What made me decide to do a detox?<\/p>\n

Well, lately nutrition fascinates me. Okay, like everyone right now I suppose. Okay. And also I came back from Thanksgiving as chubby as the turkey we obliterated.<\/p>\n

So, as a general rule, I try to stay true to my French nutrition principles. Eat a little bit of everything, in moderation. It\u2019s as simple and as complicated as that.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Flexible, basically. But flexibility can go overboard often, especially when you are, uh, how should I put this. Me. And a glass of wine turns into three, a square of chocolate<\/a> turns into twelve, a small coffee becomes a Venti, and that\u2019s how, in a few days, it\u2019s easy to get into a bad habit.<\/p>\n

Moderation requires a lot of persistence, and patience with yourself.<\/p>\n

So I wanted to see how it would feel to eat super healthy, super balanced meals for a few days. I wanted to know if maybe the reason I\u2019d put on a few pounds wasn\u2019t the quality but the quantity of what I was eating?<\/p>\n

I thought of Sakara<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Because after discovering their CBD chocolate<\/a>, which changed my life, I went to look at their website<\/a>, and I discovered some super appealing nutritional programs.<\/p>\n

They have a five-day cleanse that\u2019s super healthy, there\u2019s no juicing (impossible for me, I tried a juice cleanse a few years ago and only lasted about three hours, I felt like my stomach was turning circles), but with real organic, gluten-free, vegan food \u2013 it\u2019s very balanced and the meals are delivered to you at home, breakfast included, which is a dream for a lazy girl like me.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all it took to convince me. I went for it.<\/p>\n

Sunday night, my delivery arrived. I couldn\u2019t wait to begin. Ok, so\u2026<\/p>\n

Day #1
\nI work from home.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I open my breakfast, and the critic in me starts flaring up.<\/p>\n

Is all this plastic really necessary? Hmm\u2026 I make myself a green tea, because I imagine if you\u2019re doing a detox, coffee and alcohol probably aren\u2019t on the menu. The program is a bit lacking in instructions*, actually. But that\u2019s okay because\u2026<\/p>\n

The breakfast is delicious and pretty decadent \u2013 it\u2019s a muffin with nut butter and fresh fruit, full of nutrients (each menu is detailed on the box and explains with humor the nutrients you\u2019re going to absorb and why they\u2019re so good for you) and, even though it\u2019s not a lot of food, I\u2019m not hungry at all anymore after I devour it.<\/p>\n

Around 10am, I wonder about having a snack. I usually have a little snack around 11am and again around 4pm\u2026otherwise I\u2019m starving by the time I have my next meal and end up overeating. But there\u2019s no snack.<\/p>\n

I imagine that\u2019s part of the \u201creset\u201d idea (that\u2019s what Sakara calls it actually, not a detox, it\u2019s a reset and I like that because that\u2019s exactly how I was looking at this) so I stick with it and don\u2019t have a snack.<\/p>\n

Lunch time comes and I devour it while Chris<\/a> looks on sadly: \u201cSo I guess I\u2019ll be flying solo this week for meals?\u201d \u2013 Ah\u2026 Yeah, doing a detox (sorry, a reset) is kind of selfish, I guess.<\/p>\n

He also says: \u201cWhoa! Are you going to be able to eat all that?\u201d YEAH IT\u2019S TRUE the lunch is copious, no need to say anything, just let me eat please. Two big vegan wraps on a bed of salad (kale, arugula, spinach, this type of nutritious trio) with a delicious dressing.<\/p>\n

I decide to save one of the wraps for an afternoon snack, and I have to say I\u2019m very happy when 4:00 comes around. Because if I don\u2019t have a snack at 4:00, I turn into the Demogorgon from Stranger Things<\/em> and I\u2019d be capable of eating the table if there\u2019s nothing else in sight. Which is something I\u2019m going to have to figure out if I want to survive the rest of the week. Otherwise, too bad, I\u2019ll eat at 5:00pm just like hens (or turkeys?) do.<\/p>\n

For dinner, I had salad with avocado and veggies, and yeah, no dessert, pffff you guys, obviously. Each meal is a unique dish. I also have a water in the morning and a water at night, and as much as I love the rose flavored water in the morning, I quickly decided to skip the evening one. Not my kind of taste!<\/p>\n

At the end of the first day, I\u2019m super happy. It\u2019s really tasty, it\u2019s really practical, I never feel hungry, and I feel so virtuous I hear angels singing around me. I don\u2019t look in the mirror, but I\u2019m SURE I\u2019ve got the satisfied smile and rosy cheeks of one of these yoga girls who can do a handstand.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t wait for the next day.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Day #2
\nI\u2019m on a photoshoot.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have my breakfast \u2013 each day, the breakfast is delicious (and I love the variety \u2013 when I make breakfast, it\u2019s always the same deal – muesli or avocado toast or avocado toast or muesli?) but as for the quantity, it\u2019s weird. Some days it\u2019s almost too much, other days I still feel hungry. I wonder if it depends on my appetite which depends on my activity level which depends on\u2026 Ah, so many questions so early in the day!<\/p>\n

