits; fruit juices (except orange).
EXCLUDE: Oranges, orange juice.

VEGETABLES
INCLUDE: All fresh raw, steamed, sauteed, juiced, or roasted vegetables.
EXCLUDE: Corn, creamed vegetables. I will also exclude spinach, as I have a sensitivity to it. This sucks, as spinach is my favorite vegetable.

STARCH
INCLUDE: Rice, oats, millet, quinoa, amaranth, teff, tapioca, buckwheat.
EXCLUDE: Wheat, corn, barley, spelt, kamut, rye; all gluten-containing products.

BREAD/CEREAL
INCLUDE: Products made from rice, oat, buckwheat, milley, potato flour, tapioca, arrowroot, amaranth, quinoa, teff.
EXCLUDE: Products made from wheat, spelt, kamut, rye, barley; all gluten-containing products.

LEGUMES
INCLUDE: All beans, peas, and lentils (unless otherwise indicated)
EXCLUDE: Soybeans, tofu, tempeh, soy milk, other soy products.

NUTS AND SEEDS
INCLUDE: Almonds, cashews, walnuts, sesame (tahini), sunflower, pumpkin seeds; butters made from these nuts and seeds.
EXCLUDE: Peanuts, peanut butter.

MEAT AND FISH
INCLUDE: All canned (water-packed), frozen, or fresh fish, chicken, turkey, wild game, lamb.
EXCLUDE: Beef, pork, cold cuts, frankfurters, sausage, canned meats, eggs, shellfish.

DAIRY PRODUCTS AND MILK SUBSTITUTES
INCLUDE: Milk substitutes such as rice milk, almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, and other nut milks.
EXCLUDE: Milk, cheese, cottage cheese, cream, yogurt, butter, ice cream, frozen yogurt, non-dairy creamers. I must add coconut milk to the "exclude" pile as well, as I'm sensitive to coconut.

FATS
INCLUDE: Cold-expeller pressed olive, flaxseed, canola, safflower, sunflower, sesame, walnut, pumpkin, or almond oils.
EXCLUDE: Margarine, butter, shortening, processed and hydrogenated oils, mayonnaise, spreads.

BEVERAGES
INCLUDE: Filtered or distilled water, herbal tea, seltzer or mineral water.
EXCLUDE: Soda pop or soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea, other caffeinated beverages.

SPICES AND CONDIMENTS
INCLUDE: All spices unless otherwise indicated. For example, cinnamon, cumin, dill, garlic, ginger, carob, oregano, parsley, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, tumeric, vinegar.
EXCLUDE: Chocolate, ketchup, mustard, relish, chutney, soy sauce, barbecue sauce, or other condiments.

SWEETENERS
INCLUDE: Brown rice syrup, fruit sweeteners, blackstrap molasses, stevia.
EXCLUDE: White or brown refined sugar, honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, candy, desserts made with these sweeteners.


Program:

DAYS 1-6: I follow the above Basic Dietary Guidelines, supplementing it with Xymogen OptiCleanse powder twice daily in almond or hemp milk. This powder provides nutritional support for the body's natural detoxification mechanism, gastrointestinal health, and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.

DAYS 7-13: From the Basic Dietary Guidelines, eat only from these categories: fruits, vegetables, fats, beverages, and spices/condiments, plus rice. Increase the powder to 3x/day.

DAYS 14-15: Add back bread, cereal, starch, and milk substitutes from Basic Dietary Guidelines.
DAYS 16-18: Add back legumes and nuts and seeds.
DAYS 19-28: Add back meat and fish.


After that, I'll slowly reintroduce foods from the "naughty" list. I check them by eating the purest form of that food (like, if I wanted to check cheese, I wouldn't get pizza--I'd get the cheese alone and have my way with it) twice in one day for two days to see if I have a negative reaction or an increase in symptoms.

I'll check my resting pulse before and after eating the new food, and if it increases by more than 10 beats per minute ten minutes after eating food, it's an indication of sensitivity. I'll also be testing the pH of my morning urine to check acidity and inflammation and keeping a running dialogue with my doctor about my body's reactions. My mom will also be a great source of sanity in my life--she's a certified holistic health coach.


This is my mission, and I choose to accept it! Bring it on!