I gave myself two weeks to prepare my mind and my home for the Clean Program, as detailed in Dr. Alejandro Junger’s book Clean. Today is Day 10 and I am starting the third and final step of preparation: I am preparing my body by Eliminating Irritants. I am still eating three meals a day but I am eliminating everything on the Clean “Foods to Exclude” list, which means eliminating some items that surprised me, like bananas and strawberries, tofu and tempeh, and canola oil. Dr. Junger recommends people stay on the Elimination Diet for three to four days if they already were eating mostly whole foods, a week for those who consider themselves average eaters, and two weeks if a person’s diet includes a lot of junk. Needless to say, I’ll need two weeks. Given how poorly I have been eating for the past ten years, the Elimination Diet alone should cause significant improvements in how I feel. Although, I have warned my family that I could become easily irritated as the toxins leave my body. I’m ready; I hope they are, too.
