Reflections on a Cleanse

As some of you know, I began a cleanse the second week of January- no gluten, processed sugar, meat, alcohol, or coffee. I ended up cutting it down to a 10 day cleanse. Not because I couldn't hang (I was actually doing quite well) but because Phoebe was sleeping terribly and all I could think was that my milk did not have the same calorie or fat content during the cleanse.
Well, ending the cleanse did not seem to help Phoebe's sleep habits. While she hasn't had any nights where she wakes up every 20 minutes since I ended the cleanse, I still have not had more than 2 hours of sleep in a row. Oh well. I think my body is just adjusting to a new level of tired now.
Anyways, I thought I would share with you how my cleanse went and tell you what I would do differently if I were to do one again. First off, if I were to plan a cleanse again, I think I would choose to start with 10 or 14 days. 21 days for my first cleanse was a bit ambitious. I also think that I would choose a different time of the year to do my cleanse... This time around, I was very conscious about not cutting calories (as I am still nursing)..but without any of my normal gluten staples to turn to, I found that I was still hungry, even after eating lots of fruits and veggies. So, I ended up lots of gluten-free cereal, corn chips, and other processed non-gluten foods, which, I guess was good at cleansing the gluten out of my system, but I wasn't exactly the picture of health. I have a big sweet tooth and since I couldn't eat dessert, I ended up eating a large quantity of spicy corn chips on an almost nightly basis in order to curb my craving for sweet.
I feel like a cleanse should also be about eating lots of raw foods.... but since we try and eat locally, eating raw in Portland's winter is pretty limited. I ate lots of apples and pears (as well as citrus) and I ate at least one salad a day, but most of what I ate was cooked. And had cheese on it! The next time I cleanse, I will choose the summertime, when I can focus on eating more exciting salads, lots of fresh fruit, and raw veggies.
Now that I have been back to eating sugar and gluten again, I have been noticing how terrible these things make me feel. Especially gluten. After taking a break from it, I could notice how I did feel once I reintroduced it..... and it makes me very sluggish and also, just gives me a slight bit of nausea, like my body is working really hard to break it down. So, have I been avoiding it? Sadly, I love bread and cookies way too much, but I have definitely cut back my gluten intake quite a bit, and have been making many more gluten-free choices. I should eat what makes me feel great, and obviously, gluten is not one of those things.
As for now, I am enjoying indulging in coffee, alcohol. bread and dessert.... and after a cleanse, thse things really do feel like an indulgence! Pin It Now!