Good evening friends! I did it! That's two days of transition followed, dare I say, perfectly. Remember, Transition is all about slow and steady changes, and getting used to eating clean; it is about helping yourself ween off the foods. Not being a canon-baller paid off today. I allowed myself to focus on precisely what the Transition Day rules were and followed accordingly. I also feel like I have an advantage though since I already have been off coffee all break and have been mostly off gluten since May (editor's note clarification for my 100% gluten free aunt: mostly, minus the recent following gluten foods over xmas break: three xmas cookies, two spoonfuls of speculoos and sea salt caramels which are coated in flour), so fewer hurdles to conquer in the next coming days which is really nice.

Today was pretty darn good. I gave myself some non-cleanse worthy treats like potatoes and brie (dairy), but the rest of today was cleanse-approved and definitely sugar and alcohol free. Happily, I had only a mild "hangover-type" headache all day and nothing nearly as horrible or debilitating as yesterday's migraine (which struck at night after that ice cream). [For those of you following, yes I ended up taking a Tylenol Extra Strength after the 20 minutes. It was that painful.]

I've had a surprisingly grander amount of energy all day and my entire body really just feels so clean! My tummy feels happy or something. I know I sound crazy but it's true. I'm unusually happy, like really I just want to smile and dance around and go run a marathon (well maybe not the marathon part but definitely the former two). I think drinking so much water has really been great for me too. I remember when I drank coffee every morning for my internship (as a reward for waking up at 5am and out of necessity for that same reason) my heart would race all the time and I had heartburn as a result sometimes at night. Though I was eating a good amount of vegetables and overall a pretty well-rounded diet at school, I was still a sucker for coffee, chocolate galore, and dairy. Cutting coffee out over break, for one has just made my mood better in general. When I am awake, I know I am really awake and not simply "caffeinated". I have to admit, I do miss coffee, I both love the taste and love that extra boost, but right now while I have the luxury of sleeping during break I don't need it. I also don't need any heart pain, so bye bye-- at least for 2 weeks. Hopefully I can stick to that routine while I intern in the city this semester-- that is one of my main worries.

Anyways, I keep blabbing, and you're probably wondering what this crazy, hyper non-caffeinated girl ate today. Here ya go :

Breakfast

1 quart hot lemon water (with fresh gingerroot-- I like the flavor so much more that way)
1 green smoothie (this time with lower glycemic index as I stayed away from some of the fruits which could've triggered my wicked sugar migraine yesterday) What was in it you ask? 2 cups baby spinach, chard, kale mixture; 1 celery stalk, juice of 1/2 lime, 1/2 large organic carrot (high GI food), 1/2 granny smith apple (high GI), water

Snack:

One Nutty Nutrishus Protein Ball
handful of green grapes

Lunch:

Medium arugula salad with 1 cup brussels sprouts (grilled/stir-fried in olive oil with sea salt), 1 oz brie cheese (transition days approved), couple golden herbed potatoes (transition days approved), balsamic vinegar, and 3 strips of grilled chicken leftover from the salad yesterday at lunch.
water

Snack

2 Nutty Nutrishus Protein balls
water

Dinner

Note: This one was funny-- my mom, sister and I took my sister's friend out to an Asian cuisine restaurant and I was panicking inside about what I'd be able to eat. I definitely didn't want anything with additives like MSG or any of that junk, and I also know that many sauces contain sugar and alcohol as their main ingredients. Sure they taste delish but they are not nutrish. I spoke to the waiter and my mom said "She's on a cleansssse", to which I said sadly I didn't want to look at the wine menu. I don't like when people are picky at restaurants, having served food at a pool cafe for quite sometime, so I decided to let my humor make it easier. The waitress was hilarious and very cheery and acted as a detective for me; she asked the chefs basically what I could have to ensure it didn't have soy, sugar, etc in it.

Ultimately, I'm sure I could've gotten plain salmon with rice, but I went with steamed chicken and siracha with some basil and brown rice. Yes, simply those 4 ingredients. (Note: for the CC technically this violates the food-pairing rules. I should have ordered chicken with a vegetable and not paired chicken and grains together--- but it's still Transition period so as far as those guidelines I am golden). And surprisingly, it was delicious. Since I was with my family I knew they wouldn't really mind if I was a little picky like that, but I guess if I was with anyone else I would be more discreet about it and make a quicker decision. Sometimes making special requests tends to make those around the table uncomfortable, especially if the waiter doesn't handle it well. With that being said, don't be afraid though, just stick to your guns and ask. It's better than ruining all your hard work if you're on a cleanse, and necessary if you have a serious food allergy anyway.

Dessert:

Jokes-- bahaha no sugar for me! (my family went to Bruster's for ice cream, how delish it looked)
warm lemon water before bed

Exercise:

Well, if you count walking around the museum-- JUST KIDDING. I'm going to do my Yoga Booty Ballet video before I hit the hay. Makes me feel like a million bucks. Stay tuned to see if my sister joins me like she said she would--ha!
When I get back to Fairfield I'll go back to my runs and hit the gym, right now I'm enjoying just the yoga-toning/running every once in a while routine I'm on

Sweet dreams about vegetables everyone!

Bon appétit et bonne santé,

Trish