CLEAN, Version 2.015

My how time flies! It seems like just yesterday I was doing this cleanse while in Jerusalem. But in the same breath it feels like an eternity since I was living in Israel and navigating how to live in a country that has not yet embraced modern ideals of healthy living to the extent we have in the states.  

This year I am in a much better place not just with my diet, but also physically, mentally and emotionally which plays a huge part in my overall wellbeing. I have already gotten a jump start on the meditation bit, which I left out last year. And, aside from my persisting sweet tooth, I have been leading a pretty healthy lifestyle for the past year. My intention for this year's cleanse is to not only clean up my diet, but also, and almost more importantly, to focus on the emotional and spiritual aspects of the cleanse.   I hope you will join me. Let's see how it goes! 

Why do a cleanse? 

The Standard American Diet, processed foods, GMO's, pesticides, toxins, chemicals, antibiotics and our fast-paced, stress-filled lives have all become a normal and accepted part of modern life. All these things have the potential to interrupt and damage the body's natural functions and ultimately cause it to suffer in many ways small and large. Your detoxification system, comprised of your organs and psychological processes working together, is designed to keep you healthy, youthful and happy. Consequently, when I was at my heaviest weight I also happened to be extremely stressed and emotionally drained. With a little help from you this amazing system can become a super power center for healing, regeneration, restoration and rejuvenation. Doing a detoxifying cleanse helps to reactivate your potential and reset the whole mental and physical body. It delivers an all access pass to boundless reserves of energy and healing you didn't even know you had. 

Why I Chose the CLEAN Cleanse

I chose the book Clean by Alejandro Junger primarily because it fit my lifestyle and encompassed everything I was trying to accomplish:

• LONG ENOUGH: It is a 21-day cleanse which would gives enough time to heal, break bad habits and form new better ones.
• FOOD BASED: You're not required to go vegan or totally starve ourselves on juice! You have a protein smoothie for breakfast, a healthy protein+veggie lunch, and a light veggie soup or fresh juice for dinner.
• MIND-BODY-SPIRIT INCORPORATED: It's not just a dietary cleanse. You are encouraged to meditate to cleanse the mind and change negative thought patterns that don't serve you. Online mediation resources: Tara Brach Beginners Guide to Meditation; Mediation Experience and Living In Love Free Apps by Deepak Chopra; Mindful Meditation App; Check out other mediation apps HERE. 
• MOVE YOUR BODY: Exercise is also encouraged and since you are still eating nutrient dense foods you have the energy and strength to stay active, go for a run, or do yoga. 
• ADIOS CHEMICALS: All environmental toxins and chemicals including cleaning & beauty products are eliminated and replaced with safe natural products. This includes traditional toothpaste, antiperspirant, deodorant, all soaps & detergents, makeup, air fresheners, etc. 

The Basics

• Liquid Breakfast: Smoothie with greens, spinach, kale, blueberries & raspberries, cucumber, almond milk, vegan protein powder, chia seeds, super greens, coconut butter, maca powder, bee pollen, etc. 
• Solid Lunch: Healthy lunch with animal protein and veggies from the approved foods below. My lentil recipe is a great lunch option. Just switch the sausage for ground turkey, chicken, lamb or go all veggie!
  
• Liquid Dinner: Fresh veggie juice OR blended veggie soup
• 2 Tablespoons of Organic Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Olive Oil before bed

Olive Oil taken at night lubricates your intestines, improves bowel elimination, provides anti-inflammatory fats, kills germs and enhance fat burning, stimulates the gallbladder and liver to move bile clearing the liver system, promotes bone formation, inhibits blood clot formation, and promotes hormonal balance. 

• Fast for 12 HOURS between breakfast and dinner. If dinner was at 7 pm breakfast is at 7 am. 
• Drink at least 1 liter of pure filtered water a day not including tea.
• Snack, only if needed, on RAW veggies, fruit or nuts
• Supplement List Fiber, Probiotics, Liver Support, Antimicrobial, Digestive Enzymes, Natural Calm Magnesium 
• Printable Shopping List 
• PDF Cleanse Manual 

Approved Foods

ORGANIC as much as possible...

1. Fresh Whole Fruits
   
2. Fresh Whole Vegetables 
   
3. Non-Dairy Milks: Almond & Coconut Milks
   
4. Gluten Free Grains: Quinoa, Brown Rice, Buckwheat, Millet
   
5. Grass-fed Animal Protein: Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, Duck, Wild Game, Cold Water Wild Caught Fish, Rabbit 
   
6. Beans: Lentils, Legumes, Split Peas
   
7. Raw or Spouted Nuts
   
8. Cold Pressed Olive & Coconut Oils
   
9. Green & Herbal Teas, Yerba Mate, Mineral Water
   
10. Sweeteners: Stevia

Forbidden Foods

1. Oranges, Grapefruit, Strawberries, Grapes, Bananas
2. Night Shades: Corn, Tomatoes, Potato, Eggplant, Sweet Peppers
3. All Dairy: Milk, Butter, Cheese, Yogurt
4. Eggs
5. Beef, Pork, Veal, Cold Cuts, Sausage, Shellfish, Raw Fish, Hot Dogs
6. Soy Milk, Tofu, Edamame
7. Peanuts, Pistachios, Macadamia Nuts
8. Spreads, Dressings, Margarine, Mayo
9. Alcohol
10. Caffeinated Drinks: Soda, Coffee, Teas
11. Sweeteners: White & Brown Sugar, Honey, Maple Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Agave, Brown Rice Syrup, etc.
12. Chocolate
13. All Processed, Packaged and Canned Foods