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��21 day adventure cleanse.�� That little phrase is the whole reason I picked up this book. I’ve always wanted to do a cleanse but have been intimidated by some of the more extreme versions I’d read about, like consuming mass amounts of grapefruit and soy sauce. (I don’t think this is actually a real cleanse, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.) I was also bored. I’ll admit it. I could have picked up almost any book that had the word “adventure�� in it and I probably would have dived right in. Like ��17 day adventure house-cleaning�� or ��8 day adventure tree trimming��. As it turned out, the Crazy Sexy Diet isn’t just about cleaning the crap out of your body and filling it with lovely nourishing goodness for 21 days. There’s some great information, backed up with delightful scientific explanations, on why so many of the foods that we think are healthy are actually pretty toxic. I’m not going to get into the animal welfare issues in this review, but just know that they are also discussed in this book and the author makes a convincing case for going vegan.

Love it or hate it, Kris Carr’s writing style is anything but boring. While I’m all for sending out positive energy and empowerment to those around you, Carr occasionally comes across a little over the top. Like a hippie who had consumed too much magic and was trying to convert you to her cause at a raging drum frenzy. But I’d much rather read a book chock full of sunshiny happiness than one that beats you over the head with guilt and guidelines set in stone.

I completed the dietary part of the cleanse challenge (for the most part). The only part that I might have cheated a bit on was the whole 80/20 ratio for meals. The 80% being raw veggies, the other 20% being healthy cooked foods like pasta, grains, beans, etc. She also recommended going gluten free during the cleanse, which I did as well. Other things to cut out for three weeks included alcohol, white sugar and processed foods. I enjoyed the dietary challenge and do feel better in many ways. I will continue with a vegan diet- maybe with a once a month cheater meal of cheese pizza. Life without bacon is tough but life without Pizza King is a little less groovy.

I think that the suggestions Carr makes for mental, physical and emotional well-being, like yoga, journaling, meditation, dry brushing, etc., are fabulous. But finding the time to do all of these things on a daily basis AND eat, work, spend time with your family and just plain veg out every now and then proved to be too much for me this go around. The juicing piece of the cleanse took me about an hour each session as is, not to mention going to the grocery store more often to buy all the fresh veggies. Anyone who can complete all aspects of the cleanse, dietary and lifestyle, is a superhero and should be given a cape. With sequins.

As I’m immersing myself in vegan culture, I’m learning that you’ve got to take dietary suggestions just for what they are: suggestions. Opinions touted as facts (complete with scientific studies and data to back them up) run rampant in the vegan world, just like they do in many of the nutritional circles. One book says that agave nectar is nature’s miracle, another says that it’s processed to the point of being unhealthy. Some authors say that a couple of servings of fruit are recommended daily, others say that one piece of fruit is the limit. It’s mind-boggling and frustrating and more than a little irritating. Personally, I plan on educating myself as much as possible and keeping an open mind. Doing what feels right, causing less suffering to other living creatures, and being generally happy is my diet.