Spring Cleaning for 21 Days

When spring rolls around do you find yourself throwing out things in your pantry or closet that you haven't used in a while? Does the warmer weather make you want to scrub down the kitchen counters, dust the living room, and clean up your yard? I know some of you back east just got a few inches of snow but it's never too early to start dreaming of warmer weather. 


Part of my spring cleaning ritual is to look at my body and my habits and do some cleaning. This year I am doing a detox for 21 days. I'm still working out exactly what I am going to include in it but for now I am going to focus on taking any added sugar or sweetener out of my diet. For example, I won't add my usual maple syrup to my oatmeal. The only sugar I will have will come from fruit. I don't mix fruit with any other food (for digestion reasons) so if I eat it, it becomes my whole meal, like an apple for breakfast. I will also be following the habit I've created of wanting a "little something" after a meal. This developed from my love of dessert but even on days when I'm not eating something sweet I don't feel like my meal is complete until I've had a handful of nuts, a spoonful of almond butter, or a glass of almond milk. In the past few months I've stopped wanting something after dinner but lunch still gets me. 

For me the hardest part of doing any type of cleanse is the mental side. I've found that the best way to get through it is to have support from other people who are on the same path. I would like to invite each and everyone of you to take a look at what you are eating or a daily habit involving food that you want to change over a 21 day period. Make sure you chose something you can stick with. You will know it's the right choice for you if in a strong moment you think "I can do this" and in a weak moment it feels like you will never make it for 21 days. Also make sure you don't put too much on your plate :) . If you cut to many things from your regular eating habits you are less likely to stick with it. 

Here are some suggestions for things to focus on:
-Sugar/sweeteners
-Gluten
-Adding a veggie to every meal
-Having a veggie consist of half your meal
-Afternoon snacks when you are just bored
-Late night snack
-Eating when you aren't hungry
-Alcohol
-Excess coffee
-Packaged food 
-Dairy
-Meat
-Refined flour
-Anything that you feel isn't good for your body!!

I will be starting on Monday, April 1st! I will continue to post regular blogs posts (without sugar recipes) but will also include updates about how I'm feeling and the tricks I'm using for getting past the hard parts. 

If you are interested in joining me please leave a comment below explaining what you are going to "Spring Clean" from April 1 to April 21!