I was in my 20s when I picked up the book, The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose, which introduced me to colonics and a host of other health-related hacks I became obsessed with including juice fasting, food combining, infrared saunas, dry brushing, trampolines and unadulterated sunshine. At the time, I was struggling with a quarter life crisis wondering if desk work was my life sentence. I was also extremely anxious about the consequential desk bod that could quickly result from sitting on my ass all day under fluorescent lights, breathing in recycled air, eating all the snacks and birthday cake (it’s always someone’s g**damn birthday!) and holding in my pee, shit, laughter and conversation for fear of appearing unproductive or God forbid….social. Everything about office life felt counter-human and ironically counter-productive for the evolution of the human species. So while obsession with desk detox landed me in my profession, which I am FOREVER grateful for because I really had no idea where life was taking me (I was just hoping it was far fucking away from a desk), my obsession over the years has transitioned into a deep appreciation for all things natural, holistic, balanced and self-empowering.

When I began my detox journey, I was obsessed with getting it all out: the years of greasy Cuban food and soda I was raised on, the excessive alcohol and late night loaded nachos I consumed throughout college, four years of birth control, the occasional antibiotic or OTC medication and the overall stagnation every cell of my being was experiencing. I couldn’t have been more motivated to refrain from compounding the toxic load on my body before it started seeping into my bloodstream only to become some sort of rare cancer or far worse…premature aging or irreversible weight gain. My first fast was the Master Cleanse, which consisted of 10 days of consuming nothing but lemon water sweetened with maple syrup and spiced with cayenne pepper. This was delicious for the first few days, but my delight quickly turned to revulsion: a pattern I became all too familiar with on my quest to find the perfect detox. My next obsession became juice fasting after learning that not only will you feel light and skinny during and especially after the fast, but the enzymes and the nutrients in the juices are actually breaking down the old matter that is clogging your system while hydrating the body with some serious nourishment that will have you glowing from the inside out!

That said, juice fasting fucking sucks. I fucking hate it. I do believe in the merits of food combining regarding fresh vegetable and fruit juice in that juice should only be consumed alone and on an empty stomach (otherwise, you may experience some intense bloating coupled with putrid-smelling farts). The only time I like to recommend a juice fast is 1) post-colonic, a good time to let your digestive tract rest for the rest of the day and 2) when you truly feel like it and do not feel like you are forcing starvation upon yourself.

I also believe in the merits of intermittent fasting in the sense that we don’t need to be eating all the live long day if we don’t feel like it. In fact, I believe eating on a contrived work schedule is contributing to the detriment of our health. As mammals, we are designed to eat and in a position to receive nutrients when we are relaxed and have calming hormones coursing through our system (dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, oxytocin). We are not designed to be eating when we have stress hormones (adrenaline, cortisol) coursing through our body. Have you seen a wild animal hunting and snacking at the same time? Probably not. Have you ever seen an obese wild animal? Me neither. So I always suggest that clients fast when stuck at the computer (unless they’re planning their next vacation, which is what I always seemed to be doing at my desk job) and eat when they can remove themselves from work mode for ten minutes to truly enjoy their food, a practice now called mindful eating. I am a super slow eater and I know I can eat a meal comfortably in ten minutes unless I’m in good company (then that might turn into three hours).

One thing I have never tried is water fasting, where you can only consume water for a period of days. Water fasting has been proven to stimulate autophagy (cellular rejuvenation) and lower risk of chronic disease. A surgeon client of mine has seen water fasting reverse diabetes! I still have no interest in consuming nothing but water all day long, but I did finally find a fast proven to promote autophagy, healthier looking skin, weight loss and a changed relationship with food.

Backed by 20 years of science and more importantly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Prolon is a 5 day “fasting mimicking diet” that will allow you to reap all the benefits of an intense water cleanse while actually eating food. I have already done the Prolon fast twice and I felt immediately like myself again after the very first time. I recommend planning the fast around a busy week where you don’t really have much time to sit down and eat throughout the day. I tend to eat heavier in the evening, so I would plan it around my busier work days and save all of the soups for evening time. You can spread the food (which consists of soups, nut bar, olives, crackers) throughout the day however you like. They provide a suggested schedule, but I found that following the schedule (which I did the second time) made me feel hungrier rather than eating how I normally eat (heavier in the evening). I find this gentle, yet effective fast really helped me quickly feel like myself again after this long ass winter / fake spring. I will be starting another fast this Sunday and would love for you to join! Click here to purchase.