When life hands you lemons... (& Music For The Morning!)

I typically don't do the whole double posting thing on my blogs - I call that Cross Blog Contamination... but this is a subject I feel bears repeating. 

From Shrink To Fit...

I have been kicking the tires a bit more recently on an idea that has been stuck in my mind since I started this blog. I want to do a cleanse. Not a fad diet thing to lose as much weight as possible in the shortest amount of time - I want to cleanse my body. I've spent 31 years doing horrible things to it. I've stuffed it full of processed foods, fed it decomposing and rotting flesh, ate an abundance of gluten - which I know now it has difficulty processing - and filled it to the brim with sugar, Splenda and countless other things that in reality, are quite toxic to the body. I'd like to give my body a clean slate, a fresh start.

I was talking to a friend on Twitter the other day and I told her that I had been considering doing a cleanse and then spending a year eating vegan raw whole foods. She told me about a cleanse she'd done before - the Master Cleanse or "Lemonade Diet" as it is frequently referred to. Considered a "fad diet" by many - when you delve into the logistics of it however, the cleanse has merit. I've been wanting to do a cleanse - but had not found one that I felt was plausible. I still have to go to work, I can't take any time off of work to be at home in bed and too weak to move. I still have to complete my school assignments. I need something I can work into my life.

On my friend's recommendation, I immediately purchased The Master Cleanserand The Complete Master Cleanse: A Step-by-Step Guide to Maximizing the Benefits of The Lemonade Dietfrom Amazon.com (you gotta love Amazon prime...) I've only read through the first book entirely - it's the original book by the man who created the Master Cleanse. It was quite eye opening. I've also purchased  The Raw Food Revolution Dietand once I make it through the 2nd Master Cleanse book, I'll be starting on it. This is the book I will use to guide me through my year of raw food.

Why only a year on raw food, you ask? Well, I may decide to do it permanently, I may not. The fact of the matter is that a life without baked things is a rather daunting thought. I can handle the thought of 10 days without food and drinking nothing but a lemonade concoction. I can live without meat. I can live without dairy products (I pretty much do that now as it is). I can even handle the thought of eating nothing but raw food for a year. 

I cannot however, handle the thought of doing it for a lifetime. I know through my research that raw is the best way to eat. Of course food in it's purest form is the best - unprocessed, the way nature intended. Perhaps once I do it for a year and reap the benefits it will be easier to transition to a lifetime of eating this way. For now, I'll say a year.  

So - 10 days of a lemonade concoction and then on to a year of raw food. This is what I am contemplating. It's drastic - I know. Then again, so is a lap band. Not that getting a lap band is an option... But this requires no cutting. Either way, you have to drastically alter your lifestyle for it to work. This way is far less expensive and much safer - in my opinion.

I'd like to know, dear readers - have you tried any cleanses? If so, did they work for you?

Now - some music for your Sunday morning...