I take my lunch with me and I know a day like this is going to be a real test. Photoshoots are the worst for nutrition: there are moments of stress (primal reaction: EAT!!!) and boredom (primal reaction: EAT!!!), you\u2019re not in your typical environment (primal reaction: EAT!!!), and most importantly they are usually catered with delicious food (primal reaction: EAT!!!) that\u2019s just waiting for my hand to grab a banana-chia-something-healthy-whatever and shove it in my mouth before my brain has the time to say STTTTTOPPPPP, IT\u2019S GLUTEN-FREE BUT IT\u2019S 2000 CALORIES NOOOOO!!!<\/p>\n

I resist the sublime granola they serve for breakfast, the beautiful morning muffins, and the overflowing cheese plate at lunch, and I open my salad (I\u2019m starting to get used to the fact that my life is now based on salad and I\u2019m going to forever be transforming myself into a salad), which makes my team jealous. Yep, I admit, the catering looks great but my salad is incredible, and stylish: I even get to eat flowers!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m pretty thrilled, especially since I usually end up leaving photoshoots half depressed because I couldn\u2019t resist the call of the 4:00 cookies.<\/p>\n

It shows me that a little organization can really help at complicated times like photoshoots \u2013 and that probably applies to traveling too, for example.<\/p>\n

And yeah, okay, so what – you might look a little smug sitting in the corner with your health food, but pffff, who doesn\u2019t want to have glowing skin and look as self-fulfilled as Gwyneth<\/a> on the cover of It\u2019s All Good? Hmm? Hmm?<\/p>\n

Okay, enough bragging. When I get home, I\u2019m starving. Eat-the-table-and-take-down-the-first-person-who-says-a-word-to-me hungry. I decide to eat dinner early, and when I open my salad, I feel slightly bummed. It\u2019s cold outside, and what I really want is a good hot, comforting soup \u2013 a food hug, basically.<\/p>\n

Oh! Hey, I think I have a delicious soup in the fridge. Hahaha! This is the first time I cheat on my detox, but since it\u2019s a veggie soup, it doesn\u2019t count, RIGHT?<\/p>\n

Day #3
\nI have meetings, I spend the day out.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I feel pretty good and my digestion is, how to say it without really saying it \u2013 fantastic. Like freeway traffic at 4 in the morning. Flowing perfectly!<\/p>\n

But is it possible to feel healthy and exhausted at the same time? After 3pm, all I want to do is go home and get under the covers. I go through the rest of my appointments feeling deeply tired, I cancel a party (in any case, a detox week, sorry reset, isn\u2019t really a good time for socializing), and I throw on my pajamas.<\/p>\n

The day before, SURPRISE GIFT! I got a little pouch of chocolate granola in addition to one of my meals. When I discovered the little pouch, I was worse than my dog Lulu when I give her a bone: my eyes turned circles, I rolled around on the ground in happiness and did three backwards somersaults before taking my granola to a little corner of the room and disappearing for two hours. Okay, I\u2019m exaggerating, but I totally devoured it.<\/p>\n

For me, food has always been a synonym for comfort when I feel empty or lacking in energy or love, so, bam, take that chocolate granola.<\/p>\n

Apparently detoxes tend to do that. As your toxins leave, blocked emotions can come up and I know you\u2019re snickering over there at my woowooness, but I believe 100% in the connection between our bodies and minds. MY DETOX (sorry, reset) is working!
\nSometimes you even feel like crying. I wouldn\u2019t go that far, but it\u2019s true that after my last appointment of the day, which was particularly difficult, I did get tears in my eyes, and I made a super important professional decision that I\u2019ll tell you about soon.<\/p>\n

The day goes by as if I were wrapped in cotton \u2013 I fall asleep and can\u2019t wait for Chris to come home and hold me in his arms.<\/p>\n

Day #4
\nAppointment + working from home + meeting a friend.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s -12 degrees outside and I\u2019m not exaggerating. I\u2019m starting to get used to eating super healthy and honestly, I feel really great. I feel like my stomach is calm and happy. Do you know the feeling of having a happy tummy or am I just going crazy with all my new age nonsense? This morning my breakfast came with a delicious coconut milk. And I start to cheat a little bit on the program \u2013 a few nuts for a morning snack, for example.<\/p>\n

When I meet my friend toward the end of the afternoon, and she puts a few pieces of chocolate in front of me, I can\u2019t resist \u2013 but I don\u2019t feel guilty for a second. I\u2019m pretty happy that my \u201cweek\u201d (ok right, it\u2019s only five days) is almost over.<\/p>\n

I feel like I\u2019ve spent a week in someone else\u2019s wardrobe. I love their clothes, but after a while, I don\u2019t feel like myself anymore, even though after this experience, I\u2019d be thrilled to borrow some of her shoes and a few of her ideas! (Pheeeew, that\u2019s quite the analogy, no worries if you didn\u2019t follow.)<\/p>\n

