I was just about to hit publish on a fluffy little post with a green juice recipe at the end of it. Then I got an email from my sweet cousin, and had to redirect. You see, she hit on the exact nature and purpose of A Life Delectable, and I couldn’t help but share it with you.

She wrote to ask me whether:

1: I’ve ever done a cleanse and would I do it again.

2: Did I actually like the taste of whole foods when I started eating them so long ago.

Ha! She had no idea what she was in for with those questions. Yes, Debra, I’ve done every cleanse on the planet. And I have a variety of thoughts on them. It really depends on the person, where they’re at emotionally and physically and what their goals are.

DId I like the taste of whole foods when I first started? Hmmm, that’s complicated.

You see, I had a certain idea of what they were at first. I ruled out all kinds of things it would have been fine to eat. I put myself in a very tiny dogmatic box. And after a while I felt deprived. 

But, cousin, and everyone else, you don’t have to! I have already been there, done that, for you. Also, the world has come a long way in 11 years and whoa, there are so many delicious indulgences in the “whole food” category now.

But more than that, I think people are scared of the term “whole foods” without knowing what they are. Like whole foods will have to taste like grass clippings or sawdust. Yes, you could include raw kale salad in that category, but no, you don’t have to. I imagine you already love lots of whole foods you don’t really recognize.

Eggs? Free range, organic ones qualify. Sweet potatoes? Lay em on me! Salad. Roasted asparagus or roasted roots. Grilled portobello mushrooms. Cream of mushroom soup with cashew ‘cream’. Lentils. Chickpeas. Avocado (OMG Guacamole!). Fruits. Nuts. Seeds. Nut butters. Oats. Olives. If you eat animal protein, that can be a whole food (just eat it sparingly and please get it local, humanely raised, and antibiotic/hormone free, grass fed).

Did you hear anything in there that you actually already like to eat? I can’t possibly list the entire range of whole foods. It’s everything that doesn’t come in a box! But if you need more convincing, check around my web site a little.

Here’s an example of a whole food treat that knocks even “omni” “regular” eaters’ socks off (and I’m talking about my dad and husband here). Cream Filled Pumpkin Muffins. Do they say 1970s hippie to you? I think not.

If that’s not good enough think cashew based pistachio ice cream, coconut macaroon raw key lime tartlets, coconut based salted caramel, dates stuffed with almond butter and preserved orange peel, chickpeas braised in red wine with sun dried tomatoes, toasted almonds and apricots all stuffed into chickpea blini. A lasagna made with cashew “ricotta” and basil pesto.

All of this can be yours. All you have to do is step away from the low fat, sugar free chemical laced packaged goods.

I can help. These questions are exactly what I set out to help people answer. How do I enjoy a whole foods lifestyle? How do I jumpstart my new habits? How do I “clean up my story” without punishing myself? How do I reset for the season?

Contact me we’ll work it out together. And, oh my goodness, it’s going to be delectable!