Happy New Year Vegheads! Today starts my annual crunchy radish clean up. Every year I like to provide readers with 5 days of clean eats to help reset the system after the holiday season. My clean ups are not reliant on juice cleanses, detoxing, or sustaining yourself on processed protein powders. Instead, the focus is on EATING real whole foods.

There is always such a positive momentum generated by healthy eating on January 1st, but how do you sustain that enthusiasm past the first month of the year and continue eating and living well into February and beyond? To help you get the year started on a positive and properly nourished note, I will be kicking off my mostly plant-based, carefully curated meal plan full of REAL food to get you reset for 2018.

The menus consist of clean, simple, mostly vegan dishes with recipes that you can use to get back on track. The focus is to reset and clean up from all of the festivities that took place in November and December.

The recipes that will be featured are uncomplicated and contain some repetition as I believe that setting the groundwork for healthy eating habits should be simple. I encourage you to get into the kitchen and start with basic cooking techniques to prove to yourself that eating healthfully and cleanly can be just as easy and more economical than ordering seamless or paying $500 for a week of juices and smoothies.

The clean up plan does not need to be followed to a "T", and I encourage creativity. If you want to stick to a strictly vegan plan, simply swap around the dishes. Don't like some of the ingredients, use ones that your prefer. I am laying the groundwork for how and what you should be eating 90 percent of the time. You should favor plant-forward meals, eating with the seasons when feasible, and integrating fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, and kefir regularly.

During clean ups, I place the focus on consuming hearty soups and stews, tons of dark leafy greens, and vegetables in the cruciferous family. Consuming hot, liquid-based foods forces you to pace yourself during meals. When eating slowly, you begin to pay attention to mindful eating and not overdoing it with portions. The soups included in the clean-up are not just broths - they are plant-based and filled with protein from legumes and seeds with added greens for nutritional mileage.

Now whether you are nursing a hang over, savoring your last few days of vacation, or are super pumped and motived for 2018, I encourage you to set realistic, attainable goals for the New Year. Be real with yourself. Set small, simple milestones that you can reach and be proud of.

Instead of trying to lose 10 pounds by February 1st, how about setting a goal to work out four times a week? Start instituting meatless Monday? Or bring your lunch to work everyday but Friday? Focus on one component at a time, and slowly and realistically start making changes. Select one goal a week or even one a month and work toward integrating the goal seamlessly into your life until it becomes routine. Once you accomplished one goal, move on to the next.

For the crunchy radish clean up plan tips and tricks click here

Here is the menu! Feel free to mix it up and curate your clean up as you please. This is a guide to help motivate you to feel your best.