Lisa P Writes

Last year, I did the vegan cleanse twice, in the spring and in the fall. I’m on my third time and it’s day four. I eliminate not only animal products, but also sugar, gluten, alcohol and caffeine. The things that I eat are fresh, from nature – fruits, veggies, nuts, beans, etc. and soy products, rice and corn. Now that I’ve done it a couple of times, I see that my food choices are opening up even more. The first time it seemed impossible but now I’m trying even more delicious, fresh meals. There are four things I know for sure will happen on this 21-day journey. . .

First thing, I will lose weight – yay!! I’m not overweight but just have those pesky last ten pounds to lose. This time I intend to lose them forever! The cleanse is not about limiting portions or watching calories. It’s just about conscious eating. So basically, I eat as much as I want and lose weight. Really, unbelievable. One other thing I notice, too, is that I never feel overly stuffed (as was my permanent state at the end of December). It’s weird, I eat until I’m not hungry anymore. What a concept!

Second thing, my food allergies disappear. When I went to the allergy doctor a few years ago, I almost cried when she told me that my dust/animal/nature allergy test came back negative. I was suffering and it wasn’t from hayfever – I couldn’t believe it. At points, my would nose run like Niagra Falls and my sneezes were multiple and rapid fire. If you heard me, you’d take cover! I thought if the test came back positive, I could get some shots and be healed. Now that I’ve been doing the cleanse, I realize that it’s some foods that I’m allergic to. Namely, cheese . . . just one of my favorite things in the whole wide world. I have now noticed that I get stuffy after eating certain cheeses. At this point, it’s still included in my regular diet but I eat a lot less of it. I believe that I probably have an intolerance to gluten, too. I’ve read statics that anywhere from 50% and 80% of people are allergic to gluten. Gluten has the tendency to cause a bulge around the middle (think beer belly). I’m not sure what the actual statistic is and it doesn’t matter, but I just need to watch it myself. My eating habits are slowly changing and this time after I go off the cleanse, I’m going to be even more conscious of what makes me congested and eliminate more of these foods.

Number three is that my skin will glow. That might sound weird but towards the end of the first cleanse, my sister said that I was glowing! My skin looked clear and youthful. Jeez, if people would just clean up their diet, they would save millions on beauty products. Instead of spending a hundred bucks on a well marketed moisturizer, go stock up on fruits and veggies.

The fourth thing is that my vision will get clearer. I know, crazy – eliminate processed foods and you will see brighter. I wear contacts, so my actual eyesight hasn’t changed. I just remember from before, walking outside a few days after I started the cleanse and noticing that the sky, trees, buildings – everything was crisp and clear. Almost so, that I felt trippy. It really is true that some foods are like a drug – caffeine for sure but I would bet that some of that gluten probably fogs the eyes, too. It’s like someone turned up the contrast on a photo in Photoshop.

I love feeling lighter, not congested, glowing and trippy. That’s the reason that I keep doing this cleanse . . . I phase out foods that aren’t working for me. I’m not the type of person that can flip a switch and change everything overnight. It sticks if I ease into things.