Once or twice a year, I’ll breakdown and commit to a hellacious food detox.  It all started a few years ago when I wanted to see if I could nip a pesky medical condition by changing my diet.  My doctor said I could reverse a lot of the symptoms with medication OR by simply cutting out all of my favorite foods for 2-3 months.

Looking back, I should have gone with the medicine.  Better living through chemistry, huh?  I kid.

So I decided to bite the bullet, which was apparently the only thing I could eat.  Out went all fruits.  I said goodbye to bread, dairy and sugar.   Alcohol and nearly every other beverage were forbidden.  I could sustain life only by eating meat, veggies and the occasional grain.  The ol’ adage “nothing ventured, nothing gained” became “nothing processed, nothing gained.”

And it was killing me.

The first time I did it, I nearly had a nervous breakdown for the first week.  To say I was crabby, irritable and shaky would be an understatement.  I craved Taco Bell something fierce … and I don’t even like Taco Bell in the first place.  Seems my body was in full-blown withdrawal as it tried to reset itself.

My symptoms cleared up, the weight fell off and all was right with the world.  For about 10 minutes.  Once I reintroduced certain foods in to my diet, I folded like a cheap card table.  (I’m a sucker for Oreos … what can I say.)

Since then, I’ve learned through trial and error that “everything in moderation, including moderation” should be my mantra.  It seems to work well, but I’ve learned that a serious cleansing detox a couple times a year keeps me balanced.  It keeps my weight in check and it reminds me that healthy eating is the way to go.

I’m in Day 8 of a 30-day cleanse.  On an up note, I’m no longer homicidal.  Yes, I’m still biting people’s heads off … but that’s normal.  Wish me luck … I’ll need it.