by Alli Phillips

6:30am
I’ve been waking up with a mild headache since I started the cleanse, but after two cups of hot lemon water in my favorite coffee mug, the headache is gone and I’m feeling pretty much like my normal caffeinated self. Also, despite the headache, my “craving” for coffee upon waking was very low today; I think a lemon-water “brain-trail” has formed over the last 7 days. (It’s not yet a well-developed “brain-pathway”, but getting there.)
7:15am
I am really enjoying the GF Oatmeal with walnuts, chia seeds, and berries as an alternative to my typical toast with peanut butter. And eating it out of my favorite coffee mug has also helped me replace the second cup of coffee I usually have in the morning. Starting to get good at “outsmarting my brain.”

11am
I enjoyed a post-workout late-morning snack of pear, blueberries, blackberries, and walnuts. I wouldn’t normally spend time on presentation when making a simple snack for myself (I wouldn’t normally even use a dish!) but since I am photographing my food today, I got inspired. And actually, slowing down to cut the pear, arrange the fruit and nuts on a dish, and sit at the table to eat a “simple snack” made it very satisfying; felt like I was “treating” myself, not just nourishing myself. Typically I eat mindlessly, although nutritiously, while on the run or doing house-work (dishes, laundry, tidying, etc), and sitting down to snack helped me to really enjoy the food, and also increased my self-awareness of mood/energy/attitude, etc. Also noteworthy, typically I grab a handful of crackers with fruit or hummus for a snack; the nuts have been a great replacement for crackers, with a similar crunch and saltiness. (One day this week I sprinkled them on top of hummus and ate it with a spoon!)

1:15pm
Leftovers from the previous two nights’ dinners made for a delicious and hearty lunch, gorgeous purple and white fingerling potatoes and a mix of sautéed kale, chard, onion, garlic, mushrooms, bell and jalapeño peppers. Again, I wouldn’t typically take the time to arrange and present my lunch on a dinner-plate, especially a lunch of leftovers, nor would I even sit down to eat it; typically I’d eat right out of the tupperware in which the leftovers were stored, and I’d eat while doing a gazillion other things…. But journaling and photographing my food forces me to slow down and increases my self-awareness.
More thoughtful food prep and slower, mindful eating, allow me to truly taste and enjoy my food, a nice bonus of this cleanse.

5:15pm
An evening snack of avocado and cherry-tomatoes got me through “homework-time” with the kids.And every evening during the cleanse I’ve enjoyed a cocktail of cranberry-water with a “shot” of ACV and a twist of lemon, served in the Crystal glass in which I usually enjoy wine.

7:15pm
Dinner was roasted brussel sprouts and spaghetti squash for me; and for my husband and kids, it was those yummy veggies along with cheese tortellini and Caesar salad. Obviously, they are not participating in the cleanse, although they have very much enjoyed trying new “cleansing foods” at dinner, with what my husband now calls their “clogging foods.” 🙂

9:00pm
“Logging off” and unwinding with hot lemon-water at my kids’ bedtime, and making their bedtime my bedtime too, has made our evenings much more enjoyable…. I have been more present with my kids because I’m not distracted by “going back to work” after they go to sleep…. I’m “done for the night” when they are, and that feels good. The social media cleanse has also helped me be more present with my family, and I haven’t really missed “keeping up” with my FB friends, like I thought I would. According to an email I received from FB today, “You’ve missed a lot since you last logged in.” Ha! The focused time I’ve had for self-care this week, which has also translated into family-care, has been like a vacation…. I’ve “missed” nothing, and learned and gained so much…. As I finish this week of cleansing, I feel energized and, well… iGnited! 🙂

A huge thank you to Neissa, Kate, the iGnite community, and my inner-circle of cleansing friends with whom I shared successes and challenges all week. Yay! We did it! And we are wiser, with some new healthy habits, and with new brain pathways!

With love and joy,
Alli