Clean Livin'

I'm sure you already know this, but "cleansing" seems to be all the rage these days.  Depriving yourself of perceived nutritional liabilities whilst purging the gunk left behind in your innards by those unnatural elements is supposed to provide a variety of health benefits and unlock the potential of your body.

Well, I fell for it.  Most of the "cleanse" movement is really common sense and, I'm sure, has some grounding in scientific fact.  Pumping your body full of artificial preservatives, steroids, and other additives is not natural and is difficult for our guts to process.  I was intrigued by the advertised benefits of more energy, better disposition, and improved focus...NOT weight loss.  I, along with my wife and kids, already (I think) eat pretty healthy.  I am also an avid runner and exercise five days a week.  Weight is not my issue, although I think it is what probably attracts most people to cleansing programs.

As mentioned in previous posts, I am running my first marathon in June - immediately followed by tasting some of Washington's finest wines - and am interested in creating a meal plan to accompany my training program.  I thought that a cleanse diet would be a good way to "clear the deck" and start from a good base nutritionally.  However, I wanted to continue running and working out, so the water-syrup-red pepper-and-lemon juice-and-have-diarhea-for-10-days kind of cleanse was not going to fit the bill.  Thus, I devised a plan based loosely on the "Food Lover's Cleanse", which allows me to eat a prescribed diet devoid of artificialities,  but still get the calories needed for exercise.  Unfortunately, this plan also included me giving up alcohol, caffeine, sugar, wheat, and dairy completely for the first week - Elimination Week, as it were.  Not cool.  But I'm looking for any edge I can legally/ethically get to help me conquer what will likely be my only marathon.

I'm currently wrapping up Day 4 of Elimination Week.  Early results:  not that great.  I have experienced headaches (likely from lack of caffeine) and a general LACK of energy.  Now, I know it's early and I'm not a quitter, but I think I am quickly learning that I need certain elements in my daily diet.  If not for nutritional value, then for spice of life.  Eating a bowl of cold porridge in the morning does not really make me happy.  Grilled skinless chicken thighs with quinoa and salad are fine for dinner, but it would be a whole lot better with a glass of Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. 

Honestly, my plan - let's call it the "happy runner meal plan" - already allowed me to begin phasing in certain things (albeit on a limited basis) next week...and I think I would anyway.  I'm going to finish this Elimination Week but, after this, I think I'm going to continue to try to avoid unnatural ingredients and foods that I know have little to no health benefits (chocolate chip cookies:  I'll miss you), but I'm gonna have a cup of coffee, my whole-grain waffles, an occasional pizza, and a glass of wine. And I'm gonna take my kids out for donuts on some Friday mornings.  Cuz a happy runner will keep running.  That's my theory anyway.  More to come...