It's all leading up to Fantasy Friday!

Every time I skype my parents it makes me feel hungry. This isn't just the case when I'm on the cleanse; my dull, repetitive student diet always pales in comparison to whatever it is they've been cooking up on their functional cooker. Yesterday evening was one such mouthwatering occasion. Although what I eat is predominantly vegetarian, it can't be denied that I eat more meat when I'm at home. I've been managing the hunger pangs of the liquid diet pretty well, but my brain was no match for the plate of gammon, crinkle cut chips, cider gravy and vegetables that my dad waved in front of me. That meal was miles away, but I swear to God, I could smell it! A lot of people on the Master Cleanse suggest that you remove yourself from exposure to food so as not to be tempted. This includes everything from not watching T.V. commercials and cooking shows to sending someone else shopping. You can probably tell from my blog that I'm not one of these people who benefits from this "out of site, out of mind" mentality; it seems that most of my posts require me digging out some picture of a chocolate bar or other. Well, I've indulged in a bit of pretend online shopping and compiled a list I have labeled "Fantasy Friday". Friday's the day that I finish the cleanse, and on that day, I'll be going shopping for my post-cleanse ingredients. I read somewhere that the easing out period should equal half of the time that you spent cleansing. That means that from next Saturday to Wednesday, I'll be very carefully edging myself away from the liquids and onto the solids. The trick is to do it gradually, so you don't suffer from constipation, water retention and weight gain. I'll cover all of that as well as the actual menu I've compiled when I get to the appropriate days, but today I just wanted to mention my list, since I had such fun making it. Sainsbury's online grocery calculator adds it up to roughly £18.00, which is pretty good for most of a week, and its a much more colourful basket than I'm used to; which is to say, this time the colours occur in natural products and aren't printed on labels and packets. So, without further ado, the Fantasy Friday ingredients list that I'm using for motivation. There are a couple of cheeky additions there that aren't so healthy, but in moderation I'll be able to ease them in too:

• carrots
• oranges
• onions
• sweet potato
• raspberries
• blackberries
• kiwi fruit
• bananas
• salad
• Options' instant hot chocolate sachets
• peppermint teabags
• ground coriander
• smooth vegetable soup
• 2 rolls fresh wholemeal bread
• 1% UHT milk
• Philadelphia lightest
• 2 Cadbury's kids bars

Isn't that lovely? Perhaps it seems a little weird, but for me that list is very exciting. I can't wait to shop for real foods... and I really can't wait to cook them. Stay tuned for what I'm going to do with the ingredients. If you're going to do the cleanse, then coming off properly is vital. Here, have a picture of some colourful foods, on me. Doesn't it just feed your soul? Ha! Well, I know I'm being a little bit melodramatic, but it changes your viewpoint when you know it can't feed your stomach!! Back to the lemonade for me! Bye!!