Things I learned from The Clean Program

WE DID IT!

1. I love our new juicer...never knew how good fresh veggie juice can taste!
2. Making juice out of veggies is a great way to make sure they don't go bad in your fridge
3. Juice or a smoothie for breakfast saves time and is light so it keeps me awake instead of weighing me down.
4. Making everything from scratch is hard work. It takes a bit of time but it's worth it.
5. When you are eating consciously and planning out your meals for the next week, it's easier to ignore the junk at the grocery store and only buy things on your list
6. If you're planning your meals a week in advance, you don't go out to eat as often or in our case, at all. (except my Denny's affair)
7. If there is something you love to eat, there is a healthy way to make it
8. Everyone asked me if I missed "real food" but in these three weeks, I have eaten more "real food" than I ever have in my life. If I had been eating a Big Mac and fries, people wouldn't think twice, but that is about as far removed from "real food" as you can get!
9. People who choose to eat differently than me are not weird. Everyone has a different path and that's okay. (I used to regard vegans with an eye roll, but now I respect the dedication it takes to eat differently than the majority of people in the US and admire their effort)
10. There is pride that comes from eating a fridge stocked with veggies in a week.
11. There are other grains. Amaranth, quinoa and millet have been huge during all this!
12. I used to think that we had so many options at the grocery store until I found out most is a variation of the same thing.
13. Just because I'm not gluten intolerant, doesn't mean I can't try gluten-free foods. Just because I'm not completely vegan, doesn't mean I won't enjoy vegan food.
14. We have barely filled a garbage bag in three weeks and our recycling bin is empty except for a few cans...when you're buying mostly produce, there isn't a whole lot of packaging to throw away!
14. I don't need as much dairy as I thought I did!
15. Investing in what you eat can pay off with less money spent on healthcare.
16. You DO NOT have to eat meat with every single meal. And you'll save money if you don't.
17. You can make milk yourself from coconut or nuts. We have been using milk we made from raw almond, brazil and cashews and a separate milk made from unsweetened coconut. It's super easy to make, tastes delicious and we know exactly what went into it.
18. With the nuts we strain from our homemade milk, we can add a few ingredients, throw it into our juicer and make raw nut butter....which is usually really expensive!
19. That Ryan's problem staying awake could possibly be attributed to food. He has been much more alert and awake these three weeks.
20. That your poop doesn't really smell when you're eating this way. Gross but true!
21. That you can make AWESOME chocolate chip cookies vegan and gluten free :)


Our "after" photos...we tried to pose ourselves like they do in those weight loss ads where the person looks like crap in the "before" and super happy and weird in the "after"...I kinda look like a crazed serial killer, but you get the idea!