This afternoon, I attended a detox class at my yoga studio. I was half-hoping it would teach how yoga detoxes the body, and it kind of did that, but it mostly focused on how to make the lifestyle change of daily detox. Thankfully, it wasn’t all about ramming vegetarianism or vegan lifestyles down your throat. Actually, the instructor said that it’s all about what works best for you, but there are some things you should absolutely avoid and others you need to add to your diet.
I learned a lot, I’ll say that, especially about the state of our food industry. I always heard about high fructose corn syrup being bad for you and that you should always look for grass-fed meats, but I was never once told why about any of these things. She broke it down for us, and I left the session feeling appalled at what is in my refrigerator and freezer. I also left feeling appalled at my palate, as I don’t like as many detoxing and healthy foods as I should be eating. I also like way too much “bad” food.
That’s pretty much everyone’s problem though, isn’t it? If healthy food tasted as delicious as unhealthy food, we’d all be in better shape!
The sad thing is knowing that as much as I would like to transition into this super healthy detox lifestyle, I know it won’t completely happen. Part of the reason is that I would have to cook two meals: one for me, one for my family. I could probably get the baby involved, as he eats nearly everything, but I have a super picky husband and a super picky eldest son. Take away processed food from them? Sugar? I might as well put a gun to my head, because there would be less complaining I’d have to deal with. Secondly, I don’t want to give up pasta. I’m also a picky eater, and pasta is one of the few things I can get creative with in the kitchen.
In addition, after looking over the detox meal plan, I know I would starve to death! Dieting is already hard as I hate being hungry (like most people, I’d wager), but to go from a pasta meal to a quinoa soup wouldn’t be safe for anyone around me.
So yeah, if you asked me why I wasn’t ready to make the jump to a paleo diet or a detox lifestyle, it’s because it’s super scary. I’m scared to try it, I’m scared of being hungrier than I already am, and I’m scared of my family’s reactions as well as my mood. Change is scary to begin with, but now you’re going to take away something I love–food?
After staring at her notes for awhile once I got home, I think I know what I’m going to do. She said that we had to figure out what works for us, and she gave us plenty of tips to start.
I am really going to try to cook more foods from scratch and cut down on the boxed dinners. I’m also going to cut down on the processed food, which will mean lots of studying of food labels. I also need to find a way too get in the healthy detoxing foods into my meals without soaking them in cheese to hide the taste.
I’m also going to do my darndest to cut down on the sugar. As I’m writing this, I really want to go bake some chocolate chip cookies. Technically, baking them myself is slightly better than buying already made, but not by much since all of the ingredients were still made in a plant. This last grocery trip, I didn’t buy any sweets for myself, and I’m going to do my best to keep it that way. I can’t cut sugar out of my life entirely, because I love cake way too much, and what’s the point of living if you’re going to cut out stuff you love? Even the instructor said she gives in to chocolate every now and then.
She also invited us to join her on a 7-day juice cleanse. Like that will ever happen. I want to lose weight and be healthy, not kill everyone in the process because I’m so bitchy from hunger.
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