Today is day 4 of the 7-day vegan cleanse my Health Coach/Pastor, Rhonda Sharpley has put me on. I may have mentioned previously I was assisting her with a start up called Plan BE. Plan BE is a company whose mission is to train others in living holistic lives. So, dietary changes are only one aspect of the goal. Having healthy mindsets, beliefs, emotions, etc… are all apart of living the abundant lives we were promised. The company is also founded by Life Coach, Kore Sharpley who teaches students to achieve life goals and discover and embrace their life purpose. Both coaches are certified and experienced in their respective fields.
Plan BE offers weekly classes for students to meet, participate in cooking healthy and whole (organic) meals and learn the benefits of eating whole foods. Rhonda was inspired to begin this company due to her own success at losing 30 lbs, healing her gallbladder (which allowed her to avoid surgery) and being taken off several different medications, all as a result of changing her diet.
I will be completely honest, I did not think I would be able to hang this long on this cleanse! The first day was intense. I was hungry all day long. Whenever someone asked me how I was doing I wanted to say “HUNGRY!” LOL. But once I incorporated the green smoothies into my diet on day 2, I was golden. Now, green smoothies do not APPEAR to be very appetizing, but they are quite filling and refreshing, especially when you’re on a cleanse.
Thus far, I have made homemade black bean burgers, vegetable soup, sautéed kale and brown rice. My roommate has been a big help and cooked white beans, kale and vegetable stir fry with the best eggplant you’ve ever tasted! That is the thing I enjoy most about these meals…they taste fabulous! I’m sure the olive & coconut oils and the seasonings we are using make all the difference!
Upon starting the class I did not fully see the value in it. I mean, I’m young, I’m active and healthy. Many of the members of the class are older and have had some physical ailments, which have made it more urgent for them to make this lifestyle change. I however did recognize that I won’t be young forever. I am also privy to many health issues simply b/c of my ethnicity. Now that I am in the midst of the cleanse I’m actually considering making many of these changes permanent. I definitely want to continue with my green smoothies for breakfast. The hardest part though has been cooking. I enjoy cooking but only when I’m in the mood. Cooking involves both time and energy. Usually I’ll have one and not the other. This cleanse has forced me to make cooking a priority b/c if I don’t cook I don’t eat! I can munch on healthy veggies and fruits for snacks but that only goes so far. By lunchtime I want some FOOD :-). So, having a very disciplined schedule is a MUST, but thankfully I can use the discipline I had during my grad school days to assist me (notice I did not say undergrad…def a different story there!).
Even though the cleanse has had its challenges, I can already see the benefits. I have a lot of energy, I feel “lighter” & “cleaner” and I’m learning I can be full off of foods that are adding nutrients to my body. It also makes me feel really good about myself that I am able to practice self-control and have control ALL the time over my eating. Usually I’m wishy-washy and just eat depending on how I feel. Day 1 I already had to resist the urge to “emotionally eat”. I believe I was able to resist b/c of the accountability I now have to the class and to my Health Coach. Having a Health Coach is phenomenal b/c just like an exercise trainer or a sports coach, they push you when you want to give up and challenge you to go farther than you ever would have.
The 7-day cleanse is actually a part of a 90-day cleanse but our Health Coach, in her mercy, has sectioned it off for us so that we are not overwhelmed. I don’t think I will be completely vegan once it’s over however it would be awesome if by the end of the cleanse, I practice an 80% vegan diet. But that could just be the excitement of my success these last 4 days…we’ll see how I feel on day 90 :-).
Feel free to check out Plan Be’s Facebook page HERE.
SHALOM
1 comment