The "Clean" Diet Recap

It has been 12 days since I finished Alejandro Hunger's Clean Diet (1) and I have been able to reflect and feel the changes that occurred over the tough 21 days of strict eating. 

I feel great. 

Renewed even. 

It's a wonderful thing to know your body is in a good state of health. 

(1) If you are interested in the diet, I recommend reading Hunger's book. He resides in New York City.  I also just realized that I have been misspelling Alejandro's name these past 4 weeks.  Oops.  It's Junger...not Hunger... I can be really dumb sometimes.  Moving On

The problem with time stringent diets is once they are done, most of us quickly return to our old habits and usually gain more weight and eat unhealthier than we did before.  People fall victim to this because we train our minds to stop eating the items we have been stuffing our mouths for years over a short period of time.  Over this time, we crave these foods more than any of us can fathom, yet we discipline ourselves with shear determination to stay away and stick to the guidelines to the respective diet we are on.  Then, after the diet is finished, we return to the foods we know and love, our brains go wild.  The mind is so happy to have these foods again, it craves it more than one can handle.

We have all heard of the phrase "Mouth Hunger".  The state of mind where you don't need to eat but your taste buds need to chew on something flavorful.  It doesn't even matter what is, it just craves something delicious in the mouth.  This "hunger" usually ends with Entenmann's Chocolate Chip Cookies and/or Wendy's in the system. 

After a strict diet, this craving is multiplied exponentially.

In two different circumstances, I fell victim to this treacherous ordeal (possibly an overreaction) over the past twelve days.  The four slices of pizza on the last day of the diet and a creme filled brownie seven days later made my brain happy, but my body wanted to give me a wedgie and melvin simultaneously (easier than you think).  Besides that, I have delved into a decent amount of grains and breads but still maintain at least a 51% raw intake per meal.  It's nice to have fruits like strawberries, bananas, and grapes again. 

It is also terrific that I can have a turkey or veggie burger. 

Cavatelli and broccoli is as delicious as always.

Actually, any pasta dish is superbly tasteful.

Thank God for small miracles.

So what did I take from this experience and will use in the future?  I will put it in a professional bullet point presentation (I am very professional):

• Dairy is terrible for you.  Technically, everyone is lactose intolerant.  Our bodies are so adaptable that most of us have the enjoyment of a nice glass of whole milk without feeling ill.  It's remarkable when you think about it. 
• If you are worried about getting your Vitamin D, drink coconut or rice milk or take vitamins. 
• The 12 hours of fasting from your last meal of the day to the first meal of the next day is paramount.  I have to say it was a knowledge gaining experience to discover all of the benefits from doing this simple task.  I will use another bullet point presentation to illustrate and prove my argument (This is getting out of control):
• Allows the digestive system to properly rest
• It takes 8 hours for the digestive system to fully get rid of any consumed food while during sleep (another reason why 8 hours is recommended)
• The digestive system is uninterrupted while trying to remove all of the toxins and waste from your system
• Breakfast is derived from the phrase "breaking fast"
• It aids in complexion
• Promotes good metabolism
• Promotes more hydration to vitalize and lubricate the organs
• Alkalizes the body
• Eating a raw garlic clove with an apple a day--This is really difficult to do because taste buds are so sensitive to the garlic, the body will spasm from time to time (not an exaggeration) but let's again list the benefits of doing something that literally takes 45-60 seconds out of your day (All information supplied in Junger's book):
• Eliminates bad bacteria, yeast, & parasites
• Regulates blood sugar levels
• Enhances fat burning
• Reduces hunger sensations
• Lowers cholesterol
• Relieves Arthritic pain
• Reduces bowel gas
• Before eating or having a morning coffee, drink at least a liter of water
• Drink at least 4-5 liters of water a day
• Don't eat more than 500 calories 2 hours before bedtime

There are many others but those are the ones I plan to follow and already in the middle of practicing on a daily basis. 

If you are reading this, you don't have to follow this diet to change your health and improve yourself.  This is just a difficult way to reboot the system.  It was hard, extremely hard.  I would go out to the bar's with my friends and couldn't have a beer or delve into chicken quesadillas.  Not even a bite.  The cravings are nuts.  The temptation is cruel and relentless.  The mood swings are unpredictable. 

There are ups and downs in this diet, but the positive, is complete worthwhile.  By week 3, I felt incredible.  You can actually feel your body operating on all levels.  It's a very unique feeling and something I don't want to give up.

And this leads us to the point of documenting my path to good health.  There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.  It is common knowledge if everyone eats fruits and vegetables and stop eating junk food, society's overall health will improve, obesity would lessen, disease and cancer will decrease.  So why with this common knowledge is such a struggle to convince so many to change their diet? 

Answer:  There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.

I have experienced it and hope you do the same.

If anyone has any questions or concerns with improving your life, feel free to leave a comment. 

Stay Tuned