TASTE: VIVA EL TACO

I love tacos. No wait - let me say that again: I LOVE TACOS! Really, I can't get enough of them. So imagine my delight when I heard about The Taco Cleanse: The Tortilla-Based Diet Proven to Change Your Life. Yup, you read that right. The Taco Cleanse. It's a thing, and even people like Jennifer Aniston are doing it.

The fact is, cleanses suck. I have always believed that many of them (read: juice cleanses) actually work against you rather than with you, and mostly any time one tries to restrict themselves, the outcome isn't great. And if we happen to be successful, the results may not be lasting. Realizing this, a group of "vegan taco scientists" from Austin, Texas have worked tirelessly for years to create The Taco Cleanse, a plant-based, taco-only diet that "rewards your body with what it naturally craves: tortillas, refried beans, guacamole!"

So, yes, it's slightly tongue-in-cheek, but the scientists provide all the necessities for following a taco-based lifestyle, including five recipes for tortillas (there’s a waffle version!), over 35 vegan recipes for fillings (including some plant-based renditions of fan faves like fish tacos or tacos al pastor) and all the fixings to compliment them (yes, I do mean margaritas). And while this cleanse is clearly NOT about weight loss, it is about eating clean and, maybe most importantly, breaking the diet cycle and learning how to enjoy good food while having fun and feeling great. As the scientists say:  “A taco consumed within three hours of waking, colloquially called a ‘breakfast taco,’ has been anecdotally proven to erase the ill effects of the previous night’s toxic indulgence. A midday taco frequently results in more positive physical effects. The spicy taco consumed prior to sleep stimulates the nocturnal imagination and has been used by taco spiritualists to induce prophetic dreams.”

And so, while I'm not sure how much this cleanse will do to whittle my waist, I do believe in tacos. I believe that if we all were to spend 30 days eating them, maybe the world really could be a better place. VIVA EL TACO!