Last week I participated in a cleanse facilitated by Gina Caputo, one of my favorite yoga teachers. I had never done a cleanse before but had been feeling like I needed to hit the reset button on how I eat for some time now. The cleanse included eating only fruits and vegetables for six days, and supplementing with things like probiotics, dandelion root, and psyllium husks to help with the cleansing process.

Whether cleansing is beneficial or not is controversial, but I wanted to take those six days to wean off of sugar and to become more mindful about what I was eating and when.

Rich, sweet foods began inching their way back into my diet during the holiday season last year. It was the last year of our assignment in Germany and I wanted to completely experience the famous Christmas markets because after three assignments in Germany, it’s unlikely that we’ll get to go back. Favorites included crepes filled with chocolate and marzipan, Kartoffelpuffer (greasy potato pancakes), and Lángos (Hungarian fried bread topped with sour cream, cheese, and garlic).

Before I knew it, the weather warmed and our household goods were packed up making their way back to the States. Once we got back in America there were foods that I was excited about eating, like Chipoltle’s tortilla chips with guacamole. I could put away an entire order along with my veggie burrito bowl because it was that good and I had missed it.

I desperately needed to get back on track so I was highly motivated to stay true to the requirements of the cleanse. Here are the three fruits that helped me out and they are now Commissary staples for me.

1. Lemons. We were required to drink warm lemon water first thing in the morning. It replaced my usual cup of black tea. I had heard many healthy people listing this as one of their daily habits, but I had never taken the time to find out why. Benefits particularly important to me include the immunity boost and the Vitamin C to help clear skin of blemishes and wrinkles. Read more about it in a MindBodyGreen article here.
2. Avocados. When I needed a go-to afternoon snack that would see me through two evening yoga classes, I reached for an avocado. I mashed it up with the juice of half a lemon and some chili salt (mix chili powder with sea salt if you can’t find the combination), and ate it with carrot sticks. It filled me up enough to get me through the classes but without making me feel full and uncomfortable in class. Read about 15 benefits of eating avocados here at Underground Health.
3. Medjool dates. Dates are nature’s sugar. Look for the unsweetened variety. My Commissary sells them in bulk in the small organic fruit section. They are sweet like candy when you feel like you just need a little something as a snack or after a meal. They are delicious on their own, or for an extra special treat you can combine them with unsweetened almond milk, unsweetened shredded coconut, and a little pure vanilla extract. Read about the benefits of eating dates here at LIVESTRONG.

Have you ever felt like you needed to hit the reset button? How did you do it?