It’s that time of year again! Who’s ready for Cleanse 2019?! The “New Year New You” cleanse is a week-long eating plan that we launched four years ago, and I’ve taken part in January of each year. Who is ready to join in for YEAR FIVE?
A little background on this: there are no weird shakes or chalky substances you have to do. You don’t have to eat kale for a week straight. There are no laxatives involved (it’s crazy… but I read a cleanse that involved laxatives before!!). It’s actual, real food. Each day, there are eating guidelines (such as one day is veggies only… one day is fruit… one day is veggies and fruit… BUT… there’s also poultry and veggies day!) Day 7 wraps up with “miracle soup”.
I am a firm believer that when it comes to being healthy, it’s not what you do once in a while, but consistently, that makes a difference. However, we all know that around the holidays there are so many more treats around than we typically have through the year, and many of us can develop some nasty sugar cravings in the fallout. This “New Year New You” cleanse helps to shake those newly acquired cravings and can help get you back on the healthy eating track!
If anyone would like to participate, drop me a line at hsalsman@gobelmont.ca and I’ll get you signed up. All I ask is that you check in with me first thing in the morning each day, with your feedback as to how the day went. I will add your comments (anonymously of course!) to my blog for that day. If you cheat, be honest about it! This is not an easy thing to do, by any stretch of the imagination. But what a great way to kick off a brand-new year! (Have I mentioned that everyone who has participated did lose weight?)
As part of this “New Year New You” cleanse we will have three weigh-ins: Day 1 of the cleanse, the day after you complete the cleanse, and then again, a week later. You do not have to share these numbers with me… but if you could let me know how much weight you lost after this was completed, and then again, a week later, I would love to add some other people’s results to the blog!
Day one of this will be on Wednesday, January 2nd. Let’s kick off this new year by developing some healthier habits!
7 Day “New Year New You” Body Cleanse!
Day 1 Parameters: Fruit Day - Eat all the fruits you want, except bananas. The lowest calorie fruits are watermelon and cantaloupe, so if you eat mostly melons you will lose more weight.
Day 2 Parameters: Vegetable Day – Eat lots of vegetables – fresh, raw, or cooked. Stay away from starchy vegetables such as peas, corn and beans. SURPRISE! You also get a baked potato with butter today.
Day 3 Parameters: Fruits and Veggies – Same as day one and day two, except no potato today
Day 4 Parameters: Bananas and Yogurt – Eat as many as eight bananas, and 8 glasses of skim milk or Weight Watchers yogurt if you aren’t a milk drinker, since it’s basically artificially flavoured skim milk. Yes, bananas are high in calories and carbohydrates, but on this day your body will need the essential calcium and carbs and protein that will lessen your craving for sweets.
Day 5 Parameters: Fowl and Tomatoes – Chicken, Turkey and 6 tomatoes throughout the day. Make sure you drink a glass of water for each tomato you eat to wash the uric acid out of your body.
Day 6 Parameters: Fowl and Veggies – Don’t be shy, eat to your heart’s content filling up with Chicken, Turkey and Vegetables – no potatoes today!
Day 7 Parameters: Miracle Soup! Miracle Soup Recipe: 2-3 Large Onions Chopped, 1 head of Cabbage chopped, 1 green pepper chopped, 5-6 celery stalks chopped, 2 large cans of diced tomatoes, and 2 packages of Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix. Put the chopped vegetables in a pan and pour the tomatoes (that have been slightly blended in a blender) over top. Add 4-6 cups of water, enough to barely cover the vegetables. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the Beefy Onion Soup Mix and cook until all the vegetables are tender.
Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay