Costello - The clean in 14 detox : the 2-week plan to melt fat, kick cravings, and increase your natural energy

Disclaimer: The advice contained in this book is not intended as a substitute for the advice and/or medical care of the readers physician. The reader should regularly consult with a physician in matters relating to his or her health. Any eating or exercise regimen should not be undertaken without consulting with the readers physician.

Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available through the Library of Congress

ISBN: 978-0-7573-1785-9 (e-book)

2014 Melissa Costello

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

HCI, its logos, and marks are trademarks of Health Communications, Inc.

Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
3201 S.W. 15th Street
Deerfield Beach, FL 334428190

Photographer: Roy Dunn, www.roypix.com
Melissa Costellos hair styling: Denise Baker
Cover and interior design by Lawna Patterson Oldfield

Acknowledgments

W riting a book is not an easy task, and one that takes a lot of time, patience and nurturing. I want to thank those that offered me all of those things while I was creating this amazing, life-changing program.

To Allison Janse, Lawna Oldfield, and everyone at HCI who practiced extreme patience and understanding when I went way past my deadlines, and for working with me to create the most beautifully designed cleanse book on the market. To Jill and Amber, my very dear friends who provide unconditional love and support no matter what. To Alan for being a beautiful light of love in my life, if only for a short while, and for tirelessly chopping veggies and washing dishes on photo shoot day. To my dear friend, Roy, an amazing and very talented photographer, for bringing the Clean in 14 foods to life, and for putting up with my perfectionistic nit-picking. To my sweet friends, Sofia (9) and Ruby (5), for their exuberant spirits and their recipe contributions to the program. To Stacey, whose consistent soul-sisterhood and friendship provides sweet comfort in my life. To my brother Chuck, and sister-in-law, Ingvild for all their love and support. To my sweet Pumpkin Pie, my adorable pit-mix, who provides unconditional love, laughter and healing in my life (and an excuse for daily beach visits). To God and the Divine for always reminding me to trust, time and time again.

And a very special thanks to all my amazing clients for their commitment and dedication to their health and well-being. If it wasnt for you, I wouldnt be able to deliver my passion to the world.

Introduction

A fter writing my first book , The Karma Chow Ultimate Cookbook, and receiving loads of positive feedbackand people desiring more of my simple, delicious recipesI knew it was time to up my game and bring my passion for food-based cleansing to the world.

Over the years, I have been blessed to be able to teach thousands of people how to cleanse their bodies and find optimal health through eating a plant-based, whole foods diet. I dont usually like to use the word diet, but the truth is, by definition terms, this way of eating is a diet, but not the kind you are used to hearing about or participating in.

This way of eating is not about deprivation or starvation. Most diets consist of some form of calorie counting, weighing and measuring food, and major deprivation, where your body goes into starvation mode to drop weightutterly painful, in my opinion. I know that severe calorie restriction can be helpful for a truly obese person to drop weight, but its usually not done in a healthful manner, nor is it completely necessary to drop weight. Clean, plant-based eating will do all of that, along with a regular, lifelong exercise program. Weight loss is a definite byproduct of clean eating, and it can happen naturally without restriction.

One definition of diet in Websters dictionary is, The foods eaten, as by a particular person or group. Diet is also defined as a particular selection of food, especially designed to improve a persons physical condition or to prevent or treat a disease.

Both of these definitions of diet are aligned with my philosophy of prevention and health through clean food. Eating delicious, nutrient-dense foods that provide your body with the fuel it needs is the main focus of this program, along with some other exercises that will help you shift out of sabotaging behaviors and move into true freedom with food.

The reason I call it a cleanse is because you will be giving up certain foods and beverages that are of an addictive nature (i.e., coffee, refined sugar, alcohol, and processed foodsin other words, CRAP) that dont necessarily serve your body in reaching its optimal and balanced state, and you will not in the least feel like you are on a diet or that you are deprived. You will also be clearing sabotaging addictive patterns (SAP) out of your life so that you can continue on a healthy path once your cleanse is complete.

Eating delicious, nutrient-dense foods that provide your body with the fuel it needs is the main focus of this program, along with some other exercises that will help you shift out of sabotaging behaviors and move into true freedom with food.

You will break years of bad habits and find out what its like to fuel your body versus eating just to eat. You will learn how to shift sabotaging behaviors that have kept you stuck in patterns of constantly having to go on a diet, and then falling off the wagon, and starting all over again. You will sleep better, lose weight, and find out what its like to feel truly amazing and have energy!

Did you know that most people today walk around feeling crappy without even knowing it? They think its the norm, because they dont know any better. Isnt that true of anything, really? We dont know until we know. Thats why I felt compelled to bring the Clean in 14 Program to you, because I want you to experience what true health and vitality feels like. I want you to know that you can feel better. You can feel energetic, find your natural body weight, and discover a healthy eating balance in your life.

When I discuss healthy eating with my clients, the main aversion I most often come across is that they are afraid of failure or of not eating perfectly. Somehow, weve adopted a standard of perfection that we feel we need to live up to, and we think, If I dont do it perfectly, whats the point? So we just give up and throw all of our hard efforts out the window without keeping the bigger picture of optimal health and vitality in mind. Most of this mind-set comes from the media. We are bombarded every day with the next quick fix or new product that will help us feel better, look better, or fix what is brokenin other words, be/look perfect.

This program will provide a strong foundation for a lifetime of clean eating and feeling good. You will learn how to listen to and honor your body, how to eat consciously, how to manage the stress in life, and most important, how to take what you learn and confidently bring it forward into your daily life. The only true way to optimal health is by eating clean food, moving our bodies, getting enough rest, and managing our daily stressors and emotions.