We've had a few international visitors lately- J from Melbourne and my Mum from Perth. Both have been great to have around. Both have warranted lots of eating out, drinking and excessive consumption of sugar (12kg bag of Easter eggs Mum?). The next few months are kind of crazy for me with trips to Tokyo, Bangkok and St Tropez all planned and last week I started to feel rundown and overwhelmed. I don't think I've ever been as sick as I have since we moved to Japan- constant colds, hayfever and tummy problems. I put it down to weird hours, contact with snotty children and the Japanese diet.
Most people assume that Japanese=healthy and sometimes it's true- people do eat fish and soy products nearly every day, but there is also another side to modern Japanese cuisine, one where sugar is hidden in everything from bread to sushi. One where the cheapest and most convenient foods (like everywhere) are laden with carbs, sugar and fat. Truthfully it's hard and expensive to eat healthily here. I crave salads. I crave sandwiches where the main ingredient isn't mayo. I crave chicken that isn't deep fried or covered in sweet teriyaki sauce. I crave cheap Thai and Vietnamese takeaway.
So, last week I decided that Glen and I would do a 7 detox, something we had tried and had good results from a couple of years ago. I chose the Quick Cleanse 15 day kit and split in two. It's a pretty easy program to follow- you take about 4-5 tablets a day and eat mainly fresh fruits and vegetables. No caffeine, no sugar, no salt, no white flour, no alcohol.
The first day was pretty easy, I was tired without a coffee in the morning to kick-start what is my longest work day (13 hours) but I felt okay. Day two I was exhausted. I wanted to fall asleep at 4pm at work, my stomach was making all kinds of weird noises and I felt blah. Day three was almost the same: foggy headed, tired, upset stomach, runny nose, itchy throat. Today is Day Four and I finally feel normal: no longer hungry, tummy's okay, headache gone etc. I hope it gets better from here!
Sticking to the diet hasn't been so hard, I've been making a lot of soups, salads and since seafood is allowed in this diet we've been eating fish or prawns about once a day. Overall I think this is a good opportunity to 're-set' my body.
