Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

I have three more days to  prepare my body and mind for the fifteen day fruit/veg/juice fast that begins on Monday. I am more afraid than I thought I would be. It is funny how enthusiasm can so easily make way for fear  the closer the  starting line approaches.  I am all of a sudden very afraid that I can not live without coffee, even decaf and pita chips. Having the weekend to prepare our home and our minds is both a good and bad thing. On the weekends I am a little more loosey goosey with my choices. I may have a glass of wine or two, I have leisure time in the morning to sip as much coffee as I would like and I most assuredly enjoy bags of pita chips and tubs of hummus  throughout the weekend.

Right now part of me wants to hide in the air conditioned, dark house until Monday morning and consume as many pita chips as I can while washing them down with coffee. The other part of me knows that I may want to continue to wean from the coffee and the chips  while preparing for juice fast and cleaning out my pantry, my belly and my brain. So far the sensible choice is winning, but it is still pretty early. I also woke up believing that if I didn’t have an Everything Bagel one last time, I would die. This tells me a few things….I am using food and coffee as an emotional security blanket. I crave crunchy and carby things in a way that makes me lose all reason. I say lots of things to myself to justify eating things that I know aren’t loving me back like:

I’ve had a rough day…I deserve this…I’ve had a happy day and I want to celebrate….I am happy/sad/anxious…..I don’t feel well and this will help.

Those moments of consumption  usually create feelings of regret, belly aches and sadness. I don’t want to be trapped in that cycle anymore.  I work hard to be healthy and I deserve more. So, I am still very excited, but also a bit afraid of what I will find when all of my consumable security blankets are stripped away. I have no idea if a fifteen day reboot is the reset button I am looking for but I am  willing to try.

The first five days we will be consuming one to two juices a day accompanied by eating only fruits and vegetables. Here is a recipe for a soup for day one. It sounds amazing.

Raw Carrot Ginger Soup

From the Fat Sick and Nearly Dead Classic Reboot plan
Makes 2, 1 1/2 cup servings – save 1 for dinner

Ingredients

3 cups Carrot Juice
1 ripe Avocado
2 Tbsp. Agave Nectar
1 Tbsp. Ginger, minced
1/4 tsp. ground Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
1/2 cup Coconut Meat, optional
2 Tbsp. Avocado or Olive Oil, for garnish
2 Tbsp. Fresh Cilantro, chopped, for garnish
Puree the first seven ingredients in a blender until completely smooth.
Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Garnish the soup with a
drizzle of oil and the chopped cilantro

Have a delicious weekend and see you Monday…day one of the rest of my life???

Tags: compassionate eating, Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, juice fast, plant based diet, preparing for juice fast, preparing for the juice fast, raw carrot ginger soup, vegan experience, vegan wannabe