There is no dispute: When Oprah acts, the country, no, make that the world, pays attention. Whether you love the Queen of Talk Shows or not, Oprah’s ability to change what we read to the causes we champion is legendary and expansive.
Her latest endeavor is putting herself up to a tremendous dietary challenge: A vegan fast for 21 days. Since going on this fast just last week, she has been blogging about her experience as she swaps bagels for steel cut oatmeal, grilled chicken breast for tempeh salad and fluffy flapjacks for wheat-free crepes. No bread. No red wine. No processed sugars. This is the real deal, folks.
What I like about this cleanse is that it puts the red light on your food cravings. It forces you to think about how powerful our minds and emotions are in choosing the foods we eat. It separates need from desire. We don’t need a $5 coffee drink topped with whip cream and chocolate syrup every afternoon. We may crave it, but we don’t need it. Once we get past those initial hurdles, we’re left with an honest examination of food: how it makes us feel and what purpose it serves. And that is the real purpose of the cleanse: to see if we can deprogram our cravings and learn to eat in a more mindful, conscious and enjoyable way.
I don’t know about you, but I’m very anxious to see the finished product of Oprah’s three-week cleanse. I think she is going to have a lot to say about her experience. And we’ll all listen. Keep up with her 21 day Blog if you’re interested in the details.
