My Yearly Detox Juice Fast

January is as good a time as any to clean out your system, mainly because it follows Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and many other holiday celebrations where food is invited in abundance. Last year I followed the 21-day detox according to the Clean book, by Dr. Alejandro Junger, and it changed my life. I got rid of toxins, pain, and weight. So here I am a year later and am ready for a follow up visit.

The first thing I've done is clean out the kitchen of holiday goodies. I'VE THROWN AWAY THE COOKIES. "What!!!" You say? That's right. The only other way to get rid of them is to eat them, so.... bye bye sugar.

The next thing is, I've found my Clean book and I'll be reviewing it to refresh my memory, but also to keep me in motivation mode. It's really important for me to get my head in gear so that once I start I'll have no excuses to turn back or "cheat". Perhaps I'll also re-watch one of my favorite food documentaries: "Hungry For Change", "Fat Sick and Nearly Dead", or "Forks Over Knives". We humans get ourselves excited and motivated but then it tends to trail off. So we need to refresh our memories - often.

The third important thing I'll do is find some "Clean" recipes that I can live with, at least 7 for starters, to get me through the first week of lunches. Throughout the past year I've had a keen eye out for "Clean" recipes, so I've got a few up my sleeve. There are also some in the book. Then I'll be making a shopping list. I've also collected a few juicing recipe books so I think I'll glance through those and pick out some favorites for my grocery list.

The fourth thing on my "to do" list is to eliminate the "no-no" foods from the house and from my brain. Over the past year some of these foods crept back into my diet, so I'll be eliminating them again for the 21-day detox. One of the purposes of eliminating these foods was to see if any of my health issues were, in fact, allergic reactions to food. It was a great surprise, and relief, to find that I was indeed allergic to gluten and dairy. My life changed dramatically for the better after permanently eliminating these.

YES INCLUDE THESE FOODS	NO EXCLUDE THESE FOODS
FRUITS: whole fruits, unsweetened, frozen or water-packed, diluted natural juices	Oranges, orange juice, grapefruit, strawberries, grapes, bananas
DAIRY SUBSTITUTES: rice, nut milks such as almond milk and coconut milk	Dairy and eggs, milk, cheese, cottage cheese, cream, yogurt, butter, ice cream, nondairy creamers, canned coconut milk
NON-GLUTEN GRAINS AND STARCH: brown rice, millet, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat	Wheat, corn, barley, spelt, kamut, rye, couscous, oats
ANIMAL PROTEIN: cold water fish, wild game, lean lamb, duck, chicken, turkey	Raw fish, pork, beef, veal, sausage, cold cuts, canned meats, hot dogs, shellfish
VEGETABLE PROTEIN: split peas, lentils, legumes	Soybean products (soy sauce, soybean oil in processed foods, tempeh, tofu, soy milk, soy yogurt, etc.)
NUTS AND SEEDS: sesame, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, walnuts, nut and seed butters (organic)	Peanuts, peanut butter, pistachios, macadamia nuts
VEGETABLES: preferably fresh, raw, steamed, sautéed, juiced, roasted	Corn, creamed vegetables, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, peppers, sweet potatoes
OILS: cold pressed olive, flax, safflower, sesame, almond, sunflower, pumpkin, walnut, coconut	Butter, margarine, shortening, processed oils, salad dressings, mayonnaise, spreads
DRINKS: filtered water, green tea, herbal teas, seltzer or mineral water, yerba mate	Alcohol, coffee, caffeinated beverages, soda pop, soft drinks
SWEETENERS: organic brown rice syrup, organic agave nectar, stevia	Refined sugar, white or brown sugars, honey, maple syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, Splenda, Equal, Sweet ‘N Low, etc.
CONDIMENTS: vinegar, all-spice, sea salt, dried pepper, basil, carob, cinnamon, cumin, dill, garlic, ginger, mustard, oregano, parsley, rosemary, turmeric, thyme, raw cacao, small amounts of miso, small amounts of wheat-free tamari	Chocolate, ketchup, relish, chutney, soy sauce barbecue sauce, teriyaki sauce, other similar condiments

And the last thing I'll do is indulge in my favorites - a glass of wine here, some peanut butter there - just one last time before a 21-day hiatus. Not everything on the "no-no" list is forever banned, but I do eliminate them just for the cleanse. Who knows, maybe I'll find that something else is wreaking havoc to my system and needs to be furrowed out. After all, my goal here is to be and feel as healthy as possible, so I WANT to find the culprits.

I'll be doing the elimination portion for the next week, and then start the actual 21-day detox on Friday, January 11, 2013. Please come and travel with me on my journey in search of better food for better health. I wish you all a happy and HEALTHY New Year.