Regardless of the fact that it’s a pretty arbitrary point in time, many of us choose New Year’s Day to draw a virtual line in the sand. We choose this as a time to improve ourselves, including our health and diet. It doesn’t hurt that many of us are coming off the longest eating and drinking bender of the year, also known as “the holidays.” I have consumed more cheese than I care to think about, eaten every salty and fried thing in site (that’s a year-long tradition I can’t escape), and replaced water with wine. I don’t want to cleanse, I need to. I feel, in a word, gross.
But that was last year! Look at me now. So healthy. I am 6 hours into the new me and nothing can stop me now.
I’m starting with my go-to breakfast, which includes much more fat than you might expect. I was very skeptical when a friend introduced me to hemp oil, with 14 grams of fat per tablespoon. You can read all about the protein, mineral and, best of all, omega 3 fatty-acids and perfect LA-LNA ratio for yourself. I did. I’m certainly not recommending this or any other supplement to you, I mean, we hardly know each other, how could I? The information was enough for me to include it in my diet, chugged and chased with a gulp of smoothie. Which I then follow with just a little pumpkin seed butter on dense, healthy, whole grain toast. More fat, but more importantly something that is very filling and impressively high in iron. Still, you know I wouldn’t consume these if I saw all that fat turning into, well, fat on me, but I find I notice the opposite happens, if you can believe it. Which you will also read about if you look into it.
Lastly, my caffeine fix, and it’s a healthy one at that. Matcha green tea remains the thing that kick starts me best in the morning, I actually feel more mentally alert (that phrase really just means “smarter!”) when I drink it versus coffee, and yet it doesn’t hold me hostage. If I skip it, I may be a touch sleepier but I don’t seem to experience any caffeine withdrawal and I love that about it. I hate the headaches that used to come from missing the morning coffee I was hooked on, and matcha was the only thing that let me ease off the need for even a morning green tea, once I weaned myself down to that vice once a day. Plus it requires using a pretty whisk.
If you’re hitting “reset” with me too, I have to tell you that while my version will include so little wine in the next month that I want to stare out the window at the grey sky and wonder “what is it all for…”, I’m not being totally strict about this cleanse. I’m making exceptions to bring you a cheese soufflé recipe this weekend, because I would never sit on something as glorious as that and not share it with you ASAP. Never. So cleanse 2011, includes a light dusting of cheese. Here we go!