Detox Day 1

Day 1 of my detox went nearly according to plan. I’ve also learned some new information today that is pretty vital to my current diet. More about that later though.

The fiber packet I drank first thing this morning was gross. I’m surprised I got it all down without gagging. Once it was down though the taste was gone from my mouth. My fruit smoothie this morning had a base of orange juice and included 3 strawberries, a handful of blueberries, half a kiwi, 15 grams of brown rice protein, and a scoop of spirulina (5gs of protein). Unfortunately the spirulina dominated the taste of the whole drink and it kind of stinks that I couldn’t taste the other fruits. I think from now on I will mix the spirulina powder into some water or juice later in the day and not with my smoothie. Just for good taste. J

The protein bar after swimming was delicious. The one problem that arose was that it got kind of mushy. The bars are frozen not baked so after an hour in the fridge they started to melt. It was still yummy thought. :-D

For lunch I made myself a huge salad with some beans. By the time I was done I was satisfied. I didn’t even need to eat anything else for lunch. I had a banana with my green tea later in the afternoon but I was fine until dinner time.

Alright I have to admit it. I didn’t stick to my plan for dinner. I had a pinto bean burrito with corn and tomatoes in a wheat wrap. No salad. I had a craving . Does this mean I’m weak though? No of course not. I’m actually really proud of myself that I stuck to almost my whole diet as I outlined it. I still ate healthy and I still got some vegetables out of it. And of course, there is always a new day tomorrow.

In re-reading my blog from yesterday, I realized that I left out some crucial information pertaining to nutrients on a vegan diet. Here is what I forgot to address:

Calcium- This one isn’t so hard to get actually. It is pretty easy to find orange juice that is fortified with calcium and most soymilks are as well. I know the Tropicana we have here on campus has about 60% of the daily recommended amount of calcium. Silk soymilk has about 30%. Right there is 90%. So I am pretty confident I will be able to get adequate calcium.

Fats- Believe it or not you actually need fats, but they have to be the right kind. These good fats are necessary for your body to function and to build. A lot of those fats can be found in animal by products, but many of them can also be found in nuts, seeds and oils. Any nut will provide you with some of these necessary fats as will seeds such as sunflower seeds. Extra virgin olive oil is also a great source of good fat as are avocados which I personally think are delicious! To say the least I think it should be pretty easy to get adequate fats into my diet. I love nuts and there are sunflower seeds and extra virgin olive oil available at our salad bar.

Complete proteins- Just because foods contain protein doesn’t mean your body is able to use that protein. Some proteins lack the essential amino-acids needed to utilize the protein for building muscle. I’ve found out that brown rice protein, for instance, is not a complete protein. This does not mean it is useless though. When combined with beans, which contain the essential amino acids brown rice lacks, brown rice protein becomes complete. Your body is able to use it. Since soymilk is made from soybeans, it means that brown rice protein mixed into soymilk will be a complete protein drink. So instead of making my smoothie from orange juice, I am going to make it soymilk.

Check out this chart from http://www.bodyforlife2.com/incompletprotein.htm that outlines how to complete certain proteins. All of the proteins listed are incomplete because they don‘t provide all the amino acids needed for your body to absorb the protein. Once you combine proteins from all three columns you’ll have all the amino acids you need. You don’t even need to eat them all at the same time! You can eat them at separate times throughout the day.

This site also details some foods that have the essential amino acids needed: http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/proteins/complete-proteins.html

I can’t say I really notice any change in the way I feel yet. Granted it is only day one. I think it is still going to be a few more days before I notice any changes in my energy or mood. I’ll keep you all posted.