Sunday, March 14, 2010

That fruity thing we did

So Darek and I survived our three-day fruit and vegetable diet. In fact, it was actually quite enjoyable. I'll admit the first day was rough -- I was dying for a turkey sandwich -- but by day three, the rabbitesque menu didn't seem so bad.

Call it a placebo effect, but Darek and I both felt like we had more energy than normal during those three days. Even on Tuesday, when I had my 4:45 a.m. client, I didn't feel a need for an afternoon nap. And while I usually treat myself to a coffee before returning to work in the evening, by Wednesday I was reaching for an apple with just as much enthusiasm.

We did modify a few things from our original plan. Halfway through day one, we decided to include nuts on the menu. And we allowed ourselves to drink coffee in the morning (hey, coffee beans are from the ground, right?).

The fun part was coming up with unique ways to make hearty meals out of produce. We ate a LOT of avocados, squash and mushrooms (not together, of course), and I invented a couple of recipes that I will actually use again.

I don't think I would ever do anything like this long-term, but it did feel great on Thursday, when we had gone back to our normal eating habits, to still be craving a juicy piece of fruit for a snack. Darek and I decided that we would definitely try to substitute more fruits and vegetables for foods such as granola bars and other quick-fix carbs.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Plant-atarian for a week

Have you ever severely limited what types of foods you consumed for several days at a time?

My mom recently forwarded me an email regarding the benefits of a fruit-filled diet. According to the email's author, eating fruits and veggies by themselves allows you to absorb more nutrients than when your produce is mixed in with other food groups. I am not usually one to buy into fad diets or deprival detoxes, but this claim piqued my interest.

The author advocated sticking to an all-fruit diet for three days and noting how much more energy you had. To me, this sounded like an exciting challenge. I love fresh fruit, and I wouldn't mind experimenting with my diet for a few days -- what did I have to lose?

I told Darek about my plan, and he agreed to give it a try, too, so yesterday we stocked up on produce (veggies, too) and enojoyed our last real meal until Thursday. I am really curious to see how this goes, and to be honest, a bit skeptical. While it may be true that Vitamin C from an orange is more readily absorbed on an empty stomach, how would my active body react without the protein and iron it is accustomed to? And would I be super cranky without my beloved carbs?

We shall see ...

Today I have eaten (as of 2:30 p.m.):
Bowl of fruit salad (strawberries, bananas, grapes, kiwi, blueberries)
Grapefruit
Banana
Orange
Spinach salad with tomates, cucumbers, peppers, red onions, avocado, apple
A few strawberries
Glass of orange/carrot/apple juice
Bowl of broccolli