C is for Cleanse … and Coke

Oh, that word. Cleanse. It always sounded so trendy and silly to me.

But then, while I started working with Cristie of Real Life Wellness in January, I signed on to try one. She talked about how she doesn’t believe in juice cleanses, that this was more of an elimination diet that helps you discover how your body reacts to different foods. You eliminate sugar (the horror!), alcohol (gasp!), caffeine (wha?!), gluten (eh), meat (eh), dairy (eh). So basically you eat a lot of veggies, fruit, nuts, beans, and gluten-free grains (rice, quinoa, etc) for a week. The second week you start adding in each of the foods you eliminated to see how you feel when it’s reintroduced. (Who knew dairy was to blame for my stuffy nose?)

Genius. So genius that I’ve kicked caffeine (though I do enjoy the occasional latte), and now I’ve decided to do the cleanse a few times a year to remind myself how great I feel when I eat well. Luckily I have Cristie (and a group of other cleansers) joining me to encourage me and give me menu ideas along the way. So, I’m now in the midst of my third cleanse and feeling great about it.

Here comes the twist. Week two of my cleanse I’ll be in Atlanta at Coca-Cola headquarters for the invitational blogger conference—Conversations with Coca-Cola. I’m honored to be invited and very much looking forward to meeting great bloggers, learning more about an iconic brand, and discovering new ways to grow this wonderful community.

As a brand marketer, being invited to Coca-Cola is pretty much as cool as it gets. Coke is an icon, and I’ve admired their marketing for years. I’m also excited to hear about some of the brands under the Coca-Cola umbrella that have nothing to do with caffeine or sugar.

As a blogger, I’m excited to hear about their social media strategies and some of the other workshops they have in store for us.

And as a mom, I’m really interested to hear what the conversation will be. There’s no doubt that my health senses will be heightened given my cleansing state (which I will likely forgo about the time I arrive at SFO to leave town). I’m eager to hear their message for families. To ask questions.

I’d love to get your questions answered too. So please feel free to reach out to me or leave a comment and I’ll do my best to learn what I can on your behalf. Because it’s thanks to you—my incredible friends/readers who listen to me, debate with me, and trust me—that I’ve been invited to this very cool event.

Stay tuned…

Disclosure: Coca-Cola is generously paying for all of my travel and accommodations. All opinions are my own.