The 2013 Food Lover's Cleanse Diary: Finale

Sara Dickerman didn't just write the Food Lover's Cleanse--she's an active participant. Follow along with her every day as she reboots her diet. (No juice fasts allowed.)

So this morning, there was a little St. Marcellin cheese in my omelet, and I slicked the pan with a bit of butter. Other than that, my breakfast looked much as an ordinary cleanse breakfast would: I plopped the omelet, a little oozy still, atop some arugula, and I dabbed a streak of harissa across its crest. It was lovely and kept me full until now, when I'm beginning to think about lunch, which will involve some of the leftovers from the past two weeks of healthy cooking.

I'm heading out to dinner tomorrow night, but in many ways life after the cleanse won't be that different from before I started the program. I'll still cook lots of grains and vegetables at home. I'll still eat warm and satisfying breakfasts. I'll still have friends over for dinner.

When Marissa Lippert and I put this program together each year, we purposely avoid radically altering eating patterns. There are no liquid meals, no magic elixirs, no designated supplements. That's because we want this New Year's reboot to be mostly pleasurable, making it easier for some of the basic ideas to stick with you after its two weeks are up.

What this year's program has done for me is to fine tune my own senses: I'm much more attuned to how much I really need to eat, versus when I'm jonesing for food simply out of boredom or frustration. Its also reminded me just how delicious well-cooked produce, whole grains, and seafood can be. I tried to develop recipes that were simple but engaging enough for people like me and you who love the adventure of cooking and eating. I realized I sleep much better without regular coffee in my diet, and that I just might be stronger than my diet ginger-ale dependency. (I'm thinking of splurging on a few new flavors of bitters for my Pellegrino and bitters mocktails to help me along with that.)

Your comments show that some of you have gotten grained- or saladed-out at points during the program. In the future, I'll take a look at whether we can shuffle some of the days to avoid repetition. (That said, I'm sure to keep leftover lunches, since they are a great way maximize the value of all the cooking we've been doing over these weeks.) In the spirit of change, I wonder if next year it also might be fun to step further into the Asian pantry...

A final toast to my plan partner Marissa, and to all of you, who have helped make this year's Food Lover's Cleanse a true celebration of good food. Visit me at my website saradickerman.com, and let me know how things are going throughout the year.

See the 2013 Food Lover's Cleanse
See Sara Dickerman's 2013 Cleanse Diary