CHAPTER 10 GETTING STARTED ON A VEGAN DIET 21-Day Cleansing Diet

MANY DOCTORS AGREE THAT IT takes about three weeks (twenty-one days) for the human digestive system to rid itself of toxins and to free us from destructive eating habits and biochemical addictions.

Meat and dairy eating is addictive. How is this possible? Neal Barnard, MD, explains in his book Breaking the Food Seduction: “Scientific tests suggest that meat may have subtle drug-like qualities.… As meat touches your tongue opiates are released in the brain.… Meat stimulates a surprisingly strong release of insulin.… In turn, insulin is involved in the release of dopamine between brain cells. Dopamine… is the ultimate feel-good chemical turned on by every single drug of abuse—opiates, nicotine, cocaine, alcohol, amphetamines, and everything else.”65 Barnard makes a similar point about cheese.

First, viewing yourself with compassion is essential for the success of any diet program. Guilt-tripping and negative projection are never helpful. If you can free yourself from your destructive addictions, you will discover that within your own body is a pharmaceutical laboratory that can provide you with the well-being you seek. But to become independent, you must first give yourself the chance of experiencing your body when it is not hampered by addiction so you can begin to feel its innate intelligence.

You may feel that going from the standard American diet (SAD) of meat and dairy products to a 100 percent organic vegan diet overnight may be too much. Or maybe your schedule is too busy to allow you to stay on it for the full twenty-one days. The important thing is not to beat yourself up and feel pressured to change overnight. Instead, just try this diet for one day without feeling you have to commit to a vegan diet for the whole rest of your life. Even eating vegan for one day will be greatly appreciated by your body and mind and by the animals, as well as the greater world we all share.

But if you are up for the full adventure, follow this simple diet for twenty-one days to give your digestive organs a rest and gently help them transition to a healthier diet. This diet will reset your metabolism and help free you from biochemical addictions triggered by food, drugs, and emotions.

This is by no means a starvation diet; it provides ample food and lots of fiber. You will find that you are not hungry, nor will you have problems with constipation. This diet is vegan, eliminating all animal-based foods. In addition, it does not include wheat and soy, because sometimes these foods cause allergic reactions. Oil is eliminated as well, to help you lose unwanted weight and give your gall bladder and your liver a rest from the job of metabolizing fat. Drugs, alcohol, and caffeine are eliminated to help clear the thinking mind and allow you to reflect on how you deal with stress. The elimination of drugs, alcohol, and caffeine also provides your nervous system and internal organs—especially the liver and the kidneys—a rest from having to process these challenging substances.

Salt and sugar are taken in minimal amounts. You will get some salt from the seaweed in the nightly kitchari soup (see recipe on page 197), and you will get some natural sugar in the fruit and juice. Eliminating salt will help release fluids from your tissues and reduce swelling and puffiness. Many times, when we feel we look “fat,” it is not fat we are seeing but water retention. Eliminating sugar helps the overall metabolism become more balanced and stable and less prone to cravings and binges.

As the food you will eat will be blended or porridge-like, it will aid in digestion and give your jaw a rest.

Make sure that all you do choose to eat is organic so as to minimize adding any new toxins to your own bodily system or into the greater system we all share: the Earth.

You will eat two meals a day—oatmeal for breakfast and a porridge-like soup and blended salad for dinner—with a lunch snack.

Here is a list of the staple food items you will need to have on hand:

Supplements—try to get all organic and vegan (no gelatin capsules):

The following appliances will make your meal preparation easier:

THE DIET PLAN

Breakfast

Upon rising:

After 20 minutes:

Lunch Snack

Dinner

How to make oatmeal:

Place ½ cup raw oats in a saucepan and add 2 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, simmer for 10 minutes and serve. This makes a very creamy, souplike porridge.

How to make kitchari:

Measure out 1½ cups dry red lentils (or split mung beans) and ½ cup brown rice. Place in large soup pot and add 10 cups of water and a 4-inch piece of dry kombu seaweed. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 1 hour. If you make a big batch, you can refrigerate it and use it over a few days. Just reheat and add more water if necessary.

How to make blended salad:

Place all the ingredients you might normally put in a large salad in a blender or food processor. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 cup of cold water and blend. (Do not add any oil, vinegar, salt, or pepper!)

Here are some suggested ingredients for your blended salad:

Make your own sauerkraut:

It’s actually easy. Check out the website Wild Fermentation (www.wildfermentation.com) for a recipe or buy some, but make sure it’s raw.

Every night for the first week, drink a cup of herbal laxative tea before bedtime to get the elimination process going, then taper off and drink it only if you are having trouble eliminating in the morning.

65 Barnard, Breaking the Food Seduction, 63–64.