Spoke to a friend this morning who moaned, “I’m not eating carbs these days.”

“Oh!” said I, “I’m off wheat, dairy, and sugar!”

When I say I’m off sugar, I mean refined sugar, honey, maple syrup, and all artificial sweeteners (which I’ve never respected). I’m happily off caffeine too. And oh, I’ve dropped chocolate. I’m thinking the chocolate-as-healthy-antioxidant argument has allowed too many of us to eat chocolate daily, which ultimately is not a great thing. Chocolate is an allergen, and it is habit forming. I was eating too much of it.

What aren’t you eating these days? Really, many of us would do well to eliminate sugars and white refined flour for a few days and then check out how we feel. There’s never any danger in removing these empty calories from your diet. You don’t need a doctor’s approval for that.

I am eating unlimited quantities of whole grains, fruits (except citrus), vegetables (except corn), fish, meat, unrefined, cold-pressed oils, and all the beans and legumes in the whole wide world. And of course, water. We should all get up from our computer terminals to pour ourselves a tall glass of water right now.

This is not a weight loss diet, but without wheat, honey, molasses, or maple syrup, I think I might say farewell to a few pounds in the next three weeks. I’m trying to eliminate as many foods as possible that might trigger allergies and digestive problems. After three weeks, I should be feeling great, and I’ll be able to slowly introduce some of the foods on my forbidden list to monitor my reaction to them and consider limiting them for good.

Want to join me after Easter? The easiest version would be to simply refuse all sugars and refined wheat products (yep, that’s doughnuts, white crackers, and bread) for three weeks. It’s a lovely way to embrace spring.