I'm at the tail end of a multi-week bout with Labyrinthitis, a catch-all phrase referring to a virus attacking the inner ear. For weeks, I was bedridden with vertigo and nausea. During that time, I watched a lot of t.v. and I happened to catch the author of Quantum Wellness -- The 21-Day Cleanse on Whatever With Alexis and Jennifer. (For the record, I like Jennifer a lot better than Alexis.) The author, Kathy Freston, spoke extremely convincingly about the health benefits of her vegan, no-sugar/gluten/caffeine/alcohol cleanse. Health and wellness sounded pretty good to me right about then, my body having been thrashed from several weeks of motion sickness, not getting out of bed, drinking mostly broth, etc. This cleanse spoke to me -- I do believe the universe was telling me something.
I've dissed nut jobs who've done those crazy lemon juice/cayenne pepper/maple syrup-type cleanses. Even in college, when sorority sisters would request vegetarian or low-cal meals, I'd want to scream, "Just F'ing EAT!" But the Amazon reviews of the Quantum Wellness book were pretty persuasive. After being so sick, I was desperate to feel that good too. "I'll have what she's having. I'll take a side of that glowing skin too, please." And while this cleanse is not about weight loss for me, I am still trying to get rid of that last bit of baby weight -- never mind that my baby is in second grade.
So I purchased Quantum Wellness and I'm waiting for it to arrive. In the meantime, I did what any hip mom would do -- I posted a link to the book on Facebook. I got a couple of non-commital comments and, much to my chagrin, no "likes." I worried people thought I was a nut job too. However, over the next few days, several friends privately e-mailed and others cornered me at school pick-up: "Hey, I'm kinda interested in that cleanse thing you posted..." Before I knew it, I had several friends on board and they had friends interested too. We're starting November 29 -- after Thanksgiving -- and we'll be done before Xmas. (Unfortunately for me, it does fall squarely within Hanukkah but I am thinking it'll be pretty easy to make vegan latkes.)
I was reluctant to tell my husband but when I did, his response, much to my surprise, was, "Maybe I'll do it with you." I believe we've got a couple of husbands on board now. I wanted to name this blog, "The Real Housewives of San Francisco" (even though many of us do work!) but, in addition to the men, we've recruited friends from as far away as New York.
After the book had been ordered and the friends signed on, I tried a curried lentil dish from an old issue of Everyday Food. It was delicious -- even the kids asked for seconds. My husband asked, "Is this vegan?" When I thought about it, I realized that the entire meal fit squarely within all the parameters of the Quantum Wellness Cleanse. That gave me hope that I won't be cranky and starving the whole time.
A word about that... It turns out that each of us has different fears, different foods we're practically desperate not to give up. One friend asked, "Can we have an exception for morning coffee?" Another said, "A life without Diet Coke and wine hardly seems worth living." For me, I could give up alcohol for years without missing a beat. It's the coffee, sugar and cheese I think I can't live without. What I am going to do without my 9 p.m. scoop of chunky peanut butter covered in chocolate chips? Yeah, I need this cleanse.
The very first friend who joined in mentioned that we should do a corresponding blog, something that I had thought of too but was afraid to suggest, worried people would think it was either too geeky or too much work on top of the cleanse. But here we go. Wish us 40-Year-Old Vegans some luck! Leslie
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