For the month of December I decided to do something crazy. I created a challenge that would test my self control during one of the hardest months of the year. December is the month that everyone falls off their healthy wagon because it’s the holidays and it’s the time to celebrate! With only a few days left of my challenge I am pleased to report that the challenge was pretty easy and I didn’t fail so I can finally write about it. I call this challenge:

Dull December:

No Alcohol

No Sugar

No Oil

No Processed Foods

Exceptions:

Sriracha

Tofu

Oatmeal

Baked Sweet Potato with Roasted Veggies

Why?

It’s always good to give your body a reset. Let your liver and kidneys get a break from filtering out the toxins from drinking alcohol. Feeding your body whole plant foods that can be easily digested. Eating fresh fruit and veggies that replenish the body not cause the body to work over time to digest.

Flourless Brownies

But why no oil?

Oil is highly processed and has no nutritional value besides fat. I understand that fats are an important nutrient for your body but I get my healthy fats from nuts and avocado which have additional nutrients besides fat.

Asian Bowl

So What Did I Eat?

Lots and lots of fresh fruit and vegetables! I found so many great recipes that did contain any oil or processed foods. Simple recipes with minimal ingredients.




Breakfast was the easiest meal of the day because you can never go wrong with a simple bowl of warm oats with fruit and cinnamon or a delicious green smoothie, or (my favorite and new obsession) homemade granola with homemade almond milk. I will never buy almond milk or granola ever again. Do you ever check your ingredients on your milk or cereals? Most of the time there are added sugars that are so unnecessary. In my homemade granola I sweetened it with dates and date syrup. Super simple and so delicious.

Homemade Granola with almond milk

Lunch was definitely my least creative meal. I did find a lot of salad dressing recipes that did not contain any oil. My favorite find was a caesar salad dressing recipe.

Vegan Caesar salad

I love to snack. I found a hummus that contained no oil and whole grain popcorn! But my favorite snack was apples with almond butter. The almond butter I got was the machine at Whole Foods that you press and get fresh almond butter. No oil. No BS.

Date Balls

Dinner was the best. I made soups, grain bowls, and stir fries. I baked seasoned broccoli, sweet potatoes, and brussel sprouts in the oven. Topped quinoa with veggies paired it with lots of sriracha. I mixed it up by doing a mexican bowl; quinoa, black beans, corn, salsa, and avocado. One night a week I would make a vegetable soup that would last a few nights. Super easy and super delicious. I honestly never got tired of anything these dishes because I love all of them. I’ve trained my taste buds and my gut biome to crave these foods and now I’m addicted and it’s not a bad thing.

Mexican Bowl

The Verdict?

I wanted to train my body to not crave sugar or processed foods and develop healthier eating habits. I want to keep up everything I did during this challenge because I wanted to develop habits to keep doing forever. It’s not just about doing it for a month and be done. This is a lifestyle not a diet. I’ve learned how to cook without oil and how to make items that I will never buy in the grocery store ever again. I never felt like I was starving or depriving myself from anything. BUT I can not wait to eat pasta again though.




Did I lose weight? Yes I lost a whopping 3lbs. Keep in mind that I eat pretty healthy everyday and I don’t drink alcohol very often. Remember this isn’t about losing weight. This was to reset my body and stay healthy.

Cauliflower Steak and Potatoes

I hope you got inspiration from this post, to challenge yourself to something new and find what works for your body and mind. Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever tried a challenge like mine and what did you think?

Berry Nice Cream