Elimination Diet Starts on Monday!

As I'm reading Clean by Alejandro Junger, M.D., I've just found out that you need to complete an "Elimination Diet" at least one week prior to starting the full 21 day detox program. I'm an over-achiever and a certified coffee and wheat grain addict, so I'm going to attempt the elimination diet for two weeks before the August 1st start date, just because I'm afraid that the detox will be too hard if I give up everything at once. In order to participate in the Elimination Diet, I will have to exclude the following from my diet:

Fruits:

• Oranges


• Orange Juice


• Grapefruit


• Strawberries


• Grapes


• Banana

Dairy Substitutes:

• Dairy and Eggs


• Milk


• Cheese


• Cottage Cheese


• Cream


• Yogurt


• Butter


• Ice Cream


• Nondairy Creamers

Non-gluten Grains and Starch:

• Wheat


• Corn


• Barley


• Spelt


• Kamut


• Rye


• Couscous


• Oats

Animal Protein:

• Raw fish (goodbye, sushi rolls! Boo!)


• pork


• beef


• veal


• sausage


• cold cuts


• canned meats


• hot dogs


• shellfish

Vegetables:

• Corn


• Creamed Vegetables


• tomatoes


• potatoes


• eggplants


• peppers

Drinks:

• Alcohol


• Coffee


• caffeinated beverages


• soda pop


• soft drinks, diet & regular

The list is longer than what I'm including here, and you can see the full "Elimination Diet" list in the book, but basically, I'm limited to green veggies, fruits that do not include my favorite (bananas) and of course, no coffee. There are also tons of recipes in the book, that I hope to learn and master before the real-deal on August 1st. I rarely drink and haven't smoked in years (Ashlee's Bachelorette Party doesn't count), so at least I don't have those bad habits to break. Coffee and cereal will be a major pain not to partake in, but if I can do this for two weeks, then maybe I can succeed in the full three weeks. I'm ready to cleanse my body, but will desperately miss my coffee each morning. I'm going to spend this week saying "good bye" to my morning friend!