The 4-Week Clean Eating Cleanse is over, and believe it or not, we really enjoyed the healthy dietary and nutritional changes that we made during the course of the past month! Now that we have cleansed our bodies and reset our digestive systems, we feel motivated to continue our healthy eating and exercise habits. We are prepared to make this a permanent lifestyle change, rather than a 4-week fad that ends with us falling back into our old habits. Our perspective on food has changed, and we now realize that much of what we had traditionally learned about “healthy eating” from the mainstream media is WAY OFF and can actually have a negative impact on our health!

We have seen and felt so many positive changes while on the cleanse. Here’s a quick list of what we’ve experienced:

1. No afternoon slump where we feel like we need to take a nap between 2:30 and 4:00 pm.
2. We stay fuller longer, and don’t feel the need to snack constantly between meals.
3. Our meal portions have become smaller without us consciously making them smaller. We get fuller and completely satisfied off of less food (and we are not left with the feeling of wanting more).
4. Less frequent bloating, gas, and other yucky tummy troubles.
5. We feel energized after we eat, as opposed to feeling like we are in a “food coma,”
6. Increased motivation to exercise.
7. We have learned to love the process of preparing and cooking our food, and are excited to plan our weekly menu!

As an added bonus, I lost 8 pounds and the Mindful Daddie lost 11 pounds over the course of the 4-week cleanse. So not only are we feeling more vibrant and energized, but our clothes look and fit better too! Woo woo!

So what are we going to do now that the cleanse is over? We are going to continue to eat (mostly) according to the cleanse rules Monday through Friday, and we are going to enjoy ourselves on the weekends by treating ourselves to a meal or 2 at restaurants. I say “mostly” because we are planning on incorporating some dairy back into our diet. This will come in the forms of grass-fed butter and cheese, and organic whole milk. We are going to give raw dairy a try because it has some amazing health benefits! Look for a post on raw dairy in the near future!

We will also be giving bulletproof coffee a try, and enjoying the occasional glass of wine or frosty mug of beer. Everything in moderation, right?

I strongly encourage you to give this cleanse a try. I promise you will experience positive, life-changing results and that you will learn to think about food in a completely different way!