21 Day Real Food Spring Cleanse

For a while now, I have been living in a state of subpar health. I've been aware of it on a subliminal level, but not ready to face it. Overall, I think I'm generally pretty healthy; but there's this inner knowing that I am not at my best. Here's some symptoms I've been experiencing of late:

Fatigue, poor digestion, occasional headaches, insomnia, brain fog, irritability and mood swings. I also gained 12 pounds over the winter.

This is unacceptable to me and I finally feel motivated to make change. There were a few things that sprung me into action: I've been helping two family members through some serious medical issues and seeing what they went through has firmed my resolve to take my health higher. I want to do everything I can to prevent ever being at the mercy of our health care system.

I'm also turning 45 in a few months and I am not taking any of this lying down!! I don't want to settle for simply feeling OK, I want to feel fantastic. I believe I can get in the best shape of my life in mid-life and I am committing to doing just that. I also think that looking good is a by-product of feeling good, not the other way around. I truly believe that achieving vibrant health is reliant on the foods we eat, the thoughts we think and by staying as active as possible doing things we love.

Lastly, I am a smart, beautiful and powerful woman who wants to make a difference in this world. I feel an obligation to really use this life I've been given. Life is too short to settle for feeling like crap especially when I have the power to do something about it.

When I'm at my best, I not only feel and look better, I am more positive, confident, focused, and experience more joy. I accomplish more and have a greater ability to be in the moment. I'm also more generous to everyone around me and that (especially) matters to me.

Therefore, I have committed to doing a 21 day, Real Food Spring Cleanse of my own design. I started it yesterday.

I have eliminated the following foods: Sugar, dairy, wheat, corn, caffeine (except for green tea), alcohol, red meat, and soy. These foods, I've noticed, have triggered my aforementioned symptoms. I normally don't consume these, but they are also not allowed: processed foods, chemical sweeteners and soda.

Here's what I will be eating:

-Fresh fruits and vegetables
-Cold water fish such as halibut, salmon, trout and cod
-Wild game, lean lamb, chicken and turkey (all organic or locally raised without antibiotics and hormones.)
-Nuts and seeds (no peanuts)
-Non-gluten grains such as brown rice and quinoa
-Legumes and beans
-Healthy fats such as flax seed, extra virgin olive oil, nut oils, goat butter, avocados and young coconuts
-Unsweetened nut milks such as almond milk.
-Condiments such as vinegars, mustard, spices, wheat-free tamari (similar to soy sauce) sea salt and pepper.
-Raw agave nectar
-I also have a carton of eggs from a local farm that I will eat until they're gone, then not replace them for the remainder of the cleanse.

Years ago, I did a 28 day cleanse similar to this but used an additional supplement shake called Ultraclear, which claims to aid in the detoxification of the liver, and I did have great results. But I have chosen not to use any supplements or powdered shakes this time because I believe in the power of Real Food. Food can be medicine, and I am going to attempt to heal myself with it for the next 21 days. I also think relying on shakes and supplements doesn't instill healthy patterns around food. You're avoiding food not embracing it.

This is not a goodbye forever to cheese and bread and wine. It's just a ciao ciao for now. It will still be there in three weeks and I'll be able to reincorporate them back into my diet as I please. This process helps you to first deconstruct your daily habits - the ones that aren't working for you - and then reconstruct them in a way that does. It gives you perspective and freedom from your perceived limitations and your day to day grind. Ultimately, it's about having more freedom, not less.

That said, I invite you to join me in this process. If you're not ready to take on the whole thing, then try incorporating the parts you can. I will be writing about the process throughout the cleanse, offering resources, recipes and tips to help all of us eat beautifully, feel empowered and satisfied. Feel free to email me with questions and concerns at danajoy@realfoodrehab dot com. If you'd like to stay posted, you can subscribe via email to Real Food Rehab and always opt out at any time. Look for the box to subscribe on our sidebar.

The Eating Plan

Since Spring is here and the weather has warmed, it's the perfect time to eat more raw fruits and veggies. The farmers' markets are about to begin and soon we will have local asparagus, young lettuces, radishes, spinach and sprouts to dig in to. Local produce is a nutritional powerhouse because you're getting it shortly after it's been harvested instead of standard grocery store produce that's already experienced a long lifetime having being picked, packaged, shipped thousands of miles, distributed and left to sit on store shelves for God knows how long. I do rely on the grocery store too, but when those markets open, I try to get to them at least once a week.

When I say raw fruits and veggies, I am not talking "baby" carrot sticks out of a plastic bag and lifeless pieces of celery. No my friends, we are going to eat beautifully dressed salads with delicious homemade dressings that you can make in a jam jar in 3 minutes flat. You are going to crave these salads, trust me.

If the temps drop, as they're known to do this time of year, I will add more cooked foods to the mix. This includes legumes and rice, sauteed, steamed and roasted veggies, homemade soups, roasted chicken and occasionally, some brown rice pasta if I'm in need.

The only basic day-to-day rules I have for the 21 days are:

Drink a green smoothie or a green juice at least once a day. (More about this tomorrow.)
Eat a large raw salad once (or twice) a day.
Eat some lean animal protein once a day.
Eat only when I'm hungry.
Do not overeat.

The rest I will leave to daily improvisation because that's how I roll.

Tools & Resources

There is a great book called Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itselfwritten by Dr. Alejandro Junger that I highly recommend. In it, he tells the story of how he recovered from his own malaise by doing an elimination diet that has had lasting effects on his health and completely changed the way he practices medicine. It's a very informative read. Below is his suggested list for what to eat and what not to eat, which I have based my own cleanse off of with a few exceptions. (Click to enlarge.) This is taken from his website: www.cleanprogram.com. There are great recipes on the site and in the book. It is also available at the library.


One of the most important things you will need for this cleanse is a good blender. A blender that can blend greens, fruits, ice and liquids together with ease. In my wildest dreams I would own a Blendtec Blender. It's a super-high powered blender that I hope to purchase one day soon. It's so powerful, it can turn nuts into nut butter and raw veggies into soups! For now, I have been using a 25 year old Oster that works just fine so if that's all you got, don't sweat it.

The other tool I find indispensable for making killer salads is this Truffle and Chocolate Shaver. I know, call me crazy but I can shave super thin slices of vegetables and fruits with it in seconds. You have to watch your hands as they get closer to the blade, but it works like a charm for me and is a steal. Other people really like this Kyocera Adjustable Mandolin Slicer. Either way, they make salad making a snap and they're a great investment.

Lastly, a Microplane Grater/Zesterand a Salad Spinnerare important for grating lemon and lime zest for dressings and marinades and the spinner for drying greens and fresh herbs. If your greens or veggies are wet and you try to add your delicious dressing to them, they won't adhere because oil and water don't mix, so your salad is rendered flavorless and you are never satisfied. That's a big bummer.

For those of you who would like a comprehensive grocery list of high quality ingredients with which to stock your fridge and pantry, I would like to recommend my Pantry Essentials Guide. It's a comprehensive list that will help you long after the cleanse is over, just omit the trigger foods for now.

The Spring cleanse would also be great to do with a good friend or family member. You can check in on a daily basis via phone or email with a commitment of what you're going to eat that day and also vent or brag about how you're feeling. It's great to have support when going through this process. And remember, you always have me.

No matter where you start is great, so don't stress it. Even if you decide to give up one thing like sugar or caffeine - that is huge! And even if you walk away having learned how to make a new salad or discover you (and maybe your kids, too) LOVE green smoothies, it will all have been worth it.

In the next post, we're going to dive in to Green Smoothies so get ready.