Let's start with the bad excuse for a cleanse. The infamous Liquid Diet. You might immediately think of SlimFast. Gosh I hate that crap!

It makes my job as a Nutrition Specialist and Fasting Coach so much harder. You should understand one thing... SlimFast was such an evil product.  It's manufactured, it's low quality, loaded with animal protein, and unnatural vitamins and minerals your body can do without. 

Not only was it a disgrace of a meal, it also had the word FAST in it. Why? why did they have to do that? So frustrating. Drinking animal slush that is laced with chemicals, artificial coloring, and artificial flavors, isn't meant to FAST with or even safe for consumption! 

Fasting is a temporary abstinence from solid foods and also addictive substances like alcohol, coffee, and drugs. This is for therapeutic or even for religious purposes. Not only that, Fasting will support your body by resting the digestive system and relieving pressure on your circulation. As soon as you put solid food into your stomach, you will stop fasting and cleansing. Fasting doesn't work if you cheat by sneaking bites of food here and there. 

When you fall asleep, your body switches from an EXTERNAL FUEL (eating) to INTERNAL FUEL (fasting). Specifically, internal fuel is when your body is using carbohydrate reserves and fat depots for fuel. I know it sounds crazy, but your body does that automatically every night. During deep sleep, the body takes everything it needs from within and uses internal energy to cleanse and detoxify the system! By the way, Halitosis (bad breath) and a coated tongue in the morning are signs of detox. For that reason, a coated tongue is a sign of toxicity and therefore a perfect candidate for a fast. Just saying. 

To explain, the word "break-fast" comes from Old English and means - BREAKING THE FAST! You are literally breaking your nightly fast with the first bite of muffin or bagel (which seems to be the staple in western countries). 

Tell me this, when was the last time you saw a worm in your apple that was bought in the supermarket? You probably can't recall, as it was a very long time ago or never.

The reason why you can't find little critters munching away in your produce isn't hard to guess. Your supermarket only sells the most appealing produce to you. To keep the fruits and vegetables unblemished, farmers douse them with pesticides. So if you buy them in any developed country, you end up eating a lot of pesticides. 

Just how big is the danger you ask? 

Approximately five billion pounds of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and other biocides are being added to the world each year. Remembering that hormones are secreted and act in very minute quantities, you will appreciate the fact that we have enough contaminants to ruin our health many times over.

The New Dirty Dozen warn consumers of the highest pesticide offenders. Apples consistently rank at the top of the list. Some more than 45 different pesticides have been detected on the fruit of sin. Don't be surprised to find a cocktail of pesticides in apples juice, apples sauce and all apple products if not organic. 

The New Dirty Dozen List:

How often do you eat for comfort or overindulge?

When you feel sad? After you had an altercation with your spouse? You have to be particularly careful; this tends to lead to food addiction remarkably quickly. After eating, you will feel worse than before. Please don’t try to numb your feelings with food; it never works. Realizing you just ate a box of cookies will also lead to resentment and anger. Taking a walk to clear your mind or simply having an open discussion will make more sense and does not harm your body.

When you feel stressed out? The junk we eat when we feel stressed out does pack a punch! Some of the foods we choose are often sugar, fat, and flour. Something that will help with stress situations is to say: STOP! Breathe for a couple of minutes and take a break from life. I used to give myself a time out. Taking a couple of minutes to yourself and listening to relaxing music can make you feel better. My number one tip on dealing with stress is cleaning. Start cleaning your house! You see, frustration and stress just seem to melt away. A nice cup of hot herbal tea and exercise is truly a healthy solution to managing stress.

When you go out for dinner with friends? The best approach is to take your time. Don’t try to eat everybody under the table; it’s not a smart idea trying to keep up with your husband or other people, period. Take your time with eating, put the fork and knife down once in a while and chew thoroughly. You already know this fact I’m about to tell you, but I will say it anyway, (just try to stop me!) So here it goes, eat slower so you can eat less! In other words, your brain needs about 20 minutes to register fullness and satisfaction. It’s not your brains fault that you can empty a box of cookies in as little as 5 minutes. If fattening and toxic foods are your choice of “drug”, at least eat slowly to consume less of it. On bad days, I could inhale a family-size bag of chips without thinking about the consequences (and the consequences always come, don’t they?).
However, eating steamed or raw means eating fewer calories and more nutrients because raw food takes a whole lot of time to chew. I’m not kidding, have you tried to take a bite of an apple and swallow it without chewing? Impossible! Fresh produce contains colon-friendly fiber and waste-clearing water for a remarkably low calories count, which our system loves.