Whole Living 21 Day Cleanse-Week 1

Sunday marks the completion of the first week of the cleanse. I feel lighter, and my stomach is running like a well oiled machine. My goals for this cleanse are to learn new healthy recipes, and observe how my digestive system reacts during each stage of the cleanse. I suffer from acid reflux, but I have noticed over the past year or so that something else has been troubling my stomach aside from acidic foods and beverages. The diet for the first week was tough, but I noticed that all of the food and juice I consumed did not disagree with me, which is amazing! I think I will steer clear of dairy for a while, and drink soy or almond milk in the future. Below is what I ate for the first week, with substitutions I made.

For breakfast the first week, I ended up drinking vegetable tomato juice (low sodium) from trader joes, and a few smoothie combinations I made of my own. I did try a few of the whole living recipes, such as the green apple and kale smoothie, but the texture didn't come out right. If the magic bullet pureed the kale and apple fine enough, I am sure i would have liked the taste much better. I just could not get past the texture. I did make a tasty smoothie with pomegranate and lime juice, mixed berries and cucumber! A must try!

For lunch I made the butternut squash soup, and the kale slaw. For the soup recipe I had to sub the butternut squash soup for sweet potatoes because I was having trouble finding squash in my local grocery store. I also added a teaspoon of mild curry to give it a little kick. I admit I was a bit skeptical about this recipe because I usually roast vegetables that I use in soups to add depth of flavor, but this soup was surprisingly tasty. Next time I make it I would add vegetable or chicken broth.

For dinner I made, the steamed broccoli and squash with tahini dressing. So good! Again, I had no squash so one night I made roasted sweet potatoes, and another night I added avocado and cucumber to make the salad more hearty. I also made the roasted cauliflower and red pepper dish. When I roasted the cauliflower I added balsamic vinegar to the olive oil and fresh rosemary instead of parsley. Delish!

For snacks, I purchased raw trail mix with mixed dried berries, and I made the mint pea dip. I also toasted the pepita seeds in a little olive oil and added salt and cayenne pepper. This snack ended up being the perfect afternoon pick me up.

The 4th and 5th day my body felt super exhausted and weak, so I have decided to add small portions of protein to my diet for the last three. I definitely recommend this cleanse if you are searching for solutions to digestive issues. Wish me luck for week 2!

To get the full scope of the cleanse and a list of recipes, visit whole living.com.