Everybody is doing it, so I’ll do it too: “What I Eat In A Day”, but not on a regular day. As I am doing La Limpia again (but reduced, therefore instead of 50 days it’s 25), I would like to share what I have been eating these days which is something a bit different from other vegan “WIAIADs”.

As I hinted in this post, La Limpia is a way of detoxifying your body (from head to toe to reproductive system) by taking specific herbs first thing in the morning, then basically is just avoiding processed foods and any type of flour. Needless to say, it is advised to avoid alcohol, tobacco and drugs during this time. Last time I went for the whole 50 days: this time I decided to do it reduced because I wasn’t feeling great for few months at the end of last year and felt I needed to do some kind of detox.

The main rules are:

• For 50 (or 25) days, you will have an herb first thing in the morning with empty stomach and the herb changes every 10 (or 5 for the reduced Limpia) days starting with Garlic (a whole clove of garlic to be swallowed with some water, like a pill), then Plantain, Dandelion, Horsetail and Mugworth;
• No processed foods, from pasta&bread to sugar and all the flours (no chickpea omelette :((( nor crispy tofu made with cornstarch). Not even home-made stuff;
• No deep-fried food.

So, as a vegan, what would one eat?! Is this the situation where one will be able to only eat salad? I can tell you that absolutely no! There is plenty of delicious food to enjoy even with these restrictions. And I am not even telling you that you’ll need hours of meal prep or just enormous quantity of time to prepare these dishes (however, a bit of meal prep is useful), because you can make food that will take just few minutes as well as more elaborate foods.

Generally speaking, as you can eat ALL the veggies and fruit (fresh and dry) and nuts and legumes and all the wholegrains, you already see that there is plenty of choice for foods.

Honestly, I like a bit of meal prep, but don’t get confused as my meal prep is actually very lazy: is the kind of putting beans to soak on a working morning while the kettle is boiling so that I don’t have to think about it until when I come back from work, when I’ll just change the water and put the beans to cook. And you can make an extra batch of rice/millet/quinoa while you get ready in the morning as if you put them in enough water you don’t really have to pay much attention for the next 15/20minutes. However, you can always get the tinned legumes if you are pressed for time.

While the rules don’t contemplate processed foods, you can still make your own patties and burgers as well as your own mayo. Tofu and tempeh are also in the midts.

In terms of sweets, things are just slightly trickier but don’t despair because we are resourceful vegans and we can definitely do this.

A Day Eating For This Regimen

Let’s get to the point: what am I eating during this time?

I am on my 16th day of Limpia, currently having Dandelion in the morning, and I’ve been almost always had porridge made with water. I have it with a spoon of peanut butter and either a chopped apple or banana.

Should I feel peckish mid-morning I’d have fruit, but the porridge it’s really quite enough to get to lunch.

For lunch, it’s usually millet or rice with veggies and/or legumes.

While at dinner it would have been quinoa with tofu or tempeh or any legume. I would also make Gomjajeon (Korean potato and onion pancake), roasted vegetables, Red Lentil Fritters, patties and balls. You can also make your vegan cheese, for example, this Pure Ella Cranberry and Rosemary Cashew Cheese Log or the Mozzarella by Eating By Elaine as well as the Zucchini Pizza Bites by Elaine.

And for dessert, you will ask? Well, you will be surprised to see that there is actually a lot that you can do! These No-Bake Carrot Cake by The Big Man World, these No-Bake Pecan Pie Bars by Eating By Elaine or Homemade Nutella by Eating By Elaine. And why not treat yourself to Pumpkin Pie Truffles by Short Girl Tall Order?

Conclusion

True, La Limpia is a restrictive diet and even more on a vegan diet. But, it is very rewarding because you’ll feel better: it is a small sacrifice to pay and it’s only for like 25 or 50 days. As I am writing, I am actually feeling quite energised: can’t still really get up at the time I would like to, but as soon as I do the day goes on quite smoothly without much need to rest. Is it La Limpia? I honestly don’t know, but I believe it is helping and I have fewer toxins in my body.

So, my suggestion is that it won’t do harm and you could even get something positive out of it.

I’ll try to update you at the end of this, but please let me know if you’ll try to or you want to try it so that I can give you some advice.

Love!

TVCL xx