Teeccino Cleanse: Day 5-7

The first few days of the Teeccino cleanse were relatively easy because I was behind a desk the majority of the days. It is hard to be tempted by coffee or sugar when you are locked into a convined space, far away from the outside world, with your lunch and snacks brought from home. Now that Friday is here, I'm worried...

I started off the day with the usual piece of sourdough toast and substituted my normal 2 eggs for a fruit bowl. This particular fruit bowl consisted of strawberries and bananas but I have started to get creative with them as the days go on. For lunch I was craving a tuna melt of my own kind but realized that both the mustard and mayo I was going to use to prepare the tuna had sugar in them so I was forced to scratch that idea. As I wandered State St. in Santa Barbara I pondered where on Earth I would be able to find something to eat and I settled on Chipotle. Now I know this is a fast-food type of restuarant but I have always liked their food and found that the burrito bowl allowed me a fulfilling lunch with no sugar. Lettuce, vegetables, beans, and guacamole treated me right this afternoon and my unsweetened iced tea washed it all down perfectly. This sitting helped squash the idea that I had to eat only food that came from my own kitchen.

The evening consisted again of vegetables and salad but I did find myself craving something sweet. I mean it was Friday, normally I treat myself to something decadent after a long work week. But this week, not an option. I thought I would try a Jamba Juice to sip on instead while I got my pedicure but realized that even the "all fruit" smoothies had 50+ grams of sugar in them! What?! This was an outrage! How can a place that advertises food and drinks for a healthy lifestyle stuff their products full of sugar?! I already cringe when I see people drink a jumbo smoothie from this place, but I silently convinced myself that maybe they were drinking an "all fruit" one and that it was ok. Now, I know it's not ok. This small statistic has erased my want or need to ever go to Jamba Juice again!

The remainder of the weekend went pretty smooth as far as eating was concerned. I stuck with my usual fruits and vegetables and finally started eating oatmeal for breakfast instead of eggs and toast. A little fruit in my oatmeal replaced my normal brown sugar and a little bit of milk gave it the perfect consistency. I continued to fight cravings for the weekend coffee shop experience but refrained and made Teeccino at home instead. I drank a couple mugs a day to help myself from giving in. I highly recommend the Chocolate Mint or Hazelnut. I replaced my creamer with Horizon Half and Half as I found that even Silk soy creamer had evaporated cane juice in it. I wasn't sure that this counted as added sugar but my thinking was anything that was derived from sugar cane is probably out.

I opted to be designated driver on Saturday night as I'm cutting out alcohol during the cleanse. Slightly dreading the bar scene, I found myself sitting with a glass of Crystal Geyser mineral water and lime wedges and loving every sip! It was so much more refreshing than I had ever imagined and it curbed my want for a sugary cocktail immediately. For those who are prone to a pomegranite margarita or sex on the beach you should try this. It may not give you the buzz you are looking for but you will wake up feeling good about the night! I know my body loves me these days.