New Year Cleanse and Reset: Cleanse Recipes and More

I’ve always felt that January is my least favorite month. It’s post-holiday, the house is suddenly devoid of the twinkling lights and festive decor, and the weather is gloomy. The best part of the month is celebrating the birthdays of two of my kids…and the feeling of new potential, open schedules and reinvigorated energy. Every January, I try to do a new year cleanse, trying new cleanse recipes and giving my body a break from all I put it through while celebrating. This year’s reset is going to be even better, as I’m doing it with the help of the new book, Cleanse and Reset, by Dr. Kellyann Petrucci.

The full title of this book is Cleanse and Reset: Detoxify, Nourish, and Restore Your Body for Sustained Weight Loss…in Just 5 days. Published by Rodale Press, it hit the shelves on December 3, 2019 for $27.00. I got my copy directly from the publishers for the purposes of this review, but you can get it for less here with my affiliate link on Amazon.com.

A new year cleanse isn’t nearly as difficult or unpleasant as it sounds. The book breaks it down on how to achieve major changes in just five days, but the cleanse recipes and tips are things you can use year-round.

If the word “cleanse” makes you think of juice fasting and really cleaning out your system in an old-fashioned use of the word, you’re really going to be pleased with the approach this book takes. You can do an optional pre-cleanse day, essentially making the process six days long, in which you are only allowed liquids, but the real five day program allows you to eat. And more importantly to me, to chew. I’ve tried cleanses in the past and by day three of nothing but broths and juices, I’m ready to eat my arm. Not the case with this five day cleanse at all!

Dr. Kellyann provides you with cleanse recipes and a meal plan for all five days, where you’ll incorporate healthy, safe vegetables and fruits into smoothies and snacks and an actual meal for dinner. The book also gives you a complete shopping list to take to the store. It doesn’t get much easier than this!

A really critical component to any cleanse is the “why” and “how.” Without knowing those things, you won’t learn what the detox is doing to your body and what to expect. The book also explains the basic science behind the nutrition and choices involved, including the importance of fiber, good fats, lowering your carbs and including fresh produce.

A big part of this five-day cleanse is collagen powder. It’s incorporated into your daily intake in several ways, and Dr. Kellyann explains why. In short, her credo is this: push nutrients in and toxins in. I’ve had collagen on my pantry shelf for a couple of weeks now, but I really wasn’t aware of all its benefits. Did you know collagen helps promote fat loss and protects lean muscle? In fact, there are several big reasons it belongs in your diet, all outlined in the book.

The last new year cleanse I did, two years ago, didn’t give me a whole lot of direction. I knew I’d feel physically different — and not in a good way at first — but I didn’t know what to expect. Cleanse and Reset lays it all out there, on a day-by-day basis. Yes, you will feel the ‘carb flu’ after an initial excitement, and by day five, you’ll be on your way to feeling like you want to extend the cleanse. No surprises, so you won’t be discouraged because you’ll be expecting the carb flu symptoms.

The grain-free, paleo-safe and dairy-free cleanse recipes are not just your average smoothies and bone broths, either. You’ll be given options of the liquid to use (with an explanation of the benefits of almond milk, for one) and if you prefer things kicked up a notch, additional spices and flavor changes are explored. No flavor boredom on this cleanse and reset! That alone makes it easier to get through, along with discussion on various types of sweeteners, like monkfruit, stevia and more as well as the benefits of different types of flours.

You don’t need to be doing keto to do this cleanse, but IF you are, Dr. Kellyann helps you make sure it fits your lifestyle. There are also pages devoted to helping you continue this approach to nutrition and detox beyond the first five days.

Aside from the cleanse itself, the book is full of lifestyle tips to help you maintain your health whether or not you’re actively doing the cleanse. These tips will definitely make the cleanse a more enjoyable process, too, with focuses on things that distract and relax. Stay hydrated, eat local, go as organic as is feasible, use ‘clean’ beauty and skin care products, try high intensity interval training, maybe even flotation therapy and so much more. (I’m really over-simplifying it all here, but there’s so much information in the book, it’s impossible to cover everything.)

Cleanse and Reset is 259 pages long and worth every page. It’s an easy read, written in a style that is relatable. No chastising, no judgment and no hard and fast “YOU MUST…” directives. Long after you’ve done your cleanse, you can refer to it for encouragement and nutritional answers, and those cleanse recipes will become part of your weekly menu plan. I’ve never been a huge bone broth fan, or a broth fan at all, but when you can make it yourself, you control your seasoning and you know exactly what you’re getting. That’s a game changer for me.

Whether you’re doing a new year cleanse or a “I feel sluggish” cleanse or “I just came back from Vegas” cleanse, Cleanse and Reset will get you on the path for health and nutrition while detoxing your body, all while enjoying delicious foods. Check out the website for more information and help yourself to feel better in just a few short days!