set yourself up for success

Planning and preparation are the keys to success on the Conscious Cleanse. Here are some simple steps to get you started right away. For a more detailed step-by-step plan for getting started on the cleanse, see Part 1 in our first book, The Conscious Cleanse, or visit our website, consciouscleanse.com, where we support a vibrant community of people like you in our online membership program.

CHOOSE A START DATE

Choosing a time to do the Conscious Cleanse is not as hard as it may seem. In fact, if you look at your calendar right now, you’ll likely find an event, special occasion, or work trip that makes you think now is not the right time. Well, here’s what we’ve learned for sure: you don’t find time, you make it. And if you wait for the perfect time, you’ll never start because it doesn’t exist. The time is now. So, pull out your calendar and block off 14 days. And remember, in the big scheme of life, it’s just 14 days.

Give yourself this gift, and while you’re at it, really throw yourself into the process. Tell yourself, “This is an experiment I’m committed to. I’m going to step out of my comfort zone for the next two weeks. I can do anything for two weeks.”

PREPARE FOR PURIFICATION

During the Conscious Cleanse, you’ll have two opportunities to experience Purification. Days 6–7 and days 13–14 are times of rest where you’ll eat exclusively fruits, vegetables, nourishing soups, juices, smoothies, and broth. This is optional, but encouraged, as it can be a profound healing experience. As we’ve mentioned, up to 80 percent of your body’s energy goes to digestion. During Purification, you free up more of that energy, which equates to turning over new cells while resting and detoxing the other organs in the body like your kidneys and liver. It’s crucial that you rest during Purification, so pull out your calendar again and clear away any unnecessary commitments.

MAKE A PLAN

We repeat: you don’t find time, you make it. Having a plan for tomorrow allows you to live in the moment today. Practically speaking, we suggest you finish reading this chapter before beginning your official cleanse. Get your kitchen ready; stock your pantry with the essentials; flip through the recipes; look over the sample meal plans; and write out a plan for your breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the first 3 to 5 days on the cleanse.

Next, take another look at your calendar and write down every possible tricky situation that might come up during the course of your cleanse. These may include a business lunch, a weekend getaway, a friend’s birthday party, or feeding the family. Think through each one of these possible scenarios, and make a plan for how you will address them. We would even go so far as to say mentally rehearse it beforehand. We’ll say it again: preparation is the key to success. Here are some examples of potentially tricky situations and our advice for how to handle them.

DINING OUT

The best advice we can give you about eating out in a restaurant is to ask for what you need. With a big smile, tell your server you’re doing a food experiment and have some special requests. Take a look at the menu, and treat it like a list of ingredients. (It can be helpful to look at the menu online ahead of time whenever possible.) Build your own salad topped with some animal protein, and use olive oil and lemon for dressing. Simple.

EATING ON THE ROAD

Before you leave, scout out a local health food store and restaurants that offer a good variety of healthy options. Try to reserve a hotel room with a mini-fridge, or simply get a bucket of ice for any perishable items you buy when you arrive. Bring food with you. We call this our “conscious snack pack” and rarely leave home without it. Pack some water, carrots and celery sticks, and a small baggie of raw nuts or seeds. You might even make your own stir-fry before you leave and pack it in a reuseable container. While everyone else is busting out their fast food, you can sit back and enjoy your home-cooked meal. Don’t forget to bring an extra avocado, an apple, some herbal tea, and stevia.

CHOOSE YOUR TRACK

The Conscious Cleanse offers a baseline program that’s fully customizable based on your individual needs. There’s no such thing as “doing it right”; there’s only “doing it right for you.” With that in mind, we’ve created three different tracks as a guide for how to get started on the Conscious Cleanse. As with all good adventures, you’ll benefit from side trips and experiments, but the tracks will give you a framework to begin. For more guidance, check out our meal plans in the Resources section.

PLANT POWERED

Although not strictly a vegan plan, this track is for you if the idea of going without any animal protein is no big deal. If you’re ready to embrace a diet that is 75 to 80 percent raw foods, but look forward to the grounding nature of cooked quinoa, roasted veggies, and the occasional serving of chickpeas or black beans, this track is for you. In addition to the large baseline of nonstarchy, water-containing, alkaline veggies, the Plant Powered Track includes some fruit, nongluten grains, raw nuts and seeds, beans, legumes, and natural sweeteners like maple syrup and honey.

MEAT LOVER

If you know your body craves animal protein or you’ve ever said, “I don’t function until I’ve had some protein,” then this is the track for you. You may have tried programs or diet plans in the past that are very meat heavy, but this plan is far from a free pass to eat bacon for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. What’s different about the Meat Lover Track is the large volume of water-containing, alkaline veggies that are eaten alongside animal protein. Approved animal proteins include wild fish and seafood, organic poultry, and grass-fed meats, including bison and lamb. 

LOW SUGAR

If you have intense sugar cravings or hormonal imbalances, or struggle to lose weight, or deal with blood sugar issues or insomnia, the Low Sugar Track is for you. What sets the Low Sugar Track apart from the others is a greater focus on protein and healthy fats while limiting grains and beans, natural sweeteners (like honey and maple syrup), and having only 1 cup of low-glycemic fruit per day. On the Conscious Cleanse, you’ll eliminate all artificial and refined sugars completely, but if you think you have a sugar sensitivity or are ready to tame the sugar beast, this is the track for you.