Starting on Monday I’m attempting something new. Since gradually changing my eating habits to promote cleaner, simpler food choices isn’t working as well as I’d like, I’m trying something a little more drastic.

I want to be clear here by saying that when I say it’s not “working” I’m not talking about weight loss… at least not mostly. I just mean that it’s too easy to sit in my comfort zone with food and not push toward better eating even when I want to.

So I’m doing a cleanse. This cleanse. No scary hormones, weird additives, pills to take. Nothing like that. It’s all just food. Clean, simple food. I’ve avoided cleanses like these a million times before, telling myself that all food in moderation is a good thing. While I believe that’s true, what I was really saying was that I was too sacred of my dependence on sweets and (sometimes) alcohol to be willing to undertake something like this.

And so, to prove that I can, I’ll try this out.

Here’s a basic breakdown:

• What’s Off Limits During the Plan: processed food or beverages, added sugar, dairy, caffeine, and alcohol.
• What You’re Eating During Week 1: fruits, vegetables, and plant-based fats, including nuts, seeds, and oils
• What You’re Adding Back in Week 2: seafood, beans and lentils, and organic soy
• What You’re Adding Back in Week 3: gluten-free grains and eggs

I went out today and got a ton of produce for breakfast smoothies. Lunch and dinner will consist of salads. I know it’s going to be hard and potentially a little boring for me, since I’m not great at being creative with food, but I think it’s worth doing. I want to break my reliance on sweets in particular, and this might be a great way to do it.

I’ll still be tracking my food and exercise on My Fitness Pal, so I’ll still be watching to be sure I take in the right amount of calories and protein to maintain a healthy balance. Since quinoa is actually a seed, it’s still in the game, as are my newly acquired chia seeds. I think I’ll be eating a much higher volume of food, but I’m VERY interested to see how it goes.

What I’m scared of:

• no coffee – I LOVE my coffee. LOVE. Yes, I like the caffeine, but the coffee is part of my morning ritual too.
• no sweets
• being mean – when I went on Atkins a while back (not the same I know, but the same no carb focus) I was so evil that my husband nearly force-fed me carbs.

Thoughts? Tips? I need support! I’m off to spend forever reading on No Meat Athlete’s page for tips.