Our guest writer Simone has the finishing line of her vegan and detox challenge in sight. Three weeks in, the inevitable has happened and she has a confession to make (to be honest, I'm so impressed that she managed to keep on the wagon up until week three).
And today she gives us more of an insight into the diet itself.
So grab a cup of herbal tea and join Simone in her latest diet diaries instalment.
Three weeks done and overall, I feel great. But I have something that's, eh, eating me up inside and I have a confession to make. I had one day this week where I fell off the wagon.
See, I’d had a pretty bad day because I had to attend a funeral and I was feeling quite low and, well, sad. And so I gave in to the old habit of using food to comfort myself. I felt rotten afterwards and the usual food guilt set in. But this time I was able to recognise it for what it was - a blip. Nothing more and nothing less. And so the next morning I got right back on that healthy horse and rode off into the sunset ('twas more of a plod than a canter but I picked up pace again).
A lot of you have been asking what exactly am I eating. Well, the list of what I can’t have is actually quite small to write - no meat, fish, dairy, eggs, avocados, nuts and oils (and of course processed foods like cakes, sweets, crisps etc.).
But everything else is fair game! So vegetables (including potatoes), fruits (fresh and dry), seeds, legumes (beans of all types incl chickpeas, kindey, borlotti etc.), wholegrain rice and pasta, wholewheat bread (as long as it’s 100% wholewheat flour and dairy free), hummus, porridge, ricecakes, ryvita etc. The list is practically endless. And I’ve even managed to have some ‘crisps’ to snack on (full recipes and tips are available when you sign up to the Happy Heart Course, and of course oodles of support as well).
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The key to the course for me, has been the recipes that they provide. Otherwise it’d be too easy to fall into a trap of just eating pasta every night for dinner. They make the food exciting and flavourful - I’ve had everything from Mexican stews and Quinoa Burgers, to Thai curries and Chocolate Energy Balls. And a few delicious Banana Muffins thrown in.
The first few days of withdrawal aside, I can honestly say that I haven’t had any sugar cravings while on this course and I’ve never been hungry. And being allowed coffee and the odd glass of wine has meant that I don’t feel too deprived either (just don't get a hangover, I learned that the hard way).
Am I craving meat and oil at this stage? YES! But it’s gotten me thinking about life after the course and how much of this I intend to carry on with.
Next week, it's the grand reveal - I'll share my final results with you.
And we'll see if I get my just des(s)erts.
Can you identify with Simone's tumble off the wagon? Is comfort eating something that you can relate to? Share with us in the comments!
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You can find out more about the course Simone is following on www.happyheartcourse.com.
