I can't tell you how many people ask me about cleansing, detox, fasting, juicing, raw, organic and on and on and on. People are fascinated with those trigger terms. Everyone strives to be healthy. Most of us want to be thin. We're all tired and rundown and have a myriad of complaints. Some of us have poor digestion and others obsess over their skin or want brighter eyes. We're all insane, so I'm going to break down these terms and explain what all these trigger terms mean. Note that I am not a doctor; I am a natural foods chef. As such, I cannot and will not recommend anything but merely tell you my opinion based on my education and experience with these topics.

First and most important: FASTING IS NOT A GOOD WEIGHT LOSS TOOL. The "Old Me" from years ago (before I became "Naturally Thin" and ended my life-long obsession with dieting) would juice fast for many wrong reasons. I wanted to feel a flat stomach and have the scale go down in number. To achieve this, I would vow to maintain this lifestyle of impeccable eating. Then a few days after the fast, I would be disappointed by the fact that I weighed exactly the same and go back to my normal eating habits, only to repeat the process months later.

I believe in cleansing when you really need it and have the time to shut down and really commit. I believe in not being obsessive and finding what works for you. I don't believe in complete fasting even if it's the ancient Master Cleanse. There are no nutrients in that method. Most people can potentially harm themselves through it, and I don't find it realistic.

Instead, I prefer a combination:

1) Drink organic juices mixed in with the Master Cleanse (a mixture of lemons, filtered water, cayenne pepper and maple syrup) for 1 to 3 days. During this time, eat raw food bars or fresh fruits and vegetables if you're unbearably hungry.

2) Combine green juices with raw fruits, vegetables, raw nuts and raw soups such as gazpacho.

3) Drink green juices, if possible, combined with clean vegan foods such as raw fruits and vegetables, brown rice, and pureed vegetables in vegetable broth.

Here is the point of a cleanse: To give your body a rest. We expend so much energy on the digestion of so many different types of processed foods, alcohol, sugar, coffee, meat, dairy, etc. It's nice to give your body a break. During this time, it is important to hydrate with water, teas and water-rich foods, to sleep as much as possible, and to limit strenuous exercise.

Also, consider these additional times. Perform dry brushing, which is using a clean loofah, grain brush or scrubbing gloves to brush your skin all over your body towards your heart. Then take a bath with epsom salts or sauna or stream. This releases toxins. Massages also release toxins. A tongue scraper will show you how your body is cleansing. Also make sure you are going to the bathroom regularly because you are stirring up toxins within the body and they need to be released. During this time, you may perspire more, break out, sleep more, get headaches, etc. This is all because your body is cleansing, which is particularly prevalent on the second and third days.

The most important point is that whatever you do, you must come off of a cleanse for half the amount of time you were on it. If you ate raw and juiced for 2 days, then for 1 day, ease your way back to normal foods. Start with foods that get your digestive system going, such as citrus fruits, raw fruits and vegetables. Move into steam vegetables and brown rice then to nuts to soy to dairy to fish to poultry to meat. That order is from easiest to digest to most difficult.

PLEASE do not be obsessive! Just do small bits at a time and PLEASE don't be a hero. Many times a year, I will simply eat pureed vegetable soups, brown rice, nut butter on whole grain bread, raw vegetables, fruits and nuts. Even one day will make a difference.

If you want to make small changes, try cutting out coffee tomorrow, alcohol the next day, white sugar the day after that, white flour the next day, red meat the following and so on. Read my book, Naturally Thin, for more advice, but I hope this all gives you a general idea about cleansing and how to do this for yourself.