In general, the meals are good, balanced, and plentiful without making you feel stuffed, but that night, I feel like my salad is kind of an afterthought more than anything: a few pieces of squash, half an avocado and green salad, which I could have done myself and most of all, it\u2019s really not salad season. I repeat, it\u2019s -12 outside!<\/p>\n

Day #5
\nAt the Studio!<\/strong><\/p>\n

I spend the day in the studio with my team. My favorite day of the week, like every week, and it\u2019s also the day when there are tons of delicious snacks everywhere, especially during the holiday season. Plus, I\u2019m hungry. I decide to say YES to lunch with Delphine, my friend and agent, because the social animal that I am is tired of eating in a corner by myself. So I eat my lunch before meeting up with her, then I order a roasted eggplant (I mean, it\u2019s two slices, basically)(for those of you who know it, we\u2019re at Caf\u00e9 Mogador)(besides, Delphine and I always meet at the healthiest restaurants in New York since we\u2019re textbook healthy girls on top of our gluten-freeization game)\u2026yep. That afternoon, I can\u2019t resist a little piece of chocolate sent with love by Dries Van Noten<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Who could resist chocolate from Dries Van Noten (no seriously my chocolate obsession is reaching a critical level and I think I\u2019m going to have to open a Chocoholics Anonymous where I won\u2019t be anonymous at all) I ask you?<\/p>\n

As for the evening\u2026argh, the evening. That evening, I have plans with a friend to go see Louis CK at Madison Square Garden. When she arrives at our seats with two glasses of champagne and two vodka sodas (yeah, my friend takes humor VERY seriously) I don\u2019t have the courage to say no. And when she insists on taking me to a Korean restaurant to catch up, all I can say is YES OF COURSE I WAS DOING A DETOX THIS WEEK BUT HONESTLY AT THIS HOUR IT MIGHT AS WELL BE TOMORROW ANYWAY!!!<\/p>\n

So I treat myself and honestly, it\u2019s not too far off my Sakara detox, except it\u2019s not vegan. Veggies, seaweed, grilled meats, it\u2019s delicious, noisy and the best way to celebrate the end of my detox. Right?<\/p>\n

Right.<\/p>\n

*satisfied smile*<\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n

And now\u2026the results!!!<\/p>\n

And the answers to all your questions!!!<\/p>\n

1) Why does the detox not come with instructions?
\nBecause I didn\u2019t receive the booklet that usually comes with the first delivery. I don\u2019t know what happened, and I\u2019m still waiting for it, but after speaking with Danielle, one of the founders, I learned the principles I had come up with were correct:
\n\u00b7 No coffee or tea \u2013 coffee and teas are inflammatory, so this is an opportunity to give your body a break.
\n\u00b7 No snacking. The theory is that three meals, if they are well balanced, should be enough, and it gives your digestive system a chance to rest. For me, as a table-eater, it\u2019s very difficult, I have to admit.
\n\u00b7 Lots of water, of course.<\/p>\n

2) What did I learn?
\nLots of things.
\n\u00b7 First of all, I learned I wasn\u2019t eating enough vegetables, even though I thought I was eating tons. I\u2019ve changed a lot since. I always try to start my meals with a salad and I balance my days very differently. That changes EVERYTHING in terms of the traffic at 4:00 in the morning, if you see what I mean.
\n\u00b7 Next, I learned I needed to give more attention to my breakfasts, which were really too boring before my reset. Now I\u2019m learning lots of quick and easy recipes, like I\u2019m making my own chia pudding which I eat with a passionate look on my face and with a halo and angels singing all around me. I\u2019ve got other healthy recipes for lazy people if you want, but I\u2019m sure you can find better ones elsewhere, because no one is as lazy as me.
\n\u00b7 I also learned that being organized helps you be more mindful of what you eat when you know there will be lots of temptations, like at a photoshoot or while traveling. I\u2019m going to try to bring my own food now and I\u2019ll be best friends with the healthy girls on the plane instead of the ones getting drunk on champagne who start out laughing and end up telling you their life story while crying. My life will become perfect and boring, but I\u2019ll have glowing skin and perfectly flowing digestion.<\/p>\n

3) How did I feel?
\nPretty good, even though I thought it was weird taking on eating habits so different from my own. I realized how much I like hot meals, how important snacks are to me, and lots of other little things that will help me eat better.<\/p>\n

4) Did I lose weight?
\nYes! I lost the weight I\u2019d gained at Thanksgiving, about five pounds. I immediately gained it back though, during the crazy week when everyone is going to end-of-year parties and dinners. Tsk tsk, you don\u2019t do a reset to lose weight though, ladies.<\/p>\n

5) And what about all the plastic?
\nSo I called Danielle, one of the founders of Sakara, to ask her if there might be a more environmentally friendly option, and she explained that they started out delivering their meals in biodegradable cardboard, but when they took a closer look, plastic turned out to be easier to recycle. As for delivering the food in glass containers that you could return later, she said they had looked into it with another company who did that, and it turned out to be so complicated the company had to shut down. I thought her explanation was clear and honest, even though I\u2019m obviously not explaining it all as well as she did.<\/p>\n

Translated by Andrea Perdue<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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