More talk...

Okay, so my friend Paige asked me to post the "recipe" to my 14 day cleanse (which really was Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet). Basically, in a nutshell, I cut all sugar and flour out of my diet for 2 weeks. Yes, you could say it was a no-carb plan of attack--a way to reverse the body's inability to process sugars and starches properly--but no, I certainly don't plan on cutting out all sugars and starches forever. Fruit is a good thing, same with grains. Your body needs them. But going 2 weeks without them gives your body--more specifically, your blood chemistry--time to adjust so that when you do start choosing the right fats and the right carbs, your body will know what to do with them.


So I guess it's not really a "recipe" but more of a plan that you just have to be willing to commit to. For 14 days. Which seems a little daunting at first, but really in the grand scheme of things? 14 days? Not that long. And it's not like EVERY food is off limits. Just most! Ha! Ha! :) Kidding. In fact, not that you care, but here's a sampling of what got me thru 2 weeks. We'll call it 'MY Top 10 Super Foods':


My family has loved these veggie sausages for several years now. They really do taste like meat! Seriously.




You get all the protein of eggs but without all the cholesterol. And when scrambled or made into omelets, you really can't tell that they didn't come straight from a shell. (But they are real eggs.)


On a side note--If you don't like eggs, that could be a problem. Sorry.

This is a staple in our house. Right up there with water. We musn't ever run out! Ever. And trust me when I tell you that you CAN train your kids to eat (and like) peanut butter that doesn't have all of the added garbage in it. Go natural! And this particular kind doesn't even separate.

This was my treat every night after dinner. Like yogurt, there's a bazillion different flavors. And only 60 calories.

Now in all honesty, even though I ate this yogurt for the 14 days (and liked it fine) I've already switched back to an all natural low-fat alternative. More calories and carbs (because of the natural sugar) but without the dreaded high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, etc... That's the thing about cutting out sugar. You pretty much have to be willing to eat some form of artificial sweetener. At least for 14 days.

If you like chocolate milk...yummy!

I heat it up in a mug and pretend it's tomato soup.

The light variety only has 60 calories and 2.5 grams of fat. Easiest snack ever!

Eat it on celery or in a lettuce roll-up with turkey. The garlic and herb kind is tasty, too. And only 35 calories! You can have 2!

True, not the first thing you usually crave when it's freezing cold outside, but when you gotta have chocolate...

So there you go. Too bad my name's not Jillian Michaels or Bob Harper! I could make a fortune!