So here we are. It’s Christmas Eve, and I’ve survived Detox Week 2009. Actually, it wasn’t very hard, and toward the end, it became just sort-of the way things are. Some observations, in list form, because I’m lazy:

• Generally speaking, I didn’t feel altogether better than normal, but then again, I normally feel pretty good, so that’s hard to gauge.
• On the flip side, I mostly had a lot more energy. See, when you eat food that is simply processed from other foods, or you eat animals, you’re getting your energy supplies secondhand, or worse, you’re not getting them at all. Eating straight-up whole foods — natural, unprocessed fruits, veggies, etc. — gets the stuff to your body directly. I learned that sh*t in school, don’t front. Also, I wasn’t eating all the bread I normally do, and it’s obvious what starchy food does to both my appearance and my energy level (which depleted after consuming starchy white rice the other night).
• I started to notice I don’t generally eat that poorly. I just depend too much on foods with too much sauce, way too much bread and way too many processed meat substitutes.
• To answer a LOT of you who wanted to know: I have no idea how much — if any — weight I lost. I will probably check the scale when I go to the gym this weekend, so I’ll report back. Though I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be disappointed if I didn’t lose weight.
• Cooking every meal by hand (save for a few cans of soup) cost me a lot of time in the kitchen. Like 2 to 3 hours a night, whereas normally I’d spend maybe 30 minutes a day. But it also saved me a lot of money,likely more than $100 a week by not eating out, stopping at Starbucks, etc.

And, thus, here are my take-aways from eschewing all but fruits, veggies, seeds, nuts and beans for 10 days:

• I’m going to eat out less and cook more. Make the eating out more of a treat, and being more conscientious when I do. Or enjoy it more. Either way.
• Daily Clif Bars are giving way to raw food snacks such as Pure or Larabar. Sorry, Clif. We’ll save you for special treats and hiking trips.
• I have to go to the gym more than once every two weeks. Have to. There are always distractions and excuses, but it’s intolerable. My body is just a wreck otherwise — my back hurts, my posture sinks, it’s just not good.
• Coffee cake from Starbucks is NOT a valid breakfast.
• I’m not going to stop eating veggie “meats” completely, but seriously, veggie sausage for breakfast, veggie turkey for lunch and faux chicken nuggets for dinner is not only texturized vegetable protein overload, it defeats the purpose.
• I’m probably going to do a completely raw day once a month. Probably definitely.
• More experimentation in the kitchen — basically, if there is a dish I find I like at a restaurant, there’s no reason I shouldn’t try to make it myself. I have more control over the ingredients, and will save dough in the long term (and maybe host an awesome dinner party where I can dazzle guests).

I guess that’s about it. Last night I prepared the topping for my world-famous bruschetta (WORLD FAMOUS), which I’ll be serving at our annual Christmas Eve gathering tonight, along with veggie samosas, hummus, non-homemade salsa, etc. All pretty mild re-entries to non-asceticism. And, so, here is your final Detox Week menu, from yesterday:

• Breakfast: 1 apple, 1 banana, 1 cup orange juice
• Morning snack: 1 chocolate brownie Pure raw food bar
• Lunch: 1 can Trader Joe’s lentil & vegetable soup
• Afternoon snack: 3 to 4 dried, unsweetened pineapple rings, a handful of mixed raw nuts
• Dinner: We actually went out, to Sweet Tomatoes. I had a salad (romaine, celery, carrots, cucumber, cauliflower, sunflower seeds, bell peppers) with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, a baked potato with onions and chives, and tomato-potato soup (in vegetable broth with spinach)
• Evening snack: 2 small stalks celery with organic peanut butter

Happy holidays, everyone. And thanks for your support.