A week without eating - what do you miss?

This post is for parents only - Gastrokids need not apply!

So there's a reason why I haven't posted anything for nearly 10 days - I didn't eat anything for five days last week. Instead I followed the sage advice of my acupuncturist and decided to do a week-long fasting detox.

The fast is based on the Madal Bal (or Lemon Detox) Diet and it's pretty simple. Instead of eating, all you ingest is a mixture of Madal Bal palm syrup, fresh lemons and fresh ground ginger all mixed into 2 liters of water. Add a mix of Chinese herbal detox remedies and I was up and running.

Okay, so, yes, I was hungry some of the time but for the most part it was a really interesting and rewarding week. Most of all the fast made me think hard about the food I eat and what I treasure in my culinary life.

Here's what I didn't miss:

1, Caffeine (after two days of major headaches that is)
2, Dairy
3, Red Meat

Caffeine I admit will creep back into my life - I just love the taste of good espresso too much to walk away. Red meat too is part of my life but in moderation. Dairy - well I know I like cheese but this was the one taste sensation that I didn't miss one bit.

Still today, four days after returning to the land of the eating dairy holds little appeal. We'll see how that one goes.

All of which is to say that while fasting certainly isn't for everyone, taking a time out to re-evaluate what it is about food that you really appreciate and love seems a good thing to do every once in a while.

In the meantime, once I broke the fast, I made sure I put the leftover lemons to good use: they still make a great twist in a Martini!

- Matthew