Wednesday, March 19, 2014

The Detox Diet (Or: How I Gave up Dairy and Sugar and Lived to Tell the Tale)

When my husband announced he was going on a detox plan about 2 weeks ago, I was intrigued. I have a hard time making healthy food choices, so I thought it would be a good idea to join him--until I remembered I have a half marathon on the horizon and didn't think a full detox this close to a big race would be the best idea. However, since my diet could use an overhaul, I figured it would be beneficial to dip my toes into the detox pool even if I couldn't jump in with both feet.

Before I did anything, I did some research. I had a lot of questions: was this going to screw up my running? I'm a really picky eater and I struggle with nutrition--would excluding more things from my diet be a disaster?

Everyone--but athletes in particular--should look out for a couple things, like diets that make you drink all liquids (most of them are all filler, and some include laxatives--ew!) or plans that require you to cut out entire food groups for long periods of time. (source)

For runners specifically, if you're going to detox or cleanse, find a plan that doesn't necessarily restrict calories and keep it short-term. A detox is not the time to introduce intense speed work into your training plan or try for a PR. (source)

Armed with this knowledge, I decided to do an "exclusion" detox--removing one or two things from my diet for a short period of time. I chose dairy to start the first week and processed sugars the second week --and then I warned everyone who may come across me that I would probably be in a very, very bad mood.

Today I'm a week and a half in--here is what I've learned so far:

--I put cheese in and on a lot of stuff. So much, in fact, that I've been coming up significantly short on my calorie intake, which I'm keeping an eye on because of the upcoming race. I'm talking 300-400 calories short. That's a lot of dairy.

--I had to make sure I was getting enough calcium and protein--two things I get primarily from dairy. I always struggle with protein, because I don't eat much meat, so I found a low sugar protein powder I like and started mixing it into smoothies. I also started taking a calcium supplement.

--All sugar is not created equal. The best sugars are found in milk and dairy and occur naturally. Processed sugars (also known as simple sugar and refined sugar) are the added sugars that get you into trouble. Before I started paying attention, I was averaging close to 100 grams of sugar a day. If 4 grams of sugar=1 teaspoon of the granulated stuff, that means I was consuming 25 teaspoons of sugar. A day. Ugh. Now, not all of it was processed--I love fruit, and that has a lot of naturally occurring sugars. The American Heart Association recommends that women my age consume no more than 6 teaspoons of sugar a day (24 grams).

--Letting go of the sugar was much harder for me than letting go of the dairy--and I expected the complete opposite. I thought I'd be dying for queso dip and a taco by this point...but actually, it's the snacking on sweet stuff that has got to me. I am really bad about snacking while I write, and I usually sit down at my computer early afternoon--just when I'm starting to drag and getting the urge to nibble. The urges were so challenging to fight that I changed around my pattern. I tried staying active with my son during those times, and be in front of my computer early morning and evening. This plan worked out great--not only did he get more of my active time, but the "snacking hour" flew by and for the first time in I don't know how long, I didn't need a Pepsi pick-me-up.

--Planning ahead is essential. As the days have gone by, my husband and I have gotten used to the exact measuring, chopping and blending that goes into clean eating. The first morning it took the two of us 45 minutes to get his food ready--and I hadn't even thought about what I was going to eat. If you know what you're going to eat, and it's ready when hunger hits, you'll make better choices--and that goes for anyone, not just someone on a detox.

--Temptation is EVERYWHERE. Every billboard, every commercial, every end cap of every aisle in the grocery store. Every time you step out of the car in this city good smells waft towards you. And the Easter candy?!? I have to put blinders on at Target or else I am going to eat all the Cadbury mini eggs in the world.

--Another reason planning ahead is important? Eating out is a challenge when you're on a restrictive diet. The first weekend of my dairy elimination I attended a baby shower at Olive Garden. Could I have picked a more tempting place to go? There's cheese on everything! Luckily, I had thought ahead and eaten a healthy snack in the car, so I didn't seem like a party pooper with my salad. And then earlier this week, I found myself at an indoor kiddie amusement park at lunchtime--I ended up with pretzels and bottled water. Everything they sold was full of sugar. Two weeks ago I wouldn't have given a second thought to scarfing down whatever I thought looked good. This elimination detox has really opened my eyes to what I'm putting in my body.

Final thoughts now that I'm reaching the end of the detox? I feel good. I can't believe how well my body responded to going off dairy. I'm not sure I'll ever become a vegan (although the thought has definitely crossed my mind) but I think my days of chocolate milk and dumping piles of cheese on everything are going to be few and far between. And once I realized I was taking in so much sugar, it made me realize I needed to make a more permanent change in my eating habits. Will I still have a cupcake every now and then? Absolutely. But I really feel like this detox has opened my eyes to how much bad stuff I was putting into my body.

A penny for your thoughts: have you ever tried a detox diet?


10 comments:

  1. I am about to try Dr Oz 2 Week which is limited dairy...you can have one Greek Yogurt a day for calcium. I am in 40's and sugar is SHOWING. I like Source Organic Whey Protein, gonna review it Friday. Low sugar and NO other ingredients. Keep us posted. I have food issues too.... love my cheese.

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    1. Good luck! Looking forward to your Friday review.

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  2. I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with my youngest and had to cut out all sugar and keep even the complex carbs very restricted. It wasn't that hard to do and my body reacted very well to it. I'd like to go back to that eating plan, but am having a hard time with the carb restrictions and distance running. I just don't have the steam to get the miles in. So it's a hard balancing act. Good luck on your upcoming race!

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    1. It is definitely a balancing act--I'm realizing that more now then ever!

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  3. This is really interesting! I've never tried an elimination diet before, I just try to balance calories, mostly. I think it would be a challenge for me and cheese, as we are besties.

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    1. Cheese has been so hard to give up! Especially because it's on everything...

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  4. I tried a 30-day strict Paleo, which is basically the same thing. It got me thin, but I felt like I was hungry all the time and when I introduced dairy back into my diet, my body's reaction to it was never the same. Now I can only have it in limited amounts. I've never been a real cheese person, but I like my ice cream! I really should focus on eliminating or at least severely cutting out processed sugars. It's definitely a great exercise to really read labels and understand what hidden sugars and chemicals are in different food.

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    1. It's been really eye-opening, that's for sure. Even after 2 weeks, I can tell the difference.

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  5. I could use a SERIOUS nutrition overhaul but I am a total wimp at cutting out the junk! I'm impressed with your efforts!

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    1. Thanks Amy! I crave potato chips sometimes--ruffles in particular. When that craving hits, there is very little in the world that can stop me!

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