Day 1

Yesterday, we started the program. I woke up, heated some water in the microwave and then squeezed half a lemon into the mug. Then I drank the psyllium/pectin mixture in the water/cranberry mixture. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The juice is very sour. I think I will pick up some apple juice to mix in with it. I then made the kidney tea. After steeping 10 minutes, I put it in a to-go cup and headed out the door. I was concerned that it would add so much more time to my morning routine. I ended up not waking any earlier. So, I am pleased about that. I need every minute in my bed that I can get.

For breakfast, instead of my usual Kashi Go Lean and soymilk, I had fruit. Eaten as needed through out the morning. I was sure that I would be starving, but it really wasn't so. For lunch I had a raw green salad. Then for dinner, I made garbanzo bean tacos and attempted to grill artichokes by following a recipe that I found on line. They were a big failure. The problem with artichokes is they are so much work for such a small pay off.

Over all, not a bad first day. I am on a quest to find flour free/yeast free bread. My sister swears by Ezekial. I am off to Trader Joe's tomorrow as I am off early for a change.

Preparation

Tonight was a little bit of work getting everything ready to begin the program tomorrow. Nasr is going to be doing it too, which I think might make it easier in the long run. I have everything laid out for the morning business that is required. First thing, drink a glass of water with the juice from 1/2 a lemon. Then, 1tsp. pectin and 1tsp psyllium husk in a water/cranberry juice mixture. Not sure how that is going to taste. Finally, a cup of special "kidney" tea infused for ten minutes. I am easily adding 30 minutes to my morning routine. we shall see how it works out in real life.

Taking the plunge

I have decided to follow this detox program for the designated 4 week time period. I have to admit that I first bought this book back in July and had intended to start the program in August, however, the plan seemed quite involved. It just never seemed like the right time to start, until now. The program requires the elimination of certain things from your diet; meat, dairy, alcohol, white sugar and flour, etc. While I am already a vegetarian, the eating portion of the plan seems like it requires much planning and fore thought. I wasn't ready until now to commit that much discipline. The book is also very dense and I feel like there is so much to remember. I'm sure once I get started it won't be so overwhelming. Another aspect of the preliminary preparation, there are several supplements that must be purchased beforehand. I already bought the herbs to make the recommended purifying teas. I have to admit that I wasn't able to procure ALL of the herbs called for in the recipes, I am however, not that worried about it. I expect to see results in spite of the missing ingredients. This plan not only focuses on toxins in our food and body, but it also looks at the toxins in our environment, our homes and our personal care products, which ultimately do end up in our bodies. The goal is to limit exposure to these poisons. Day one will be Monday, September, 29 2008. I have the whole weekend to prepare.