New Year Fresh Start

My body is mad at me. I have been stuffing it with sugar, fat, junk and cheese. Cheese, cheese, cheese and cheese. Mmmmmm. I love cheese. I've been planning for a while to start the new year off with a gift for my cranky, abused body. I am going to do a riff on Gwyneth Paltrows GOOPY detox diet. The recipes are there if you're interested, if I adapt them, I will make a note here. I make no promises but I am planning to blog about my progress daily. I have done (bad) detoxes (master cleanse) before, and though I expect this diet to go much more smoothly since it's a lot healthier, I know that it helps to be able to vent and have some forced accountability so I am going to put it all out there and up here. I encourage anyone who feels inclined to join me and share your experiences and gripes.

I plan to start this whole dealy bob on Saturday Jan. 2. Why not start on Jan. 1? Because you HAVE to eat black eyed peas on New Years Day and detox friendly black eyed peas are not taste bud friendly. The more peas you eat, the better your luck so to ensure the best of luck I will be drenching my peas in yummy vinaigrette and mixing them up with shallots, corn, tomatoes, red peppers and jalapenos and eating them with CHIPS and CREAM CHEESE! Mmmmm. I can taste the luck already!

The gist of the detox is no gluten (obvy), no dairy or soy, no red meat, no alcohol or caffeine and limited salt and sugar. I am hoping that if I start being nice to my body with the diet, gym and yoga time and a massage, I can start the new year with energy, vitality and positivity that will propel me into 2010 and the new decade! LETS DO THIS!

Here is the plan for Day 1:

Wake Up - Glass of room temperature lemon water
AM - Herbal tea
Breakfast - Blueberry and Almond Smoothie
Mid AM - Coconut water
Lunch - Salad with Carrot and Ginger Dressing
PM Snack - A handful of mixed pumpkin and sunflower seeds
Dinner - Broccoli and Arugula Soup

*The inspiring pictures in this post were taken on my grandparent's property in Missouri this fall. Look at my little dog. She's the cutest.