Gettin' Supah Clean with Stiggly's Sassy Autumn Cleanse

My foray into a raw food regime kicked off this past week, as I sprinkled maca, flax seeds, chia seeds, nuts, tumeric and black pepper, and herbal teas into my eating repertoire, adding ever more raw and super foods into delicious smoothies. Oh, and of course, more greens, greens and even more greens. It's all part of the Phase In days recommended by Sacha, the nutritional guide and  guru of Stiggly's Sassy Autumn Cleanse, the cleanse I started Monday.

I had been eating many foods raw already -- those who know me know

that I sing the praises of kale as my happy food, food of the gods. For some time over the past few years I've been throwing it in to the Magic Bullet blender my sister gave me, calling it my "green drink," and adding raw steel cut oats, almonds, maybe part of a banana or almond milk, as well as making whole salads of it with tofu as my "cheese" and grape seed oil, sea salt and lemon juice my dressing.

Now, through Sacha, I have found maca. 

 

I brought my own Ball jar to fill up with maca from the 4th Street Food Co-op, one of the great bulk-buy natural food boutiques in my neighborhood.

A Peruvian root that, yes, certain people say has sexual enhancing characteristics, maca is said to increase energy and balance moods by decreasing anxiety. And also through Sacha, I have found myself -- finally -- in the 4th Street Food Co-Op. I was actually always afraid to go in there and I entered initially with trepidation, easing into the flow as the nicest, cutest sales girl helped me find the things on my list. I think my fear was that the people who go to or work in the natural food stores were snobby about people who don't know what they're doing! It couldn't have been any better of an experience.

This past week of Phase In, for me, turned into quite a Phase Out. Trying to rid my addiction to sugar and caffeine meant quitting the million cups of coffee and sugar-y sweet foods I eat all day normally, and believe me, that was no piece of cake. My headache was supah-extraordinary. I couldn't think straight. I could barely form complete sentences. At one point, walking home from errands, I was convinced I was having an aneurysm, my head hurt so bad I thought it was going to explode -- and I was actually weaving down the sidewalk! Safely home, I promptly drank 1/4 cup of coffee and concede that I did feel a bit better.

The cravings are subsiding. I haven't had any coffee since that quarter cup on Tuesday, although I swear there have been 3 offers for free coffee in my email inbox. Ah, temptation. But I haven't died. Haven't passed out. I'm not hungry (green drinks are very filling). I even got P to enjoy a raw food meal with me Friday night, the greenie smoothie below, in which I tossed broccoli, as well as oats, kale, banana, maca, flax seeds, chia seeds and almond milk into the mix, garnishing with mint and a flourish of tumeric. He did finish up with his usual pint of chocolate Tofutti "ice cream." He is not going on the water fast with me tomorrow!

 

For mine, I incorporated cooling cukes, used tea instead of almond milk (since it was sweetened and non-organic).

 Tonight I made us a huge salad of dandelion greens, organic watercress, arugula, baby tomatoes, black sesame seed, flax seed, mint and avocado, and poached some delicious fish for P. 

 Even though I'm scared and excited and nervous about tomorrow, I'm absoloving the way I feel right now.

Don't judge me, but I'm still looking forward to an iced coffee after next week.... There are some things a girl can't live without!