A lot of people don’t touch restaurant mints because of the germ factor–but here’s another reason why you should leave them alone: they’re not real food!

Behold an average ingredient list for mints:

Sugar, invert sugar, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, soybean oil, sorbital, salt, oil of peppermint, natural and artificial butter flavour, lecithin, Red 40, Blue

Unless you really have a craving for artificial butter flavour and Blue, my advice is to leave the mints alone!

I think that Diet Rehab is officially drawing to a close!  I consider myself rehabbed!   No, I will not adopt a full vegan lifestyle, but I have made significant changes in my life.

I have added so many whole grains and  vegetable-based proteins to my diet. I drink more water than I ever have before, I drink less booze and I have limited my caffeine intake!  I have also cut down on take-out, restaurant dining and processed food.

I will still be posting things from time to time, but I will no longer be posting everyday–Thanks to all of you have been along for the ride–BIG BIG thanks to Meghan Telpner without whom Diet Rehab would not have been possible!

Okay, so odd eating times are something I’m going to have to suck up. Last night, I did as Meghan suggested and I brought almonds to class and it did help. I also drank a bunch of water (Thanks, Breanna), and went to bed early and I did sleep well. Now I have to think a way of avoiding gross, fatty-fat food after booze-y times…

Since I’m taking classes and work at a restaurant, I tend to eat early dinners (5 pm or earlier) and then eat again when I get in at night—usually around 10-11 pm.  When I get home, I’m hungry and ready for dinner…again. I don’t want to eat more than I need–especially at night–but I’m legitimately hungry and I find it hard to sleep on an empty stomach.  Which is better? To eat just before bed or go to bed hungry? If I do eat before bed, does anyone have any healthy–yet satisfying–suggestions?

I caught a nasty cold last week and I spent a few days doing absolutely n-o-t-h-i-n-g except watching trashy tv, drinking soda water and tea.  I didn’t deliberately starve myself, but I had no appetite and couldn’t be bothered to do much in the kitchen.

Eventually, I settled on a smoothie–I had plain yoghurt in the fridge and left-over-from-summer frozen raspberries and strawberries in the freezer. It was refreshing and felt so nice on my throat.

Much to my chagrin, I also ate some garlic cloves.  An ex-boyfriend of mine used to swear by garlic. If he had even the hint of a sniffle, he’d start swallowing garlic by the handful. At first I was skeptical…partly because I didn’t want it to work. I hated the idea of swallowing that much garlic, but I hated the idea of being stinky even more.

Anyway, I still suffered the rotten cold, but I did swallow some garlic along the way and I have to admit that I feel so much better now. To be fair, I also slept A LOT.

And now I am so ready to get active and get outside–I can’t wait for sunshine and warm weather.

Hey–I just wanted to apologize for no post on Friday.  I have had a really bad cold and was in bed most of Friday so not only did I not have a chance to write a post, but I wasn’t really in the mood for trying any new food.

…and out with very little trash and recycling!

It’s not a big thing, but I have noticed that with a whole foods diet, I have way less garbage and recycling than I did before.  We all know that most whole foods come without packaging…so if you’re looking for another reason why you should be a ‘clean’ eater, look no further!

Pictured above is yesterday’s lunch–a delicious salad, which I recommend to all of you.  Salads can be a bit bland–even monotonous–if you’re eating them every day for lunch.  I suggest you switch it up and if you want to make it a meal (like I did) add protein by including raw sunflower seeds with your greens. Avocado also goes a long way to filling you up (so far from local, but I can’t face another squash).  Dried cranberries add some tartness and great texture and I topped it all off with a cider vinegar/olive oil and honey dressing–homemade, of course.

The reason I’m writing about delicious salad tips is because I have received a few complaints over meat being a side dish!  To all the BOYS who complained about this one, try having some meat or pasta as the side dish with a serving of veggies or potatoes and THIS salad.  I really do want to know if it would fill you up!  Get back to me!

After a valiant attempt, I have given up trying to grow my own food in my apartment–it just doesn’t work that well.  I had the beginning of seedlings (I thought), but nothing much has happened since then.  This means that local food is slim pickings and I think I might have to look beyond my apartment walls and Canada’s borders for food.  My intentions to eat local, whole foods is so limiting in February and March. As much as I love root vegetables (and I do), I need some variety.  If I’m serious about clean eating as a way of life, then I need to be excited about the food I’m eating.  The experts now say that WHAT we eat is more important than WHERE it comes from–so I’m thinking I’ll focus more on whole foods and less on local foods.  Bring on the Californian raspberries!

Oh dear. Not a good weekend.

In anticipation of a cottage-filled weekend, I tried on my bathing suit last week in the case of hot-tub fun.  It was not what I would call a “pretty sight.”

Post cleanse, I didn’t have a food binge, but I did enjoy some of those delicacies that I avoided for 8 weeks.  I enjoyed them too much and it hit me late last week.  I know I’m not drinking enough water and now I feel like I’ve fallen off the food wagon too.  I feel slugish and bloated and so I think I’ll go back to some of my cleansing rituals.  This doesn’t mean that I’ll be entirely vegan, but I’m seriously thinking about cutting down on wheat again.  

Is it just me? Is it just that I’m suffering from the February-March blues?  What Meghan terms, “Farch”?  All I know is that I feel gross these days–and while I sometimes felt a bit deprived on the cleanse, I felt better about myself and my body. 

Wish me luck.