7 Ways to “Cleanse” Without Starving Yourself

January 1st is just around the corner which means everyone and their mother is trying to tell you how to create the “new you” by making your body smaller. While I’m not opposed to healthy eating and fitness goals, that juice cleanse is not going to help you. People far smarter than I have shown us how starvation diets are basically bullshit, and yet… they make some people a lot of money.

However, I do enjoy a reset every now and then, especially at the beginning of a new year, so I came up with some alternative suggestions for non-food related ways to cleanse. I also spoke to my sis, Marissa Zarco Hoffman, MS, RD, LD/N, about some non-starvation ways to approach food as a reset. A philosophical suggestion I really get behind is forgetting what you should NOT eat and instead focusing on the good things you WANT to add to the mix. Instead of subtracting, what if we add instead? On my end, I always advocate for listening to what the body is asking you for. That can be really hard depending on your history with food, but starting with a journaling practice to notice how you feel after meals and snacks might be a good start if “listening” feels hard.

Ready to opt out of the madness? Here are some ways to get into the spirit of a “cleanse” if you’d like to have a beginning of the year reset that doesn’t include starving yourself. Whether you go for one day, one week, or one month doesn’t matter to me. Just set a goal that will challenge you just enough to satisfy.

7. Tune out of TV

You can define this one loosely to just include TV shows or include movies, YouTube videos, and other video content. My husband and I went for this the month after we tied the knot and it lead to more intimate time and lots and lots of reading. We are now voraciously binging Attack on Titan, but I’ll be taking another break to dive into my next book when we’re caught up.

What’s nice about this on is that it gives your thoughts more space without other people’s stories shooting at you for hours on end. Reading books hits different. So doesn’t having time to think and breath without the external stimuli.

6. Unplug from social media

Take it a step further and disconnect from the socials. What does it feel like in your brain when other people’s opinions aren’t the first thing you digest in the morning? It’s so easy to reach and scroll first thing in the morning, on the toilet, during that super boring meeting, etc, but what if we remembered how to just sit with our own thoughts? What if we let our opinions and ideas form fully before launching off and sharing them? 

I do thing, too. You see something that activates you and you HAVE to respond. But, what if you just didn’t for a little while? What if we just focused on what we can do in our real lives instead of screaming into the void? This is not the same as folks who mindfully educate online. That is monumental and so helpful. But letting the information sit before moving on might help us better process our response. (That’s actually why I love that saving posts became an option.)

I’ll be doing this one myself for the first 10 days of the new year. Wish me luck!

5. Cut out the “gas station food”

That’s Marissa’s term and she mostly means those processed snacks that come in bags that are loaded with salt and sugar to get you and keep you addicted. Cheetos, Oreos, whatever your favorite snack, lay off for your cleanse time. In my experience, the more time I spend away from those snacks, the more I notice how much my body hates them. 

I don’t avoid the delicious cheesy crunch of Cheetos for my figure, it’s because I can feel the sensation of something unpleasant coursing through my veins whenever I munch on a bag and it is truly not worth it. If that doesn’t happen to you, I’m kind of jealous, but see if you notice a difference after a week or two without them.

4. Get hydrated AF

What if instead of taking things away, you just actually drink all that water your body has been dying for. Another Marissa-approved suggestion, getting yourself a one way ticket to the hydration station and drink those 8 glasses a day. 

If you don’t love driving water, you can use my husband’s trick of adding BCAAs (beach chain amino acids) to your water. Zero calories and it comes in blue flavor. Basically gatorade without the sugar rush.

3. Move your body every day

One thing Marissa and I both love to do is move our bodies. It doesn’t matter how or for how long, pick what you like and make the time to move. If this pandemic has taught me anything, it’s how to get creative with exercise. I’ve got some equipment less options for your here, but there are so many options. 

Spend 20 minutes dancing to your favorite song. Pop into the gym, masked up and socially distant for quick and efficient weight training. Grad some resistance bands and target the glutes and shoulders. Run up and down the stairs. Go for a walk or bike ride. Lie on the floor and stretch or foam roll. Do 20 burpees (at peak pandemic my roommates and I did 100 burpees and I hated it so much but damn if it isn’t efficient).

2. Let plants take center stage

Marissa’s favorite nutritional philosophy is that “nature creates food in its perfect form.” While that includes all natural food products, including animal protein, for a new year reset, she recommends adding fruits and veggies wherever possible. So if you want to take this route, instead of cutting things out, just add more fruits and veggies into the mix. Whole fruits will give you the whole nutritional package, instead of the juice alternative that strips away necessary fiber. Veggies, cooked and raw, will round out any meal with hearty and filling goodness.

“But fresh fruits and veggies perish so easily. I can never get through them.” Never fear! Frozen is totally fine! I personally love to stock up on frozen broccoli and toss it in the pan as an easy side dish.

1. Make mindfulness a priority

Whether it’s a meditation practice, daily journaling, working on art, or simply paying attention while you eat or wash the dishes, there’s no right or wrong way to start practicing mindfulness. I love to shoot for first thing in the morning or when I lose steam in the afternoon (or both). Whether you have 5 minutes or 30, all you need to awareness and consistency. You can shoot for a week, a month, or the whole year. 

Even if it’s just 5 minutes of breathing and relaxing your body before bed. The options are as endless as your imagination, and if you need help, I’m always here to help you figure out the way that might work best for you.