Ok, ok.  So I’m not exactly heading back to school but Fall to me has always been about fresh starts and (let’s be honest) back to school clothes and other gear.  So, I figured, why can’t I give myself a clean colon/gut/belly, whatever you want to call it, this year for back to school season?!

I’ve done a number of other fasts, detoxes, and cleanses in the past.  I really enjoy a three-day juice fast…but no longer than that.  And I love a good cleanse, especially one that just lasts a long weekend.  Because I generally eat a diet of brown rice and cooked vegetables, lots of salads, homemade soups, and other fresh, living foods, I’m always fine with any detox or cleanse that focuses solely on unprocessed, whole and living foods eaten in a healthy combination that allows you to eliminate the bad stuff and replace it with more of the good stuff.

If you’re in select cities (like Blue Print Cleanse or The Love Cleanse in NYC ), there are fantastic juice fast/cleanse programs that allow you to pick up fresh juice daily, some even deliver it to your door, for your 3 or 5 days fast.  Some also include raw, solid foods while others are strictly juice.  But living within the requirements of any detox or cleanse is easily accomplished even on your own.  You may just find yourself missing your social life as you turn down dinners and cocktails with friends and the like.

But enough about that because I’m only on day 3 of my 7 day plan.  I’ve got a few days to go before I can enjoy a restaurant meal with any of my chosen friends (I wonder who I’ll break my “fast” with….??)  The detox that I’m trying this time is based around what Dr. Alejandro Junger, an NYC based physician and detox specialist, designed for Gwyneth Paltrow.  She talked about it in her weekly newsletter, Goop, which I came across while researching some other detox programs.

Essentially, I’ll eat a diet of juices, smoothies, and soups for 7 days.  Every once in a while a meal includes a small breast of organic chicken or poached salmon.  But even in those cases the food is prepared in a particular way (chicken is marinated in a fresh-made teriyaki sauce, salmon is poached over vegetables, soups are pureed in the blender to make them easy on the digestive system).

Being a bit of a nibbler and a grazer I don’t find myself missing big meals in any way.  In fact, I’m not very hungry.  But today, day three, is the most limiting when it comes to consumption so I’m a bit more tired than usual.

Over the course, I’m avoiding all dairy, glutenous grains, beef and shellfish, processed foods, fatty nuts (although sunflower and pumpkin seeds are allowed), nightshade vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant), alcohol, caffeine, and unnecessary seasonings.

Here’s a link to Gwyneth’s plan on Goop.  I’m following it loosely; modifying the recipes some, and starting each day with a teaspoon full of psyllium husk in 8 or 10 ounces of water (to keep things moving and “regular”).  If you’re looking for a plan for yourself, I’m also a fan of (did one last year)  an Ayurvedic based detox plan, or, as I mentioned earlier, a simple three day juice fast.

Even if your personal detox is just about eliminating dairy and meat, that’s a great first start.

As for me, it’s time to eat my miso soup for dinner.

Reminds me of being a kid again!