Day 1. Vegan Detox diet.

Living in New York has its challenges, but one of the main ones is avoiding all the delicious food options that seem to be everywhere. I know, I know, it's a walking city, so this shouldn't be a problem, right? The extra pounds I've packed on since moving here would indicate otherwise. So I've decided to spend the rest of February 2012 trying to reset myself into a more healthful diet.

I've had a fascination with food and cooking for years now, and most of my friends share my love of healthy eating. My problem is that I also love to eat pizza, French fries, and Thai food. So I've been reading up on different detox diets and vegan diets and low-carb diets and juice-only diets, etc. etc. etc. There are a lot of choices out there for quick weight loss and other novelty side-effects, but I'm really interested in just getting my palette back for fresh fruits & veggies, with a side of pizza every once in a while.

Of all the plans I've read, this one seems the most reasonable. Basic premise: a vegan diet.

Things allowed:
fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts & seeds, lots of water, lots of water with lemon, reasonable amounts of tea & coffee

Things not allowed:
no meat, no dairy, no wheat, no soy, no peanuts, no processed foods, and NO sugar/sweeteners (including maple syrup, honey, etc.)

My small caveats...

1) I've recently weened off my morning coffee habit in lieu of tea, but I cannot do it with rice milk. I can do it without sugar, no problem. So I will have my morning tea with regular cow's milk.

2) I can't stomach those greens drinks, so I'm not doing that even though she suggests that should be your breakfast on this thing. I normally eat a lot of green veggies, and I'm ramping that up even more with this plan. So I'll try this for a week and see how I feel before investing in those expensive "healthy greens" drinks that make me gag.

3) I'm allowing myself one treat per day, and I've decided that the Trader Joe's soft-baked Snickerdoodles (vegan!) are going to be my vice this week. Since I'm cheating with about 2 tablespoons of real milk every morning, what's a Snickerdoodle here and there? (By the way, I'm allowing myself no more than two of these tiny delights per day.)

I'll try to post what I've eaten every day and recipes if something comes out particularly well. I did a soft start yesterday, and that went reasonably well until I had a bowl of cereal (the ridiculous sugarey kind which I shall not name) for dinner. So I'm officially starting today. Wish me luck! (And send me your vegan recipes!)