Detox Day 1

A week of vacation for me means a week of great food and this past week included everything from grilled cheese on sourdough at a brewery in Ashland to black bean empanadas in Eugene to perfect Oregon marionberries in Portland. Without a doubt, last week was a vegetarian foodie's delight.

This week I'm hosting three additional pounds and embarking on a 21-day detox.

I'm loosely following Kathy Freston's 21-day cleanse, the one that caused Oprah to go vegan for three weeks. What the plan entails is abstaining from all animal products, alcohol, caffeine, gluten, and sugar. For me, the first three are relatively straightforward. With the exception of yogurt and the occasional egg or wedge of cheese, I pretty much avoid animal products. The same is true with the alcohol and caffeine.

But three weeks of no baked goods? Oh. My. God. I'll be taking this one day at a time. One meal at a time. One bite at a time.

I'm pleased to say that I made it through day 1 without incident. My food for the day included a breakfast of oatmeal with agave nectar, unsweetened almond milk, and unsweetened apple sauce.

At lunchtime, I purchased a fruit salad and a banana.

For afternoon snack, I picked up two fresh rolls filled with tofu, julienned carrots, spinach, and cellophane noodles. Later on, I tried several handfuls of Spanish cocktail mix, a really nice combination that contains corn nuts, pistachios, Largueta almonds, fava beans, and chickpeas. (Today, as I finished the mix, I noticed flour on the ingredients list. It was the second-to-last ingredient, so it couldn't have contained much flour, but I was still disappointed. Press on!)

Dinner was also carry-out, portobello mushroom teriyaki, sauce on the side and mostly untouched (it's just too sweet!).

A girl can't be expected to go without dessert, even on a sugarfree diet, so I indulged in a quarter of a Dulcinea watermelon -- you know, the small ones with so much flavor.

Stay with me for more details on my detox journey!