The Detox Plan

Have you seen Super Size Me? If not, go out and rent it immediately. On DVD so you can watch the extras, which are awesome.

In a nutshell, this guy---Morgan Spurlock---spends 30 days eating nothing but McDonald's food---breakfast, lunch, and dinner. To better approximate the average U.S. lifestyle, he also limits his walking and exercise (Did you know that New Yorkers walk an average of 5 miles a day? The rest of us average under 1 mile a day. Almost makes me want to move to NYC.). In the course of the month, he gains 25 pounds and does so much damage to his health after only three weeks that three doctors told him that he was risking his life if he continued for the full 30 days. He woke up with chest pains and was having serious liver problems. He also became extremely depressed.

Watch this and you will never want to eat fast food again.

Anyway, his girlfriend---now fiancee---is a vegan chef. After he finished his experiment, she created an 8-week detox diet for him to reverse the effects of the All-McD's diet. She then wrote a book based on the detox.

That's the book I've decided to use to guide my own detox: The Great American Detox Diet by Alex Jamieson. It arrived on Tuesday. (Yes, I bought it. Yes, I am hopeless.)

I read through the first few chapters, in which she explains the rationale for the detox, and the appendices, which get into the nitty gritty of the detox. The rest of the book is more detail on specific elements of the average U.S. diet and how to eat more healthfully. I'll be sharing tidbits from those chapters as I go through this.

In the meantime, here are the basic principles of my own detox, based on Jamieson's book.

* I will avoid caffeine, alcohol, refined sugars, and refined/white carbohydrates. Meat is also part of the plan, but I already don't eat that.

* I will limit dairy (one serving a day, gradually eliminating it) and fish (only fresh fish prepared at home, 2-3 times a week).

* I will add water; organic, fresh fruits and vegetables; and protein.

* I will prepare my own foods as much as possible.

* I will eat fresh, unprocessed foods as much as possible.

* I will get one "free" meal each week (because it's the holidays and I'm realistic).

So that's the deal. I'll be posting my progress as I go.

Wish me luck!