Reflections on a forth (and final) week without processed food, booze, dairy or sugar:

• The only time I really, really missed booze was when we had people over for dinner on Sunday. There's nothing like a nice glass of red wine to take the edge off of the worry that you might accidentally kill a friend with your cooking. Happily, no one died.
• It was amusing to see the look on people's faces when they ask about your "cleanse" (we were stumped for what else to call it when people asked) and you tell them that you're mostly just eating meat and veggies. People seemed very confused about the meat part. Poor meat, still getting a bad rap.
• I think me and sugar might really have broken up for good. I'm not opposed to using a bit now and again (and I certainly won't be one of those parents preaching the evils of sugar like it's a deadly sin) but it's really started to creep me out how it's added to everything. I'd like sugar to stay where it's wanted. You know, places like fudge instead of salad dressing.
• Last night we ended our 30 days with beer and wings. The beer tasted as amazing as anticipated but I cut myself off after just one pint because I could really feel it. Apparently "Sub-Operation Cheap Date" is a rousing success.
• I would definitely recommend this sort of thing to anyone who's looking for re-set their taste buds/metabolism and do some mindful eating. It gave me a ton of insight into my own food-related habits and triggers. A big thing for me to realize was that I often use food rewards for myself (e.g., I went for a run so I deserve some almond M&Ms as a treat). While that's not always a terrible thing (e.g., if/when you ever hike the West Coast Trail, plan to make your first post-trail meal a burger, yam fries and beer, it'll help keep you motivated through all the ladders, mud and outhouses), I do want to try to use it less to justify unnecessary mindless consumption.